Colorado Citizen Action Request: Two minutes for the future of high-speed internet.

LOVELAND, CO– With billions of dollars on the line to develop reliable high-speed internet access in the United States, every Coloradoan is strongly encouraged to Click-Check-Challenge their home and business addresses’ service details on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) connectivity map.

To challenge is simply to request a correction.

The map, located at https://broadbandmap.fcc.gov/home, allows visitors to look up addresses and see if the information provided is accurate. If the information is not correct, visitors can provide accurate information by clicking the Availability Challenge button on the page.

The Process

Step 1: CLICK the FCC map and enter your address.

Step 2: CHECK to see if the internet service options and the stated speeds
listed on the map are actually available at your home and business addresses.

Step 3: CHALLENGE – Correct the map with the information
that’s accurate for your home or business.*

* A note on speed: If a provider has said a speed is available, but you are unable to sign up for that speed with the provider, that would be grounds for a challenge. If you personally choose to subscribe to a lower speed option than what is available to you, that is not grounds for a challenge. 

Detailed instructions on how to submit a challenge, including screenshots showing where on the page to click to update information can be found on this FCC How to Submit a Location Challenge informational page.

“There are discussions with state broadband offices and consumer advocacy groups nationwide that the information listed on the FCC mapping site – especially in rural areas – is not nearly as accurate as it should be to be used to allocate funds,” said Brieana Reed-Harmel, Pulse manager. “Reports are surfacing across the county that the map lists services that are simply not available at individual addresses. These inaccuracies will translate into real money to serve the communities that need it most to be lost.”

She continued, “The most effective thing Coloradoans can do to bring high-quality affordable internet to their neighborhoods in the future is to Click-Check-Challenge their home and business addresses on the FCC map by the deadline – January 13, 2023.” 

Any Colorado, business, school, church, library, or place with internet service can review the map and challenge the information.

The call-to-action to Click-Check-Challenge the map data is urgent.
The FCC has set a deadline of January 13, 2023, to provide correct information for the purposes of
allocating BEAD money to states for future infrastructure development.

Reed-Harmel explained the importance of the FCC having accurate information.

“After the challenge process is completed, the data in the final version of the map will be used to determine how much grant money Colorado will get to improve internet service throughout the state,” she said. “If the final FCC map contains inaccurate data, thousands of Coloradoans – especially those in rural, and outside city-limit areas –  are likely to be left out. The more we can help citizens correct the data, the more Coloradoans will be guaranteed a future of quality connectivity.”

In addition to the public outreach process, Native American tribes, and other internet-related citizen action groups are scouring the map data and will challenge any erroneous entries they find.

This action must be taken by citizens by January 13, 2023 to be considered.