Federal Communications Commission	DA 23-340



DA 23-340
Released:  April 19, 2023

BROADBAND DATA TASK FORCE ANNOUNCES PROCESS FOR ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS TO LICENSE BROADBAND SERVICEABLE LOCATION FABRIC DATA FOR BROADBAND AVAILABILITY RESEARCH 
WC Docket Nos. 19-195, 11-10
By this Public Notice, the Broadband Data Task Force (Task Force) and Office of Economics and Analytics (OEA) announce that parties may now obtain a license to use the Broadband Serviceable Location Fabric (Fabric) for purposes of conducting non-commercial academic or public-policy research directly related to broadband availability.  
The Fabric is the “common dataset of all locations in the United States where fixed broadband internet access service can be installed, as determined by the Commission.” 47 U.S.C. § 642(b)(1)(A)(i).  
  As required under the Broadband DATA Act, the Fabric “shall . . . serve as the foundation upon which all data relating to the availability of fixed broadband internet access service . . . shall be reported and overlaid.” 47 U.S.C. § 642(b)(1)(B)(ii).  
  The Broadband DATA Act further requires that the Commission create a process whereby information included in the Fabric may be challenged by consumers, state, local, and Tribal governmental entities, and other entities or individuals. 47 U.S.C. § 642(b)(5)(A).  
  
Fabric licenses are now available to entities seeking to conduct non-commercial academic or public-policy research directly related to broadband availability.  Such entities must first obtain a username, password, and FRN (FCC Registration Number) via the Commission Registration System (CORES) at https://apps.fcc.gov/cores/userLogin.do, then log into the BDC system at http://bdc.fcc.gov using that username and password, and fill in the Entity Information page for the FRN.  Entities will then receive an email from CostQuest about how to execute a limited end-user license agreement for the Fabric.  Depending on its organization type, the entity may need to provide a brief description of how the intended use of the Fabric data supports non-commercial academic or public-policy research and how the organization is involved in issues related to broadband availability.  For more information, see https://help.bdc.fcc.gov/hc/en-us/articles/10419121200923-How-Entities-Can-Access-the-Location-Fabric-.  
The Task Force initially made Version 1 of the Fabric data available to internet service providers and state, local, and Tribal governmental entities  on June 23, 2022, so that they could submit broadband availability data prior to the close of the filing window on September 1, 2022. See Broadband Data Task Force Announces the Availability of the Production Version of the Broadband Serviceable Location Fabric, WC Docket Nos. 19-195 & 11-10, Public Notice, DA 22-668 (BDTF, WCB, OEA June 23, 2022).   
  Additionally, these entities were able to submit bulk Fabric challenges when that process commenced on September 12, 2022. See Broadband Data Task Force Announces the Start of the Broadband Serviceable Location Fabric Bulk Challenge Process, WC Docket Nos. 19-195 & 11-10, Public Notice, DA 22-913 (BDTF, WCB, OEA Sept. 2, 2022).   
  As of November 15, 2022, other entities and organizations were also able to obtain a license to the Fabric for purposes of submitting fixed challenges and crowdsource data to improve the accuracy of the BDC maps.  Version 2 of the Fabric data was made available to all licensed entities on January 3, 2023.  
A variety of technical assistance resources related to the Fabric, including tutorials, knowledge base articles, FAQs, and other information, are available on the BDC Help Center at https://help.bdc.fcc.gov.  Requests for technical support may be submitted using the “Get Help” link available on that page.  
For information about the Fabric or the Broadband Data Collection, please visit the BDC website at https://www.fcc.gov/BroadbandData.  For media inquiries, please contact Anne Veigle in the Office of Media Relations at anne.veigle@fcc.gov.

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