Source: U.S. Cellular

U.S. Cellular Awarded $40 Million in the FCC's Mobility Fund Auction 901 to Bring Wireless Service to More Rural Customers

Carrier's Winning Bids Reach 26 Census Tracts Across 10 States

CHICAGO, Oct. 5, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- U.S. Cellular (NYSE:USM) successfully bid on 26 census tracts in the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) September 27 Mobility Auction 901, totaling $40.1 million in funds to bring mobile broadband service to rural communities in the carrier's footprint. U.S. Cellular will extend wireless service to select counties in 10 states where it is an Eligible Telecommunications Carrier (ETC), including Illinois, Iowa, Maine, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

"Making these funds available will help carriers serve more rural customers who deserve the same access that urban residents have had for many years," said Mary N. Dillon, president and CEO of U.S. Cellular. "We would like to see the FCC open up more funding to allow carriers to continue expanding their networks to enhance the public safety and economic development in underserved communities."

About U.S. Cellular

U.S. Cellular rewards its customers with unmatched benefits and industry-leading innovations designed to elevate the customer experience. The Chicago-based carrier has a strong line-up of cutting-edge devices that are all backed by its high-speed nationwide network that has the highest call quality of any national carrier. Currently, 31 percent of customers have access to 4G LTE speeds and 58 percent will have access by the end of 2012. U.S. Cellular was named a J.D. Power and Associates Customer Service Champion in 2012 for the second year in a row. To learn more about U.S. Cellular, visit one of its retail stores or uscellular.com. To get the latest news, promos and videos, connect with U.S. Cellular on Facebook.com/uscellular.com, Twitter.com/uscellular and YouTube.com/uscellularcorp.

Steve Carlson, U.S. Cellular, steve.carlson@uscellular.com, 312-217-0606

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