CenturyLink (NYSE:CTL) says it has enabled broadband to more than 600,000 homes and small businesses in rural areas over the last two years in conjunction with the FCC's Connect America Fund (CAF) program.
In August 2015, CenturyLink committed to bring downstream speeds of at least 10 Mbps to approximately 1.2 million high-cost locations in 33 states over six years.
To date, the company says it has enabled 51% of those 1.2 million locations with broadband, and nearly 70% of them have speeds of 20 Mbps or higher. The company expects to reach 60% of its CAF commitments by the end of 2018.
"CenturyLink is making significant investments to bring broadband to more homes and businesses in our various markets," said John F. Jones, CenturyLink senior vice president of public policy and government relations. "Many rural schools, libraries, hospitals and public safety agencies are now benefitting from our broadband upgrades and investment thanks to the Connect America Fund. While building broadband infrastructure in rural areas is difficult, we have focused on bringing broadband to as many consumers as possible as quickly as possible. We appreciate the FCC and the White House taking the lead in addressing the importance of rural broadband infrastructure and removing existing barriers that slow deployment."
