Skeptics fret over federal broadband map

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel shared an update on July 1 announcing the FCC had opened its new system to collect information on where 2,500 broadband providers deliver service. Providers have until September 1 to submit data. The new federal broadband data is supposed to make up for the Form 477 flaw, or the fact that the FCC has historically relied on coverage data per census block, as submitted by internet service providers. Jim Stegeman, CEO of CostQuest – the company creating the new broadband fabric for the FCC – said this process differs because it gets data at the location level. However, he added, the accuracy of that data will depend on "how well the broadband providers actually report." To that end, not everyone is optimistic. "The data submitted to the FCC will be inaccurate, and not in the little bits. It'll be inaccurate all across the country," said Jonathan Chambers, principal with Conexon, a consulting firm that works with rural electric cooperatives on building fiber broadband networks. Chambers' concern is for those "at the end of the line" of a service provider's coverage area that will be left out if cable and fixed wireless providers overstate their coverage.