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Did the FCC finally make a new broadband availability map?

Answer: Yes, but it only contains data from four providers.

US Map
Shutterstock/kmls
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has finally released a new map of broadband availability in the U.S. after the Broadband Deployment Accuracy and Technological Availability (DATA) Act from March 2020 called for it. While it is an improvement over the agency’s past iterations, many have pointed out that the new map still leaves a bit to be desired.

FCC Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel noted that the data comes from four cellular providers — AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and U.S. Cellular — and that they don’t have the best track record for providing very accurate coverage data. She also pointed out that the map doesn’t differentiate between different speeds of service — it simply notes areas where there is at least the minimum speed of 5 Mbps/1 Mbps.

The map itself is interactive, so users can filter their view by all of the providers, just one or a combination. It also distinguishes between voice and data availability, which is very helpful since using data to get online will require more bandwidth than placing a voice call.