They didn't get the FCC money because they couldn't get a consistent 100Mbps down 20Mbps up, not because anyone claimed it didn't provide access.
Those numbers are the current FCC definition of "broadband" and I think it's fair to use the broadband standard as the main threshold for that money. And the latency requirement is a generous 100ms, no shenanigans there. Maybe partial funding would be good for connections that can at least meet 25/3, but we shouldn't consider 25/3 to be good enough.
"Winning bidders have committed to deploy broadband to more than 5.2 million homes and small businesses in census blocks that previously lacked broadband service with minimum speeds of 25 megabits per second downstream and 3 megabits per second upstream (25/3 Mbps) as determined by FCC Form 477 data."
The change in definition to 100/20 was in March 2024. Well after the RDOF auctions.
Even ignoring that - the shenanigans are pretty clear :) The FCC claimed that starlink couldn't meet the standard because it currently does not deliver that speed. The irony though is all the competitors (who got lots MORE money) basically haven't deployed anything AT ALL, and are at 0/0 AND are very very very unlikely to ever deploy to the hardest to reach rural locations. It's all going to be games playing and cherry picking in near rural areas or crazy high build out costs.
The proof is actually in the pudding. People are chosing to pay to use Starlink and not the subsidized RDOF deployments in part because the cost per deployment is so high to very rural areas they simply are not out in all of alaska etc yet (and starlink is going to be not only in all of alaska but on most bigger boats and many planes and more).
Note the awards are pretty comical
"The CCA paper argues that funding was unfairly awarded to areas like Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco; parts of downtown Chicago; some of the largest and busiest airports in the world; and tech-heavy locations such as Apple Headquarters in Cupertino, Calif."
“This whole thing is a sham,” Settles said. “Having the 477 data is a joke, because you’re basically self-dealing to the incumbents because they influence what the information is.”
Settles added there should be more accountability on how FCC broadband money is used after it’s awarded. Billions of FCC dollars have been given out for many years. “And what do we have to show for it? I would contend that we have little to show for it,” Settles said.
A 2018 study by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance indicates that Form 477 reporting enables “de facto monopoly providers” to “overstate their coverage and territory to hide the unreliable and slow nature of their service in many communities.”
Those numbers are the current FCC definition of "broadband" and I think it's fair to use the broadband standard as the main threshold for that money. And the latency requirement is a generous 100ms, no shenanigans there. Maybe partial funding would be good for connections that can at least meet 25/3, but we shouldn't consider 25/3 to be good enough.