New Federal Communications Commission (FCC) maps may be ready this summer. The hope is that these new maps will help identify the areas of the country that are lacking broadband service. With billions of taxpayer dollars slated to be spent to close the digital divide, these updated maps are sorely needed to ensure that taxpayer dollars aren’t wasted and that broadband is deployed to the areas of the country that need it the most.
Department of Commerce (DOC) Secretary Gina Raimondo said recently to a subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Appropriations that her office has talked closely with the FCC about map development, an important component of closing the digital divide. Broadband funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will not be distributed until more accurate maps are developed. Broadband Breakfast noted that’s to avoid the issues that have occurred with overbuilding through the FCC’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund.
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