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 INVITING 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 THE 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 IMPORTANT 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