It is not at all controversial to say that internet service is a drug in the United States. As part of its plan to update coverage maps in the United States, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), breaking the tradition, is finally asking ordinary Americans to report what Internet services are in reality available where they live.
In the past, the FCC has made these coverage maps with self-reported data from the ISPs themselves, an inherently compromising decision because Internet service providers will naturally want to paint the most optimistic image possible. Since the FCC uses these maps as evidence for the proposed regulation, this can seriously undermine the FCC’s ability to ensure that there is real competition in the market and that the Internet is being distributed responsibly. For example, a map can show that you have 11 broadband providers when, in fact, you only have one or two real options.
Now, the FCC will finally go to the people who actually use the Internet to find out what’s going on, although you may need to communicate clearly to be heard. The form the FCC is using for its responses is decidedly rudimentary; it looks like a general complaint form and doesn’t ask any specific broadband questions (the only reference is in the header). But the FCC says it is a stepping stone on the way to a more detailed and specific reporting tool. For now, you may be able to take a look at the current low quality FCC maps at your address and tell the FCC if you really have the types of options that ISPs claim to have.
Hopefully, when the Broadband Data Task Force finishes collecting these new data points, we will have more accurate maps that show the worrying reality of the American Internet and we will be able to do something about it.