By: Andrew Regitsky
There is nothing more important to the current FCC then bringing workable broadband service to the most Americans possible. At least some of the incentive for the Commission to act is a result of the humiliation it suffered when it was forced to acknowledge that the broadband maps it used historically to determine broadband availability by census blocks vastly overstated working broadband service. As a result, the agency is in the process of updating its maps with more detailed and precise company provided data to determine the true availability of fixed and mobile broadband services.
Thus, on February 22, 2022, the Commission’s Broadband Data Task Force (Task Force) and Office of Economics and Analytics (OEA) announced the filing dates for the initial Broadband Data Collection (BDC) availability data collection beginning on June 30, 2022. They followed up on March 2, 2022, by publishing data specifications related to biannual submissions of subscription, availability, and supporting data for the BDC.
Companies that must file broadband data include:
Facilities-based providers of fixed and mobile broadband Internet access who have one or more end user connections in service on June 30, 2022.
In most cases, companies that must file Form 477 must file broadband data.
Others that MAY choose to file include, federal agencies, state, local, and Tribal governmental entities primarily responsible for mapping or tracking broadband internet access service coverage in their areas, and third parties that wish to file verified data.
Filing dates are as follows:
The Commission’s Broadband Data Collection system will open on June 30, 2022.
Data depicting broadband service availability as of June 30, 2022, are due no later than September 1, 2022.
Going forward, the FCC’s Broadband Data Collection will occur twice a year on the same schedule as Form 477 filings. Generally, data as of June 30th will be due no later than the following September 1st, and data as of December 31st will be due no later than the following March 1st.
The filings must include the following information:
Fixed wireline and satellite broadband service providers – must submit either polygon shapefiles or a list of locations that constitute the service area of the provider.
Fixed wireless broadband service providers – must submit either propagation maps and propagation model details or a list of locations that constitute the service area of the provider.
Mobile wireless broadband service providers must submit propagation maps and propagation model details for each network technology and for both outdoor stationary and in-vehicle mobile network coverage. In addition, mobile wireless broadband service providers must also submit signal strength heat map data.
If you are a provider of both broadband and voice services (a local telephone service provider), a facilities-based provider of mobile telephony service, or a provider of interconnected voice over internet protocol (VoIP) service – you also must file your Form 477 fixed and/or mobile voice subscription data in the BDC system.
In addition, facilities-based providers of mobile voice service must file BDC mobile voice availability data in the BDC system.
Companies must file their data in the BDC system via file upload and/or web form or submit data using an Application Programming Interface (API).
Currently, providers of broadband Internet access service must file both Form 477 and the data required for the Broadband Data Collection. Until the Commission announces a sunset date for the submission of Form 477 broadband deployment data, fixed and mobile broadband service providers that have traditionally filed FCC Form 477 are required to file data in both the new BDC system and the existing Form 477 filing interface.
Service providers that offer only fixed voice service (and do not also offer broadband service) must submit their fixed voice subscribership data only in the Form 477 filing interface. When that system is decommissioned, submission of such data will be made in the BDC system.
For more information, please go to the FCC’s Broadband Data Collection website at https://www.fcc.gov/BroadbandData/filers.