High-speed internet is not available to all Americans. Accurate, up-to-date information about where high-speed internet is available and where it is not, is still needed. The Federal Communications Commission, or FCC, used to depend on data reported by internet service providers (ISPs). The ISPs reported twice a year all the census blocks they offered internet service to in at least one location. A census block in a rural area may be larger than its urban counterparts.
The problem is that even if only one location in a census block had access to high-speed internet, the entire census block was considered served.
This was how the government tracked where the internet was and was not available in the United States and was used to determine where government funding would be made available. These maps exaggerated the availability of the internet.
The FCC has created a new national broadband map to gather more accurate data at the address level. The first version of this map was released in November 2022. The new national broadband map will likely take many reviews and changes before it is accurate.
The map may not yet be accurate, and many communities may be shown to be “served” when they are not.
It will be the basis for distributing funding designated for broadband from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Your community can help ensure your state gets as much of these funds as possible by reviewing the FCC map and helping identify errors.
The easiest way is for individuals to search for their address and verify that the information is correct and service is available at that location as indicated on the map. Due to the urgency in getting the funds distributed to states, the FCC has set a short time frame for verifying information.
The deadline to submit changes is January 13, 2023.
Please share this information with your community and ask residents to help.
Here’s what you need to do:
1. Go to Broadbandmap.FCC.gov
2. Check your location
Type in an address and select from the auto-generated location options. Check that the locator dot is centered on the correct rooftop (not a neighbor’s roof or an outbuilding). If not, click the “Location Challenge” link in the upper right corner of the map, select the appropriate challenge type, and enter the correct information into the form, adding any documentation if available. Click Submit.
3. Check service availability
Check that the locator dot is the correct color:
Green for service available, red for service unavailable.
Check that the provider, technology, and speeds available at this address are correct. If any information is incorrect, click “Availability Challenge” and select any incorrect providers. Enter challenge or feedback, and contact information into the form, and you may either describe your experience or upload documentation. Click submit.
Community responses will help guide the distribution of funding for building broadband infrastructure through federal programs such as the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program.
To make sure that the funding reaches areas that need broadband the most, residents and businesses are being asked to look at the map and verify the information. You can help.
