Broadband Offices’ Perspectives on FCC Broadband Map Deadline

State governments were asked to submit challenges to the accuracy of the Federal Communications Commission's new National Broadband Map ahead of a Jan. 13, 2023 deadline. So, how have states navigated this process, and what are they working on next until these funds are allocated? 

• For Georgia, submitting challenges to the FCC’s map has been somewhat easier thanks to the state creating its own broadband availability map in 2020, according to Joshua Hildebrandt, director of broadband initiatives for the Georgia Technology Authority.
• For Texas, Comptroller Glenn Hegar recently stated the release of the state’s broadband map showcasing which areas might be eligible to receive funding for broadband expansion projects. The map uses data from Internet service providers (ISPs) to show the types of high-speed Internet access used across the state. As for how releasing Texas’ map ties into the FCC’s Jan. 13 deadline, it doesn’t, at least not directly, according to Greg Conte, director of the state’s broadband development office.
• For Nebraska, one of the biggest challenges leading up to the Jan. 13 deadline has been trying to prove if the information shared in the FCC’s map is correct within a short amount of time. For example, Cullen Robbins, director of the Nebraska Universal Services Fund/Telecommunications for the state’s public service commission, said, “we identified pretty quickly that there was an overstatement of availability in Nebraska, so we worked pretty hard to figure out right away what was going on there and it seemed to us that it really comes down to licensed fixed wireless providers that claim 25/3 Mbps coverage in a lot of areas of the state.”