A new broadband map from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) details internet services for nearly every home in the country. And the FCC is asking for the public’s help in determining how high-speed broadband is distributed in the future.
The map will be used to determine where billions of dollars in grant funding will go for future internet service projects, like the installation of fiberoptic cable in a community.
The FCC wants people to take a survey to ensure what the map says about internet services options are accurate. High-speed internet is not available to nearly half a million homes in Michigan.
Many rural areas in northern Michigan are limited to satellite internet services that do not meet the FCC’s definition for high-speed internet.
"They're 22,000 miles up in the sky," said Joe Kirklin, Director of Technical Services at WCMU Public Media. "Imagine thousands of satellite dishes in people's backyards, receiving and transmitting to these fixed position satellites, a lot of it sharing the same exact infrastructure and it doesn’t scale real well."
Kirklin added that a great way to learn if your internet speeds are accurate is to test it.
"Open up a web browser and go to speedtest.net. They provide typically a pretty accurate reflection of what's your internet connection is capable of. Another one that does essentially the same function is speedof.me.
The FCC’s deadline to complete the survey is January 13.
Below are instructions from the Michigan High-Speed Internet Office on how to fill out the FCC's survey.
- Visit FCC broadband map here, then type in an address and see if the reported coverage is accurate. You can access the site from a computer or a mobile device.
- Residents can submit a challenge by clicking “Location Challenge” if the location of their home or business is missing or incorrect, or “Availability Challenge” if the internet service information is incorrect.
- Residents should visit the website of any internet service provider that claims to serve their location and use the website's "Check Availability" or similar tool to determine if the provider can serve their location.
- If they can't, a screenshot of their website can be submitted to the FCC as evidence for an Availability Challenge.
The FCC also allows local governments, tribal governments and other stakeholders to file bulk challenges for multiple locations on behalf of their communities.
