NY State encourages residents to check FCC’s new broadband map

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The deadline to challenge the Federal Communications Commission’s new broadband availability map is Friday.

Broadband is the transmission of data with a high-speed internet connection. The FCC released a new map in November to show where broadband is and is not available across the country.

New York State is urging people to challenge the map if it says they have broadband services when they actually don’t. Here are the instructions to challenge the map, according to our Buffalo-area NBC affiliate:

• Enter your address on the FCC Broadband Map site here.
• Zoom in to ensure you have the right location.
• If your location has green dot, indicating service is available, and you don’t select the “availability challenge” link on the right side of the website.
• A new dialogue box will pop on on screen, asking you to select which provider you are challenging. Select whichever provider you’re challenging.
• Follow the prompts to enter information such as your name, address and select what you’re actually challenging.
• For example, if the map says you have service, and you don’t, you would select “provider does not offer the technology reported to be available at this location.”
• Additionally, you can upload any supplemental evidence of the challenge, such as a letter from the provider saying they don’t offer that service at your address, as part of your challenge.
• When you’re finished hit submit.