State Official Asks Feds to Extend Broadband Deadline

With a Jan. 13 deadline to challenge the FCC’s national broadband map less than a month away, Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar has asked the federal government for an extension.

Hegar’s office announced this week that he has “petitioned” the federal government to extend it by 60 days. This request would extend the challenge deadline to March 14 and the final map release to July 14.

“States and stakeholders need additional time to submit challenges to the proposed national map to provide critical, accurate information on the availability of broadband in their communities,” Hegar said. “This will ensure every dollar is fairly allocated using the most reliable data.”

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released its national broadband map on Nov. 18, and the challenge process is underway.

The map, in theory, will provide a location-by-location view of high-speed Internet across the country. This mapping process is part of the pathway for determining what areas nationally are without broadband or underserved, and communities are encouraged by the Texas Broadband Development Office(BDO) to challenge the data where needed.

Local leaders have already spoken out on inaccuracies in their areas, including Bell County, according to FOX44 in Belton.

“I have heard from many residents, who have looked at their home on the map and have seen a list of ISPs that claim to have them covered,” said County Judge David Blackburn in a news report. “However, when they contact those providers, they are hearing that those companies don’t actually serve their address or the speeds that the companies represent do not reflect reality.”

Texas’ map is being geocoded by LightBox with plans to release it the first week of January.

Accurate maps are integral to the federal broadband funding process, and Hegar’s office oversees the BDO, which was stood up by the state Legislature and the agency that will funnel federal monies.

Hegar is also asking the FCC and NTIA to postpone Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) allocation announcements by 60 days so federal agencies may analyze and incorporate challenges to the national map. In addition, he is asking the federal government to align the BEAD award announcements with the release of the final map.

The comptroller said it is imperative that Texans participate in the challenge process in time for the FCC to include updated data in the final national map. The comptroller’s website has instructions on how to challenge the FCC map.

“This is clearly a flawed map,” Hegar said. “Some of the responsibility lies with the service providers who are overstating the coverage they provide in their territories. This practice has become so routine that we often don’t notice it, but it will substantially limit competition as well as our ability to accurately allocate resources to those Texans whose access is inadequate. Some of the responsibility lies with our federal partners who have assumed that public spaces like schools and libraries have access. This is inaccurate and reveals a lack of understanding regarding the challenges facing many communities in Texas and other states.”