Acting Chairwoman Rosenworcel’s Response to Members of Congress Regarding Broadband Data Collection

Acting Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel wrote a response to US lawmakers' letter regarding the FCC's collection of broadband deployment data. The group of lawmakers wrote to Rosenworcel in July 2021 requesting an update on the FCC's broadband data collection progress. On October 15, the Acting Chairwoman replied with a detailed description of the FCC's initiatives, highlighting "the formation of the Broadband Data Task Force to coordinate and expedite the design and construction of new systems for collecting and verifying broadband deployment data." "The Task Force is leading a cross-agency effort to implement the requirements of the Broadband DATA Act and kick-start our work to more accurately measure and reflect our nation’s broadband needs," Rosenworcel said. "Following the creation of the Task Force, we have made significant progress on standing-up the new Broadband Data Collection (BDC) systems and processes." Other noted initiatives included the creation of the Broadband Serviceable Location Fabric, a "common dataset of all locations in the United States where fixed broadband internet access service can be installed," and efforts to empower state, local and Tribal governments to share data with the FCC. "We will be happy to provide updates as our work progresses and we have new information to share," concluded Rosenworcel. "I look forward to working with [Congress] as we continue to improve the Commission’s broadband deployment data."