DA 22-242
Released:  March 9, 2022

BROADBAND DATA TASK FORCE AND OFFICE OF ECONOMICS AND ANALYTICS PUBLISH ADDITIONAL DATA SPECIFICATIONS FOR THE SUBMISSION OF MOBILE SPEED TEST AND INFRASTRUCTURE DATA INTO 
THE BROADBAND DATA COLLECTION 

WC Docket No. 19-195
On February 22, 2022, the Commission’s Broadband Data Task Force (Task Force) and Office of Economics and Analytics (OEA) announced the filing dates for the initial Broadband Data Collection (BDC) availability data collection. Broadband Data Task Force and Office of Economics and Analytics Announce Inaugural Broadband Data Collection Filing Dates, Public Notice, DA 22-182 (BDTF/OEA Feb. 22, 2022) (specifying that data as of June 30, 2022 must be submitted no later than September 1, 2022). 
  Today, the Task Force, OEA, the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, and the Office of Engineering and Technology released the BDC Mobile Technical Requirements Order, which adopts technical requirements to implement the BDC mobile challenge, verification, and crowdsourcing processes. Establishing the Digital Opportunity Data Collection, Order, DA 22-241 (WTB/OEA/OET Mar. 9, 2022).
  

The Task Force and OEA have also published two documents setting forth data specifications related to the BDC.  The specifications provide guidance to filers on how to prepare and format mobile speed test data and infrastructure data for submission into the BDC system.  These specifications, together with the data specifications related to the biannual submission of subscription, availability, and supporting data for the BDC that were published on March 4, 2022, Broadband Data Task Force and Office of Economics and Analytics Publish Data Specifications for the Broadband Data Collection, Public Notice, DA 22-229 (BDTF/OEA Mar. 4, 2022) (announcing data specifications related to the biannual submission of subscription, availability, and supporting data for the BDC). 
 are now available on the FCC’s Broadband Data Collection website at https://www.fcc.gov/BroadbandData/resources.

The two data specifications published today provide additional detail about the technical elements of the data to be collected as part of the mobile challenge, verification, and crowdsource processes.  The Data Specifications for Mobile Speed Test Data provides information on the on-the-ground speed test data that must be collected and reported by approved third-party mobile speed test apps that consumers will use to run crowdsource or challenge speed tests and submit those test results to the Commission’s BDC system; other entities participating in the BDC mobile challenge process or collecting crowdsource data; and service providers responding to mobile challenges or verification inquiries.  The Data Specifications for Provider Infrastructure Data in the Mobile Challenge and Mobile Verification Process specifies the data files that mobile service providers must submit when they choose to respond to a mobile challenge or verification inquiry with infrastructure data.  These files include specific fields related to the location and height of base stations; base station carriers; base station loading; and, if a mobile service provider chooses to submit band-specific coverage maps along with speed test or infrastructure data in response to a challenge or verification inquiry, information on how those coverage map files should be formatted. 

For additional information, please see the FCC’s Broadband Data Collection webpage at http://www.fcc.gov/BroadbandData or email BroadbandDataInquiries@fcc.gov.  In addition to the data specifications released today, the Commission plans to publish additional information for BDC filers in the coming weeks, including instructions, user guides, and other materials, on the Commission’s BDC website at https://www.fcc.gov/BroadbandData/resources.  

– FCC –
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