Broadband DATA Act, meant to improve FCC's broadband mapping, passes House again

The House passed a new version of a bill meant to improve the accuracy of maps detailing where broadband is and isn't available in the US. The legislation is now on a fast track to the Senate, where it's expected to pass before going to President Donald Trump for signing. The bipartisan Broadband Deployment Accuracy and Technological Availability (DATA) Act was passed by the House late in 2019 as part of a broader package of legislation intended to improve the Federal Communications Commission's broadband maps. The Senate also passed a version of the bill. The new House version of the bill (S 1822) reconciles the two versions of the legislation. But because there was an amendment on the House floor, the latest bill still must go back to the Senate. The Senate is in agreement with the change, and the legislation is expected to pass that chamber without issue. 

The purpose of the Broadband DATA Act is to ensure the FCC collects more-granular information about where broadband does and doesn't exist. The bill requires the agency to deliver new rules for data collection and "establish a process to verify the accuracy of such data, and more."