The map of available internet service is still not right, says the Nebraska Broadband Office, and Seward County residents can help bring more money to Nebraska to fix it.
Residents who are unserved or underserved can submit a challenge to the designation on the Federal Communications Commission’s map, which will help Seward County qualify for part of $405 million in federal funds to improve broadband connectivity through the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment program.
“It’s super important people take the time to look at this,” said Misty Ahmic, a Seward County Commissioner who is part of the county’s Broadband Task Force.
This is the public’s second opportunity in the last year to challenge their internet speed, with the first round of challenges in January resulting in $405 million being allocated to Nebraska for broadband improvements.
“The federal funds that are coming through are only coming through if areas are unserved or underserved,” said Jonathan Jank, president and CEO of the Seward County Chamber and Development Partnership, who also serves on the county’s Broadband Task Force. “If it’s shown as served, we can’t connect that funding with the issue.”
An address is considered “unserved” if its internet speed is less than 25 megabytes per second for downloads and 3 megabytes per second for uploads using fiber, copper, cable or licensed fixed wireless connections. Satellite internet isn’t included in the calculations.
A location is “served” if it has 100 Mbps or greater for downloads and 20 Mbps or greater for uploads.
It is considered “underserved” if between 25/3 and 100/20.
Part of the problem is that a few major cellular carriers are reporting their mobile coverage, via data or mobile hotspots, as in-home broadband. That shows those locations as “served” or “underserved” instead of “unserved.”
During the first round of disputes in January, the mobile coverage reporting affected the status of about 65,000 homes and businesses statewide.
“The map is based on service they (internet providers) claimed they are providing and the service they say they are going to provide, plus the challenges,” Ahmic said.
The FCC updated its map using the challenges from January.
“That map is now updated to the point the broadband office is going to take the $405 million and use that map to say where they’re going to utilize it,” Ahmic said.
But the map still isn’t accurate, with parts of the state showing as “served” when speeds claimed by providers aren’t actually being delivered.
“They’ve opened this challenge period to allow for anybody in the state to say, ‘The data you’ve updated is still not right,’” Ahmic said.
This time around, the public may submit comments on the process through Oct. 14.
Then, government entities and nonprofits will be allowed to submit challenges on behalf of individuals so that the FCC isn’t flooded with individual challenges.
They must prove they are not receiving the speeds promised by their internet provider.
In Seward County, challenges will go through the Broadband Task Force.
“The Broadband Task Force will collect this information on behalf of residents and submit it to say this data is not correct,” Ahmic said.
Individuals should contact Jacob Jennings, community affairs director for the Seward County Chamber and Development Partnership, who will help them handle the challenge process.
“They will have to run multiple speed tests and prove that they’re getting that service, like by a bill,” Ahmic said.
Speeds that can be proven false will lead to an unserved or underserved dot on the FCC map. That will equal more money for Seward County to improve its fiber networks.
Providers may apply for those funds through a grant process and use them to build out their fiber networks.
“We are asking for people to really take a look at the map,” Ahmic said. “Check your little dot to make sure what you’re being offered or can be offered is accurate.”
Jank said the federal BEAD funding won’t be released until 2024, but residents should look at their speeds right now.
“We have to do the hard work now of identifying where people are unserved and underserved, and then next year we apply for the funds,” he said. “It’s absolutely critical we do this due diligence step. If we don’t prove the need, we can’t get this money.”
The goal of the Broadband Task Force, Jank said, is to make fiber internet available to every rural resident in Seward County.
“We want fiber to the cow in Seward County,” he said.
