Reid Consulting claims licensed fixed wireless access providers are overstating coverage, capacity

On behalf of the Missouri Association of Councils of Government, we provide evidence for bulk challenges of broadband availability claims by licensed fixed wireless access (LFWA) providers across Missouri where LFWA service claims contribute to three-quarters of broadband providers' overstatements of service. We urge the FCC to reverse the burden of proof, requiring that ISPs substantiate their claims rather than saddling communities with the near impossibility of proving a negative across such a wide geographic area. To further bolster these bulk challenges, we restricted challenged locations to those with a significant discrepancy between claimed speeds and maximum observed speed tiers. Overall, LFWA's claims could block federal and state funding for 96,343 unserved Missouri households.