The Benton Institute for Broadband and Society report on a recent order from the FCC…
The Federal Communications Commission’s Wireline Competition Bureau (WCB or Bureau) denied Savage Communications, Inc.’s (Savage) request for waiver of the Commission’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) non-compliance rules, finding that Savage did not demonstrate that good cause supports waiving the non-compliance rules or reducing the required support recovery. After being announced as an RDOF winning bidder, Savage filed a long-form application seeking to be authorized to receive support for the winning bids in exchange for providing voice and broadband service. In December 2021, Savage was authorized to receive $6,090,479.10 in RDOF support over 10 years to serve 4,541 model-estimated locations in Minnesota. In September 2025, WCB approved Savage’s transfer of its remaining RDOF support and obligations associated with its non-defaulted RDOF winning bids to Midcontinent Communications (Midcontinent). In November 2025, Savage officially notified the Bureau that it did not intend to meet its RDOF obligations in certain census block groups (CBGs) covering 1,310 model-estimated locations and acknowledging it “may be subject to the applicable non-compliance rules.” The Bureau stopped Savage’s future RDOF support and announced Savage’s default in a public notice in February 2026. In December 2025, Savage submitted a petition requesting waiver of the Commission’s non-compliance rules. Savage requested that the FCC generally waive its non-compliance rules, and if it denied this relief, Savage requested that the FCC reduce the required support recovery. Savage claimed there is good cause to grant the waiver, citing its inability to obtain a right-of-way access “despite good faith efforts and consultation with Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Tribe,” and explained that Consolidated Telephone Company (Consolidated) had received funding from a Minnesota county to offer broadband in one of the defaulted CBGs. Savage also indicated that it “was required to surrender four” of its RDOF CBGs as a result of being acquired by and transferring the RDOF support and obligations associated with the remaining 14 RDOF CBGs to Midcontinent, and emphasized its commitment to meeting the RDOF obligations as evidenced by the fact that had “connected 572 locations” across the defaulted CBGs. Finally, Savage claimed that the support recovery “would be unreasonable and disproportionate to the harm” caused by the defaults