Comcast met with FCC officials last week to urge them to adopt NCTA-The Internet & Television Association's proposal to use polygon shapefiles to more accurately map broadband deployment, including where service could be lit up in a matter of days, which it argues should count as served.
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The FCC knows it has to do a better job of identifying where broadband is and isn't deployed.
NCTA wants an approach that is more granular than census blocks, which could cut down on underbuilding and overbuilding.
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In their meeting with FCC officials, the Comcast execs made that point, including with a visual aid (see graphic) to show that shapefiles "accurately reflect coverage in partially served census blocks that may not be depicted correctly in the current broadband map."
Comcast also pointed out that the NCTA method would identify as served locations " to which a service provider could provide service within 7 to 10 business days without any heavy lifting. That was a point NCTA made in its proposal, saying that “any revision to the reporting requirements should make clear that areas where a provider can respond to a request for service in a standard installation interval without special construction charges should be reported as served.”
Related: NCTA Defends Shapefile Mapping Approach
The FCC is under bipartisan pressure from Congress to improve its broadband mapping since knowing where broadband is and isn't is crucial to closing the digital divide, a key policy goal for the White House, the Congress and the FCC as the internet of things becomes the internet of everything.
Last month, FCC chair Ajit Pai indicated to Congress that he was circulating a Report and Order for a vote at the August meeting that would provide more granular and accurate broadband maps, though he did not say just what approach the FCC would take. He did say that would mean requiring broadband providers to report "where they actually offer service below the census block level."
Pai said the FCC would also be looking to incorporate public feedback into that mapping efforts.
