Revised ACAM

Established by the 2018 Rate-of-Return Reform Order, the Revised Alternative Connect America Cost Model (Revised ACAM) program increases model-based support for existing ACAM carriers (ACAM I carriers) to up to $200 per location, expands the ACAM I program budget by $67 million and establishes a new ten-year term of support. Carriers receiving Revised ACAM support must still deploy broadband at speeds of at least 10 Mbps downstream/1 Mbps upstream (10/1 Mbps), as required by the original ACAM I offer, and expand deployment at speeds of 25/3 Mbps. The program runs 10 years, from 2019 through 2028. Participating carriers must meet annual 25/3 Mbps deployment milestones starting in year four, 2022, in addition to the 10/1 Mbps deployment milestones of ACAM I beginning in 2020.

Please see the Rate-of-Return Reform webpage for more information about FCC orders targeting rate of return carriers.

Service Requirements

Carriers that elected Revised ACAM funding must meet the deployment obligations published in the Public Notice authorizing them to receive Revised A-CAM support. These deployment obligations are based on the following service requirements:

• Meet the existing obligations to deploy broadband at speeds of at least 10/1 Mbps to a number of eligible locations equal to the number of locations that were fully funded (locations for which the carrier receives support for the full cost of build-out) under the original ACAM program
• Offer broadband speeds of at least 25/3 Mbps to a number of eligible locations equal to a certain percentage of locations that were fully funded under the revised ACAM I program depending on the population density of the carrier’s service area
  • For a density threshold of 10 or more locations per square mile, offer speeds of at least 25/3 Mbps to a number of eligible locations equal to at least 85 percent of fully-funded locations by the end of 2028
  • For a density threshold of more than five but fewer than 10 locations per square mile, offer speeds of at least 25/3 Mbps to a number of eligible locations equal to at least 65 percent of fully-funded locations by the end of 2028
  • For a density threshold of five or fewer locations per square mile, offer speeds of at least 25/3 Mbps to a number of eligible locations equal to at least 50 percent of fully-funded locations by the end of 2028
• Offer broadband speeds of at least 4/1 Mbps to a number of eligible locations equal to a certain percentage of capped locations (locations for which the carrier receives support for only the partial cost of build-out) depending on the population density of the carrier’s service area
  • For a density threshold of 10 or more locations per square mile, offer speeds of at least 4/1 Mbps to a number of eligible locations equal to at least 50 percent of capped funded locations by the end of 2028
  • For a density threshold of fewer than 10 locations per square mile, offer speeds of at least 4/1 Mbps to a number of eligible locations equal to at least 25 percent of capped funded locations by the end of 2028
• Provide broadband upon reasonable request to the remainder of locations

Deployment Requirements

Carriers must offer at least one commercial voice service and one commercial broadband service that meet the relevant service requirements, and must meet the 10/1 Mbps deployment milestones of ACAM I, as well as the following 25/3 Mbps broadband deployment milestones:

• 40 percent of required 25/3 Mbps deployments by the end of year 4 (2022)
• 50 percent of required 25/3 Mbps deployments by the end of year 5 (2023)
• 60 percent of required 25/3 Mbps deployments by the end of year 6 (2024)
• 70 percent of required 25/3 Mbps deployments by the end of year 7 (2025)
• 80 percent of required 25/3 Mbps deployments by the end of year 8 (2026)
• 90 percent of required 25/3 Mbps deployments by the end of year 9 (2027)
• 100 percent of required 25/3 Mbps deployments by the end of year 10 (2028)

Please see this spreadsheet for the most current ACAM authorization report, as of December 2025 (Authorization Report 5.3).

• Historical spreadsheet for ACAM Authorization Report 5.2, dated January 8, 2025
• Historical spreadsheet for ACAM carrier-specific deployment obligations from the 2019 authorization report

The FCC has established a voluntary location adjustment process to resolve potential discrepancies in Revised ACAM deployment obligations if the Broadband Serviceable Location Fabric (Fabric) shows fewer actual locations in a carrier’s funded service area than the required deployment location counts originally estimated by the ACAM model. The Fabric is a single, standardized dataset of all locations in the U.S. where fixed broadband access service is available or could be installed. It serves as the foundation for FCC collection of fixed-broadband-availability data through the Broadband Data Collection and FCC mapping of fixed-broadband availability on the National Broadband Map.

The ACAM location adjustment process allowed Revised ACAM carriers to file certifications with the FCC seeking a decrease in the total number of locations they must deploy (along with a pro-rata reduction in support) based on the Fabric dataset released in December of 2025. The window for Revised ACAM carriers to submit location adjustment certifications based on the December 2025 Fabric dataset is open from Sept. 29, 2026, through Nov. 30, 2026. The FCC and USAC will review the certifications, verify Fabric-based location counts, recalculate support using original ACAM model parameters and release a future public notice informing carriers of revised deployment obligations and support amounts. (See FCC 25-32 (paras. 66-70), FCC DA 25-1023 and FCC DA 26-1044)

Annual Filing Requirements

Carriers receiving Revised ACAM support must comply with the following filing and certification requirements annually:

• Quarterly: Submit speed and latency test data from performance measures testing conducted for one week of each quarter of the calendar year at a USAC-selected random sample of locations reported in the HUBB that have active subscribers. Carriers must file and certify test results within two weeks of the end of the quarter. Submit speed and latency test data in the Performance Measures Module.
  • Carriers that did not conduct all required network performance measures testing or pre-testing during a quarter because they could not find active subscribers to test for a particular SAC and speed tier combination must attest to this (and provide an explanation) the quarterly filing deadline and may be subject to verification review that subscribers were not available. Carriers that did not conduct all required network performance measures testing or pre-testing during a quarter for any other reason – including carriers that obtained a subscriber location sample for a particular SAC and speed tier combination but did not have time to set up testing – must also attest to this (and provide an explanation) by the quarterly filing deadline and may see withholding of support during pre-testing and an impact on compliance calculations during official testing. (See FCC DA 26-277.)
• March 1: Submit and certify deployment data in the HUBB showing where the carrier built out broadband using CAF support in the previous calendar year or certify that the carrier has “no locations to upload.” Carriers must report latitude and longitude coordinates, minimum speeds offered and date of deployment, among other information, for every location where mass-market, high-speed Internet service is available. Submit Locations in the HUBB. USAC will conduct verification reviews to confirm deployment to a random sample of locations reported in the HUBB following each deployment milestone. Carriers must notify the FCC and USAC, and relevant state, U.S. Territory or Tribal governments if applicable, within 10 business days after the applicable deadline if they have failed to meet a build-out milestone (see 47 CFR Section 54.320(d)).
• July 1: Submit FCC Form 507 to report line counts.
  • Log in to the Legacy Data Collection Portal
  • Form 507 Instructions
    Form 507 Upload Template
• October 1: Certify that the carrier is eligible to receive High Cost support and used all support received in the proceeding calendar year only to provide, maintain and upgrade the facilities for which the support was intended and will do the same in the coming calendar year. State utility commissions certify carriers under their jurisdiction as eligible telecommunications carriers (ETCs). Carriers not subject to state jurisdiction self-certify. Learn more about the annual ETC certification.

Related Orders

• Rate-of-Return Reform Order (FCC 18-176) – Order establishing ACAM I Revised and ACAM II and adopting new deployment obligations for rate-of-return carriers
• WCB Announces Offers of Revised A-CAM Support Amounts and Deployment Obligations to Authorized A-CAM Companies to Expand Rural Broadband (DA 19-115) – Public notice announcing Revised ACAM I support offers and deployment obligations
• WCB Authorizes 186 Rate-Of-Return Companies to Receive an Additional $65.7 Million Annually in ACAM Support to Expand Rural Broadband (DA 19-349) – Public notice authorizing Revised ACAM I support for 186 Rate of Return carriers
• WCB Provides Guidance Regarding ACAM Final Deployment Obligations (DA 19-650) – Public notice announcing guidance regarding ACAM deployment obligations
• WCB Authorizes Totah Communications, Inc. to Receive Additional ACAM Support To Expand Rural Broadband (DA 19-474) – Public notice authorizing Revised ACAM I support for Totah Communications
• WCB Announces Filing Window for Revised A-CAM I and A-CAM II Carriers to Submit Certifications Requesting Downward Location Adjustments (DA 26-1044) – Public notice announcing process for Revised A-CAM I and A-CAM II carriers to request decrease in required deployment location totals based on the Broadband Serviceable Location Fabric