Microsoft Asks FCC to Limit Form 477 Data to Actual Fixed Broadband; E-rate Form Changes Hit
Microsoft said it's "supportive" of the FCC's Form 477 attempt to find a balance between collecting more granular and accurate information, and preventing filing duties from being too burdensome. "To improve data accuracy and make the resulting maps more useful…
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to policymakers, Microsoft recommends limiting the broadband deployment dataset only to those census blocks where broadband has been actually deployed," said its filing posted Friday in docket 11-10 on meetings with aides to Commissioners Mike O'Rielly and Jessica Rosenworcel. Microsoft said current guidance -- allowing fixed broadband providers to report serving a census block if deployment could occur within a typical service interval -- lacks specificity, causing "potentially systematic overstatement" of broadband availability. It also urged the FCC to "consider online visualization and analytics tools to improve data accuracy," maintaining annual data collections and not completing its rulemaking until after NTIA completes its related comments (see 1807190047). The Ohio Information Technology Center opposed an FCC request to the Office of Management and Budget to extend approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act of forms Forms 470 and 471 related to E-rate applications (see 1805020038), as sought in a notice and request for comment in the May 22 Federal Register. The FCC request is deficient "because: (i) it is not properly seeking an extension of prior authorized Forms; (ii) the changes already made by the Universal Service Administrative Company ('USAC') to the Forms were not properly authorized and (iii) the FCC has not properly justified the changes to the Forms," said an OITC filing posted Friday in FCC docket 02-6 from OMB No. 3060-0806.