TARTS
% JANUARY 3RD.
% I'M ZAC SCHULTZ FOR "HERE AND
% NOW" REPORTING FROM MADISON.
% >> DO YOU KNOW THAT YOU'VE GOT
% CRUMMY OR NO HIGH-SPEED INTERNET
% COVERAGE AT ALL WHERE YOU LIVE?
% THE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS
% COMMISSION IS OUT WITH A NEW MAP
% THAT SHOWS WISCONSIN HAS 98%
% BROADBAND COVERAGE.
% OUR OWN PUBLIC SERVICE
% COMMISSION SAYS NOT SO FAST
% BEGINNING THAT ITS OWN MAP SHOWS
% MUCH SPOTTIER COVERAGE IN
% WISCONSIN.%THE PSC IS INVITIN
G CUSTOMERS TO
% CHALLENGE THE FCC MAP.
% AT STAKE, HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS
% IN FEDERAL GRANT DOLLARS FOR
% UPGRADES.
% ALISSA KENNEY DIGITAL EQUITY
% DIRECTOR AT THE PSC TELLS US
% MORE.
% THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
% >> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING
% ME.
% >> SO WHY IS THE PSC INVITING
% CUSTOMERS TO CHALLENGE THE FCC
% MAP?
% IS IT THAT INACCURATE?
% >> SO THE NEW NATIONAL BROADBAND
% MAP, THIS IS A DRAFT OF WHAT IS
% OUR FIRST AND MOST GRANULAR
% ADDRESS BY ADDRESS VERSION OF
% BROADBAND COVERAGE IN THE UNITED
% STATES.%AND SO -- THIS IS TH
E FIRST TIME
% THAT CUSTOMERS AND GOVERNMENTS
% CAN DIRECTLY CHALLENGE THE MAP.
% IT IS PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT
% RIGHT NOW AND PARTICULARLY
% BEFORE JANUARY 13TH FOR PEOPLE
% TO CHALLENGE ANYTHING THAT'S
% INACCURATE IN THE MAP BECAUSE
% OUR FEDERAL ALLOCATION OF
% INFRASTRUCTURE DOLLARS IS GOING
% TO BE BASED ON SOME OF THE
% UNDERLYING NUMBERS IN THIS MAP.
% >> SO WE ALL KNOW THAT THERE ARE
% PLACES THROUGHOUT WISCONSIN
% WITHOUT BROADBAND,
% NOTWITHSTANDING THE COVERAGE
% THAT THAT FCC MAP SHOWS.
% BUT HOW MANY AREAS OR HOW MANY
% PEOPLE IN WISCONSIN ARE WITHOUT
% IT?
% >> SO BROADBAND HAS BEEN A BIT
% OF A MOVING GOALPOST FOR THE
% PAST FEW YEARS.
% IF YOU LOOK AT KIND OF THE OLDER
% STANDARD OF 25 BY THREE, THERE
% IS ABOUT 650,000 PEOPLE, OR, YOU
% KNOW, 230,000 LOCATIONS IN THE
% STATE WHERE PEOPLE DON'T HAVE
% ACCESS TO BROADBAND.
% THERE IS PLENTY OF OTHER PEOPLE
% THAT CAN'T AFFORD THE BROADBAND
% THAT'S AVAILABLE, WHICH IS A
% DIFFERENT AND ALSO IMPORTANT
% PROBLEM FOR US TO BE FOCUSED ON.
% >> BUT THEN WHY WOULD THE FCC
% MAPS NOT BE ACCURATE?
% >> SO I THINK THE FCC MAP THAT
% YOU PROBABLY HAVE PULLED UP
% LIKELY INCLUDES SATELLITE.
% AND SO THE SATELLITE THAT HIGH
% ALTITUDE SATELLITE IS SOMETHING
% THAT GENERALLY THE FEDERAL
% INFRASTRUCTURE DOLLARS AND STATE
% BROADBAND PROGRAMS DON'T
% CONSIDER.%SO WHAT'S REALLY I
MPORTANT WHEN
% PEOPLE ARE LOOKING AT THAT NEW
% FEDERAL MAP IS THAT THEY MAKE
% SURE THAT THEY FILTER AND LOOK
% AT SORT OF A MORE APPLES TO
% APPLES COMPARISON.
% SO THAT 98.1% INCLUDES ALL THE
% PEOPLE WHO ARE ABLE TO ACCESS
% THAT SATELLITE SERVICE.
% AND REALLY THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE
% IN THE STATE THAT CAN ACCESS
% SATELLITE SERVICE.
% AND SO WHAT WE WANT TO LOOK AT
% FOR THIS MAP IS WHO CAN ACCESS
% THAT FIXED WIRELESS OR WIRE LINE
% SERVICE IN THEIR HOME AT 25-3.
% SO THAT'S WHERE YOU SEE THE BIG
% DIFFERENCES IN THAT INCLUDING
% SATELLITE AND WHILE THE FCC IS
% TECHNOLOGY NEUTRAL AND INCLUDES
% SATELLITE IN THEIR MAP, THE
% STATE BROADBAND OFFICE DOES NOT.
% >> OKAY.
% SO CAN YOU DESCRIBE WHAT THEY
% SHOULD BE LOOKING FOR WHEN YOU
% SAY 25-3?
% >> SURE.
% 25 MEGA BITS DOWNLOAD AND THREE
% MEGABITS PER SECOND UPLOAD.
% THE SPEED OF INTERNET.
% A LOT OF THINGS GO INTO THE
% QUALITY AND SERVICE THAT
% SOMEBODY HAS.
% BUT THAT'S THE REALLY IMPORTANT
% NUMBER FOR DETERMINING IF A
% LOCATION WILL HELP THE STATE GET
% ADDITIONAL FUNDING.
% AND SO -- AND SO WHAT WE'RE
% ASKING FOLKS TO DO IS GO INTO
% THE MAP AND TYPE THEIR ADDRESS
% AND LOOK AT WHAT THE SERVICE
% PROVIDERS ARE LISTED ARE AND IF
% ANY OF THEM ARE UNTRUE AS IT
% RELATES TO AVAILABILITY OR THAT
% THEY SEE A MISTAKE RELATED TO
% AVAILABILITY TO SUBMIT A
% CHALLENGE.
% >> SO ALREADY MORE THAN
% $100 MILLION OF COVID RELIEF
% FUNDING HAS BEEN DISBURSED BY
% THE PSC IN WISCONSIN TOWARD
% BROADBAND.
% THAT'S ACCORDING TO THE STATE
% AUDIT BUREAU.
% AND THIS IS A BOAT LOAD OF MONEY
% GOING TOWARD HIGH SPEED INTERNET
% PLUS THE POTENTIAL AS YOU SPOKE
% TO OF REALLY A BILLION DOLLARS
% MORE FROM THE INFRASTRUCTURE
% LAW.
% IS BROADBAND INFRASTRUCTURE THIS
% HUGELY EXPENSIVE?
% >> IT IS HUGELY EXPENSIVE AND
% PARTICULARLY WHEN YOU GET TO
% THESE LAST MILE LOCATIONS IN
% SOME OF OUR MORE SCARCELY OR
% SPARSELY POPULATED RURAL AREAS.
% AND SO SOMETIMES YOU ARE TALKING
% ABOUT 1 OR 2 LOCATIONS PER MILE.
% SOMETIMES YOU ARE EVEN TALKING
% ABOUT 1 OR 2 MILES PER LOCATION.
% AND SO THE COSTS DO INCREASE.
% WISCONSIN IS A BEAUTIFUL STATE
% BUT SOME OF OUR GRANITE BLUFFS
% AND OUR CRANBERRY BOGS MAKE FOR
% UNIQUE CIRCUMSTANCES INSTALLING
% THE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT MAKE IT
% ESPECIALLY CHALLENGE KNOWLEDGE.
% >> ALL RIGHT.
% ALY
% ALYSSA, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
% CONSUMERS HAVE UNTIL
% JANUARY 13TH TO CHALLENGE THEIR
% SERVICE BY GOING TO THE FEDERAL
% COMMUNICATION COMMISSION
% BROADBAND MAP, ENTERING THEIR