As the FCC Refines Broadband Map Challenge Process, It’s Pretty Much an Anti-Climax

It’s unfortunate that this couldn’t have happened sooner, but the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently released a public notice seeking input on the challenge process for the Broadband Data Collection that the commission undertakes twice yearly. Broadband providers are required to report on broadband availability, and the data ultimately is used to update the National Broadband Map. The FCC said it also wants input on “the effectiveness of the challenge processes in improving the quality and accuracy of our broadband availability data.” The move comes seven months after state allocations were made in the $42.5 billion BEAD rural broadband funding – allocations that were based on the National Broadband Map as it existed at that time. The process for creating the map was rushed, and some stakeholders had asked for additional time to make challenges to the map data, but BEAD administrators at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration opted not to extend the challenge timeline because they wanted the BEAD program to proceed promptly.