Carriers participating in several federal broadband internet funding programs must file deployment data with USAC’s HUBB portal showing where they are building out mass-market, high-speed Internet service. This information includes latitude and longitude coordinates for every location where service is available. HUBB submissions serve as the foundation for the Connect America Fund (CAF) Broadband Map, which shows the impact of CAF support on broadband expansion in rural America. The map also includes other USAC sites, including those funded under the Alternative Connect America Cost Model (ACAM), Alaska Plan (AK Plan), and Rural Broadband Experiments (RBE) programs.
The CAF allocates financial resources to telecom carriers to provide service in rural areas where the market alone cannot support the substantial cost of deploying network infrastructure. Historically, this program has subsidized voice service to ensure that rates in rural and urban areas are comparable. With a series of reform orders that began in 2011, the FCC is modernizing the CAF to ensure that all people in America, regardless of where they live, have access to robust, affordable broadband connectivity to fully participate in today’s society.
A not-for-profit corporation designated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), USAC administers the $10 billion Universal Service Fund (USF), a system of telecommunications subsidies and fees managed by the FCC intended to promote universal access to telecommunications services in the United States. With the guidance of FCC policy, USAC collects and delivers funding through programs that are focused specifically on places where broadband and connectivity needs are acute. The CAF is the largest and most complex of the four programs; it subsidizes telecommunications services in rural and remote areas.
Field Names / Record Structure
- Fund: The funding type received can include CAF II (Connect America Fund - Phase II), CAF-BLS (CAF Broadband Loop Support), ACAM (Alternative Connect America Cost Model), and AK Plan (Alaska Plan). More information on these funding types can be accessed through the “Additional Resources” section below.
- Company Name: Company Name
- Deployment Address: Street address of the deployment location.
- Deployment City: City of deployment location.
- Deployment State: State two-letter abbreviation of the deployment location.
- Deployment ZIP Code: Five-digit ZIP code of the deployment location.
- Locations Deployed: The number of service deployments within that service area.
- Download Upload Speed Tier: The minimum speed, in megabits per second (Mbps), required to be delivered based on the level of funding received.
- Deployment Year: The year in which the service was deployed.
- Census Block: A 15-digit code used to identify a particular census block by reflecting the census geographical hierarchy. The first two digits refer to the state, the next three digits refer to the county, the next six digits refer to the tract number, and the last four digits refer to the block.
- Latitude: Latitude measurement of the deployment location, in decimal degrees.
- Longitude: Longitude measurement of the deployment location, in decimal degrees.
- Study Area Code (SAC): A six-digit number assigned to an area in which a carrier was providing local exchange telephone service in 1996 (when the Telecommunications Act of 1996 was enacted). This area is used to determine location and eligibility for funding.
Additional Resources