Flawed Data Mars FCC’s Attempt in Mapping Broadband, GAO Says

The Federal Communications Commission will have to grapple with incomplete or conflicting data sources as it maps out all of the locations in the U.S. that could be served by broadband, the Government Accountability Office said.

The government’s efforts to bridge the digital divide rely on data the FCC collects from broadband providers, which GAO has previously said overstates broadband service.

Congress in the 2020 Broadband Deployment Accuracy and Technological Availability Act, or DATA Act, directed the FCC to improve its maps, including by creating a “location fabric” to detail all the places in the country where broadband could be ...