By Cassidy Hjelmstad, CEO and general manager of SRT Communications, Inc. (Minot, N.D.), and Roger Nishi, vice president of industry relations at Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom (Waitsfield, Vt.)
The need for accurate data about broadband availability has never been more important.
The FCC has been developing and refining a National Broadband Map to show broadband availability at a location-by-location level throughout the country.
Recognizing the importance of an accurate map for making good decisions about policies and funding, our companies and other NTCA members take seriously the obligation to report accurately where we offer broadband. Unfortunately, it appears not everyone takes this responsibility as seriously, as some companies seemingly claim to do things that just don’t match what customers, local and state governments and would-be competitors see on the ground.
Overstatements of service coverage and/or network capabilities hurt customers who can’t get the benefits of federal funding to help make their rates more affordable and to have their networks sustained. They can also hurt customers who don’t get service at all because bad data makes it look as though they are served already.
The FCC has made progress creating better broadband maps, but more must be done before bad decisions are locked in and have years-long implications.
Currently, reporting standards make it far too easy for providers to overstate their coverage areas and what they can do. Instead of having to report on what they actually do, providers can instead focus on what they advertise. And to back those claims up, in some cases all they need to do is write a few sentences explaining the process by which they came up with their claims rather than showing how they meet well-established technical specifications and providing any data that proves their case.
Another problem is that challenging these sorts of claims is timely and difficult. To correct inaccuracies, providers are required to challenge each individual location. This means that if someone overstates coverage for thousands of locations, it’s almost impossible to have the data corrected. The system wasn’t built to handle overstatements on a widespread basis. In the broadband mapping world, “too big to fail” has become “too big to be challenged.”
It's important to take a step back and get coverage claims right. Without that accuracy, existing service is at risk and unserved customers won’t get served.
Better broadband maps will equal better broadband outcomes for consumers.
Cassidy Hjelmstad is the CEO and general manager of SRT Communications, Inc. (Minot, N.D.). Roger Nishi is the vice president of industry relations at Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom (Waitsfield, Vt.).