AT&T Floats Cooperative 'Address-Based Approach' to Form 477 Broadband Data Reporting
AT&T proposed an "address-based approach" to filling broadband data gaps in FCC Form 477 submissions. The telco supported more granular deployment reporting but said it's unrealistic to expect every broadband provider to overcome data challenges simply through Form 477 mandates.…
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It proposed a four-step process for FCC-industry cooperation, focused initially on rural areas, where data problems and broadband needs are most "acute," meeting with staffers, posted in docket 11-10 Monday: (1) The FCC would develop a database of all residential and small-business street addresses; (2) the commission, Universal Service Administrative Co. or a specialized vendor would comb through the addresses to remove duplicates and standardize the database; (3) consumers and others would then be allowed to augment or correct the database with more accurate information on their own locations; and (4) once a geocoded database is complete, the FCC would require fixed and mobile Form 477 filers "to submit data that 'overlays' the foundational address data to identify areas where they currently can provide broadband service, including the technology and the speed."