Rural Electric Co-ops Want Broadband Data Fixed by FCC Before BEAD

WASHINGTON, Oct. 4, 2024 – Closing the digital divide requires collecting accurate data to ensure rural areas receive their fair share of the $42.5 billion in broadband expansion subsidies soon to be released by the Commerce Department, a national trade association said.

The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, representing more than 900 electric cooperatives, warned this week that faulty data from the Federal Communications Commission could cause rural communities to miss out on vital funding.

As the clock ticks toward the release of funds through the Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment program, NRECA pressed the FCC during separate meetings with legal advisors to Commissioners Brendan Carr, Geoffrey Starks and Nathan Simington on Oct. 1, 2 and 3 to address inaccuracies in the agency's broadband mapping data.