President Signs Two Broadband Bills
May 6, 2020
On March 24, President Trump signed two bills designed to enhance the availability and security of 5G and other broadband services. The first bill, the “Broadband Deployment Accuracy and Technological Availability Act” or the “Broadband DATA Act” requires the FCC to develop rules for fixed, satellite and mobile broadband providers to create and update accurate maps of broadband coverage across the country, and to prohibit broadband providers “from selling, leasing, or otherwise disclosing for monetary consideration any personally identifiable information to any other entity other than for purposes authorized under this title.” Especially in these times when people are forced to work remotely, Congress has found that it is critical to enhance the amount of broadband coverage, noting that “98.3 percent of those living in urban areas have access to high-speed broadband, while that number is 73.2 percent for rural areas, and 67.6 percent for Tribal lands.” The first step in enhancing broadband coverages is to know where genuine true broadband exists, and where it doesn’t.