FCC’s New Broadband Map Shows ISP Availability in Much More Detail
The update incorporates the most detailed internet service provider (ISP) data the FCC has ever collected. Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced back in September that the agency had spent 18 months meeting with ISPs, legislators, Tribal entities, and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to obtain location-by-location data regarding geographical broadband availability. The goal of this extensive research was to finally revise the FCC’s broadband map, which the agency introduced in 2020 after the passage of the Broadband DATA Act.
Though it certainly isn’t perfect, the updated map provides far more detailed location information than its previous iteration, which relied solely on census block data. Users can search their residential or business address to view which fixed and mobile providers service that area. The resulting ISP list displays a given provider’s purported upload and download speeds. If a user notices a discrepancy between what’s listed on the map and what’s actually available, they can challenge that list item—an inconvenient yet vital step that the FCC says is essential to building a more useful map.
The FCC’s map update comes just days after the release of a first-of-its-kind ISP study, which revealed providers’ widespread and habitual pricing, reliability, and anti-competitive blunders. Given rising awareness of ISPs’ exploitative practices, the FCC is working to hand power back to consumers using a number of tools. The map is one of them; so are the FCC’s new “broadband nutrition labels,” which require ISPs to disclose pricing, speeds, data caps, whether it participates in the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), and more in an easily-digestible way. Users can even try an updated version of the FCC Speed Test app to quickly compare ISPs’ stated speeds with their real-life internet speeds.
“Today is an important milestone in our effort to help everyone, everywhere get specific information about what broadband options are available for their homes, and pinpointing places in the country where communities do not have the service they need,” said Chairwoman Rosenworcel in a statement. “By painting a more accurate picture of where broadband is and is not, local, state, and federal partners can better work together to ensure no one is left on the wrong side of the digital divide.”
Continue reading
Musk: Tesla Was a Month From Bankruptcy During Model 3 Ramp-Up
The Model 3 almost spelled doom for Tesla, but the same vehicle also probably saved it.
How Does Windows Use Multiple CPU Cores?
We take multi-core awareness for granted these days, but how do the CPU and operating system communicate with each other in the first place?
Elon Musk: SpaceX Will Send People to Mars in 4 to 6 Years
SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk likes to make bold claims. Sometimes he comes through, and we end up with a reusable Falcon 9 rocket, but Musk also has a tendency to get carried away, particularly when it comes to Mars. The SpaceX CEO has long promised a Mars colony on an aggressive, and some…
Microsoft Adds 64-bit x86 Emulation to Windows on ARM
Microsoft announced today that the expected support for 64-bit x86 emulation on Windows on ARM devices has arrived, provided you are running Build 21277. You'll need to be part of Microsoft's Windows Insider program to test the build.