Several states have adopted loan and grant programs to help extend service to those areas of rural America still lacking a reliable broadband connection. Beyond its traditional programs, the federal government continues looking for ways to invest in this critical infrastructure.
A challenge associated with deciding where to invest these dollars is identifying where service is or is not already available. The FCC’s broadband maps are the determining resource.
The FCC issued an order over the summer that will move away from the overly broad use of census blocks for reporting broadband coverage, instead requiring providers to submit “shapefiles” showing where they actually offer broadband service.
I had the opportunity to appear before a Congressional committee in September, where I shared a few key steps to move us toward more accurate mapping. First, we need standardized reporting. It is also important to have a back-end validation process.
Finally, a robust challenge process is needed to allow providers and policymakers to do one last “sanity check” on the accuracy of the maps before decisions are reached.
Providers like yours are making great progress in connecting rural America. But if we hope for a future where everyone has broadband access, we must have better mapping data.