FCC Heeds Senator Hassan’s Call, Extends Deadline for Mobile Broadband Mapping Challenge Process

WASHINGTON – Heeding Senator Hassan’s call, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has extended for an additional 90 days the deadline to challenge its broadband coverage maps, maps which will be used to determine eligibility for funding to expand mobile broadband through the Mobility Fund Phase II (MF-II) program. This extension will provide 90 additional days for communities to petition the FCC to make more rural areas eligible for mobile broadband funding. Mobility Fund Phase II will provide up to $4.53 billion in support for rural wireless broadband expansion in New Hampshire and across the country over the next 10 years.

“Access to broadband is critical for families and communities to compete in today’s economy. Right now, these maps simply don’t reflect the on-the-ground reality of inadequate coverage that many Granite Staters experience every day, and this challenge process will help enable communities across our state to become eligible for funding to support wireless broadband where it is needed the most,” Senator Hassan said. “While I applaud this step by the FCC, I urge the Commission to take additional steps to address their flawed maps and to ease the arduous process stakeholders must go through as part of this challenge process. I will continue working to ensure that rural communities are given a fair shake when it comes to wireless broadband connectivity.”   

In May, Senator Hassan led a bipartisan group of 30 Senators in a letter to the FCC asking that they extend the challenge process for the map of eligible areas for MF-II support. Earlier this year, Senator Hassan also introduced a bipartisan bill that would help improve the accuracy of the FCC mobile broadband coverage map and ensure that federal resources are targeted to unserved communities that do not have access to reliable mobile broadband service.

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