Industry Seeks Changes in Broadband Data Collection
Industry groups and ISPs sought several adjustments in FCC requirements on broadband data collection (BDC). Some asked the FCC to permanently remove the rule requiring that a professional engineer (PE) certify availability data. Others sought clarification on the process for providers seeking to restore locations on their availability maps after a challenge process removed such locations. Comments were posted through Tuesday in docket 19-195 (see 2408300036)
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USTelecom welcomed the commission's proposal of limiting the publication of availability data for subscriber information for grandfathered services. There's "a need for providers to continue to file this information with the commission to maintain the symmetry between the availability and subscribership filings," the group said. USTelecom cautioned against requiring a minimum area for grandfathered service exceptions, noting smaller providers tend to sell broadband on a location-by-location basis and the requirement would "make accurate reporting more difficult for providers."
ACA Connects called for a permanent waiver of the rule that certified PEs must verify the accuracy of a providers' broadband data submission. "At a minimum, the commission should codify the waiver standard for wired broadband providers whose deployed broadband plant is at least 90 percent composed of coaxial cable, fiber-to-the-premises, or hybrid fiber-coaxial," the group said.
The Competitive Carriers Association also backed permanently removing the requirement, noting that "very little has changed in the availability of licensed PEs." NCTA cautioned that allowing the current waiver to expire and making the requirement permanent would be "detrimental to the accuracy and timeliness of the submissions."
"Larger national providers," said the Association of Communication Engineers (ACE), "and others who indicate that there is not a sufficient supply of PEs to complete the certification are attempting to water down the FCC’s value of the certification." ACE urged that the commission keep the requirement, saying it "instills the trust in the states' laws and professional engineers as a whole to maintain public trust" and ensure a document's validity.
The BDC reporting, verification and challenge processes "all have limitations that prevent the exposure and correction of overstated coverage claims" that "continue to undermine" the national broadband map, said NTCA. The group urged that the FCC enhance its standards about how ISPs should report coverage, and "update and refine challenge processes on the back end." NTCA opposed a proposal to "limit providers' access to critical notifications" regarding challenges to the broadband serviceable location fabric.
The Rural Wireless Association welcomed a proposal to grant FCC staff the explicit authority to remove locations from a provider's availability data if a verification or audit process finds the data is deficient. "It is vital that the FCC pressure test" the map to "ensure that coverage is accurately depicted as such purported coverage will determine how funding is allocated," RWA said.
The BDC process is "static and requires that availability data shows service as it relates to the challenge process" said T-Mobile. That "mismatch" has caused some confusion, the carrier added. T-Mobile sought a "non-exhaustive list of examples of non-infrastructure evidence" a provider may submit to support the restoration of locations following a challenge process.
CTIA sought confirmation that additional information the FCC allows providers to submit for restorations is voluntary (see 2408130045). The group suggested the commission allow providers to restore "up to 2% of locations in their BDC footprint in each state per biannual filing without submitting additional data."
The Wireless ISP Association called the commission's proposal to require terrestrial fixed wireless providers to report certain information "reasonable" but suggested that providers using unlicensed spectrum report the unlicensed band they're employing at a given location. SpaceX opposed requiring satellite providers to report their data. The data would be "based on a snapshot of orbital shell deployment that provides little probative value and a high risk of misleading results," SpaceX said, adding it would be "counterproductive, providing an incorrect, instantly outdated, and misleading picture of satellite network availability."
The National Electric Rural Cooperative Association (NRECA) said the proposed data collection from satellite providers would help "determine whether a satellite provider's broadband speed assertions are reasonable" and "may prove useful in identifying whether and how to allocate any broadband funding support to satellite infrastructure."