By Emily Keefer, The Journal of Martinsburg
MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — U.S. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., led a bipartisan group of senators in sending a letter to Jessica Rosenworcel, chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), to ensure the FCC’s national broadband maps satisfy the goals of the Broadband DATA Act and provide a reliable depiction of broadband availability across the nation, an official release reported.
“We have heard from constituents, state and local governments and service providers alike of continuing concerns about the accuracy of the map, ranging from persistent issues with missing or incorrect serviceable locations to potentially overstated claims of coverage by providers,” the senators wrote in an official release. “To ensure the map can be used for decisions about where to direct tens of billions of dollars for broadband deployment, it is critical that these issues be examined and addressed in a systematic and thorough manner.
“We recognize that these steps will require more work now in ensuring all serviceable locations are represented and in sorting through challenges as to the availability of service and to the underlying Fabric data,” they continued. “But these processes must not be short-cut or millions of Americans in need of broadband risk being short-changed.”
According to the announcement, joining Capito and Rosen in signing the letter were Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.; Jerry Moran, R-Kan.; Michael Bennet, D-Colo; Mike Crapo, R-Idaho; Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis.; Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa; Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill.; Roger Marshall, R-Kan.; Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.; John Barrasso, R-Wyo.; Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev.; John Thune, R-S.D.; Dick Durbin, D-Ill.; Roger Wicker, R-Miss.; Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz.; Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska; Ben Cardin, D-Md.; Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo.; Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio; Joni Ernst, R-Iowa; Bob Menendez, D-N.J.; Deb Fischer, R-Neb.; Todd Young; R-Ind.; and Jon Tester, D-Mont. …
