LTD Broadband Suing Iowa Utilities Board

LTD Broadband, based in Las Vegas, is suing the Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) over a recent decision that they say is blocking them from rolling out a $23 million expansion of broadband service in Iowa.

The primary issue at hand is the IUB's denial of LTD's request to expand its status as an Eligible Telecommunications Carrier (ETC). WIthout that designation, LTD cannot access more than $23 Million that it was orginally awarded under the FCC's Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) program.

There's a lot of details behind the IUB denial and the FCC's criticism of LTD for not meeting deadlines for various filings. CLICK HERE for an excellent article at the Iowa Capital Dispatch. Even before the FCC and IUB actions, many industry analysts were suspect that LTD had the experience and technical know-how to fulfill the obligations in the areas where they received RDOF funding committments. In their short-form application, LTD talked about offering gigabit services in the awarded areas, but it's never been clear whether they are planning to use fiber, fixed wireless, or some combination of both. And if fixed wireless is the solution, others questioned whether such a product could deliver promised speeds in questionable terrain.