OKLAHOMA CITY-Dobson Communications Corp. announced that two of its subsidiaries have been designated as eligible telecommunications carriers (ETC) in rural areas of Alaska and Minnesota by the states’ respective regulatory commissions.
The carrier already has received written notification from the Regulatory Commission of Alaska that its Dobson Cellular Systems Inc. is now an ETC. The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission has already voted to approve the Dobson subsidiary American Cellular Corp. as an ETC and Dobson expects to receive paperwork confirming that decision within the next two weeks.
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Dobson projects that it will receive roughly $30 million annually in federal universal service support as a result. The carrier said it will spend the money on supporting and expanding cellular service in those areas.
Rural operator Dobson currently owns wireless operations in 16 states.