Delgado bills would mandate correct broadband information

In his first term in Congress, Rep. Antonio Delgado has made rural broadband access a signature issue, highlighting – as others have done in the past – flaws in how broadband accessibility and use is measured by the Federal Communications Commission. Now, Delgado is introducing legislation that would produce a more realistic picture of broadband access across the country. 

On Friday, Delgado announced two bills on broadband – one which would require internet service providers report to the FCC the actual speeds that they’re currently capable of providing, rather than the speeds they could potentially provide within seven to 10 business days, which is how they report now. A second bill would actually empower groups other than ISPs – including local governments, community groups and electric/telephone cooperatives – to apply for funding from broadband programs run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Those groups could then use that funding to collect broadband access information on their own, or even create their own maps. Delgado’s press release suggested that such data could be used by communities that believe they are incorrectly designated by the FCC as having adequate service to dispute their status. These pieces of legislation have only just been introduced, but in general, rural internet access has been a popular issue on both sides of the aisle.

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