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WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) led the Wisconsin congressional delegation in sending a letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai on Friday, encouraging him to improve the National Broadband Map as the federal government works to close the digital divide and ensure resources are going to unserved communities who need it most.
“We cannot solve our country’s broadband needs until we have a full understanding of the problem. To get there, we need information. … A validated set of data based upon standardized methods of granular reporting will be essential to ensuring that resources are going to the neediest communities and universal service is available throughout America—this includes urban, suburban, rural, and tribal lands. In the interest of effectively allocating federal resources to unserved communities, we urge the FCC to take immediate action to improve its broadband maps,” the members wrote.
“We sincerely appreciate Senator Johnson’s leadership and the support of the entire Wisconsin delegation on this important issue,” said Bill Esbeck, Wisconsin State Telecommunications Association executive director. “Wisconsin needs granular and accurate broadband maps to guarantee scarce public and private sector resources are efficiently targeting our remaining unserved customers. We need the FCC to take action toward this goal as soon as possible.”
Full text of the letter is below, and can also be found here.
