Windstream: $523 Million in Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Authorizations Propel Public-Private Partnership Strategy

Windstream announced that it has received authorizations from the Federal Communications Commission to receive a total of $523 million from the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF), which the carrier sees as a springboard for growing through public-private partnerships (PPPs). The funding will help Windstream extend broadband to approximately 193 thousand locations across 18 states. RDOF is an FCC program offering funding to help cover the cost of expanding broadband to the unserved, and eventually, the underserved. Windstream says construction has already begun in 16 of the 18 states where the company won funding. The company says it’s building gigabit-capable broadband to these RDOF funded locations. The company includes RDOF participation as an example of its growing PPP focus. Windstream appears to define PPP participation as accepting funding solely from government programs. Others might define PPP a little more selectively, to include deeper public entity participation in a project. Like most legacy telecom companies, Windstream is aggressively pursuing a larger fiber broadband overbuild strategy. The company has a $2 billion initiative underway to expand its fiber footprint to over 2 million locations.