Back to Glossary of Broadband Grant Terms

Connect America Fund

Also Known As: CAF

The Connect America Fund was unveiled in 2011 as part of the Universal Service Fund, redesigned to help fund Internet infrastructure in the nation’s high-cost areas. CAF put a new emphasis on Internet service.

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Related Broadband Grant Terms

High Cost Area

Internet Service Provider

Low-Cost Broadband Service Option

Broadband Grant Terms

63-20 Financing

ACP Aerial Installation Affidavit Application Model ARPA ARPU Asymmetric Attestation

Backhaul Bandwidth Bank Loan BEAD Program BEAD Timelines BIP Bit Broadband Broadband Audit Broadband DATA Act Broadband DATA Maps Broadband Feasibility Study Broadband Service Provider Broadband Serviceable Locations BTOP Bulk Fabric Challenge Buried Fiber Deployment Byte

Data Packet Debt Debt/EBITDA Digital Divide Digital Equity Act Programs Digital Inclusion DPP DSL DSRC

EBITDA EBITDA Margin Economic Development Incentive Eligible Community Anchor Institution Eligible Entity equity shares Ethernet Cable EV

Fabric FCC Feasibility Study Fiber Fiber to the Home Fiber to the home/premises/curb/node Final Proposal Formula Grant FRN FTTC FTTH FTTN FTTP

GAN GO Bond Grant Adjusted YOC Gross Profit Margin Guaranteed Bank Loan

High Cost Area

ILEC Indian Tribe Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act Initial Funding Availability Initial Proposal Internet Exchange Facility Internet Protocol IRBs IRU ISP

Last Mile Limited-Tax General Obligation Pledge Loan LOC Local Coordination Low-Cost Broadband Service Option

Make Ready Work Match Funding Mezz Debt Middle Mile Millimeter Wave Mobile Monitoring, Reporting and Performance Management Multi-Dwelling Unit Muni Bond

Native American Native Entity Net Working Capital Network Node Nielsen’s Law of Internet Bandwidth NOFO NTIA

OLT ONT Outside Plant

Packet Loss Peering and Transit Agreements Ping Point to Point PPP Preferred Equity Project Finance

RDOF ReConnect RECs Reliability Reliable Broadband Service Request for Initial Planning Funds Revenue Bond Revolver Rural Utility Service

SAFE Satellite Internet Secondary Addresses Secured Debt Security Senior Debt Shareholders’ Equity Speed State Subgrantee Subgrantee Selection Subordinated Debenture Subsidiarity Symmetric

Take Rate Tax-Exempt Debt Taxable Debt Telecommunications Act of 1996 Tier 1, 2, 3 Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program Tribal Data Sovereignty Tribal Government Tribal Land Trust Land

Underserved Underserved Service Project Universal Service Fund Unlevered Returns Unlimited-Tax General Obligation Pledge Unsecured Debt Unserved community Unserved Service Project Upload and download Utility

Wi-Fi Wi-Fi Router Wireless

YOC

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