It’s Time to Put Anchors on the (Broadband) Map

We already know that the Federal Communication Commission’s current broadband maps are flawed – they overstate broadband availability, they don’t contain pricing information, and they rely too heavily on industry-provided data. The FCC is now seeking additional funding from Congress to improve its mapping efforts. But before Congress appropriates these funds, it should consider addressing another critical weakness in the proposed maps: the exclusion of schools, libraries, healthcare providers and other community anchor institutions (CAIs). The FCC’s July 2020 Second Report and Order and Third Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FNPRM) proposes to improve mapping granularity and accuracy for businesses and residential consumers, as required by the Broadband DATA Act. Unfortunately, despite language in the House Commerce Committee report and a floor statement from Sen Ed Markey (D-MA) calling for the FCC to include anchor institutions in the broadband maps, the FNPRM barely mentions CAIs. In addition, paragraph 90 of the FNPRM asks whether the FCC should use the new broadband maps for awarding E-rate and Rural Health Care (RHC) funding. Congress already answered this question – they should not.