Windstream has submitted its application to receive $523 million over 10 years in the FCC’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) Phase I auction to bring fiber-to-the-home internet services to almost 200,000 locations in 18 states. With CAF II winding down, RDOF Phase I targets wholly unserved census blocks, defined as those blocks where no location receives 25/3 Mbps broadband. Separately, Windstream is embarking on a nearly $2 billion initiative to continue expanding its fiber footprint and gigabit services.