STATEMENT OF
ACTING CHAIRWOMAN MIGNON L. CLYBURN
Re: Modernizing the FCC Form 477 Data Program, WC Docket No. 11-10.
While this item may not be flashy, it is critical to our agency’s effectiveness and core mission.  
The Commission must have complete, accurate, and reliable data to fulfill our statutory duties of 
promoting universal service, public safety, a competitive communications marketplace, and the 
reasonable and timely deployment of broadband networks. I am pleased that my colleagues join me today 
to improve and streamline our collection of data about broadband and voice services.  
The changes we make today will ensure that the Commission, other government agencies, and the 
public will continue to have access to the National Broadband Map.  This publicly available tool, which 
shows the availability of fixed and mobile broadband throughout America, has become a critical resource 
for our nation.  The FCC has used the National Broadband Map to determine unserved areas for universal 
service purposes, among other key policy initiatives.  
NTIA, in partnership with the states, has been collecting and populating the National Broadband 
Map for the past 3 years, and I thank and applaud them for their tireless work in doing so.  This item will 
allow the FCC to build upon NTIA’s fantastic work, while taking steps to reduce burdens on providers.  
We must remain mindful of the costs that the collection of data for policy-making purposes may 
impose on industry and ultimately on consumers and ratepayers.  The steps taken in the Report and Order
address this concern by reducing reporting burdens while improving the quality of the data collected on 
Form 477.  For example, the item institutes a single, uniform filing format, and eliminates the 
requirement that providers place their subscribers in various government-defined speed tiers and instead 
has providers report their self-selected advertised speeds.  These changes will reduce the amount of time 
and effort needed to provide us this information and increase the Commission’s flexibility in analyzing 
the data.
While this Report and Order does not collect pricing or more granular subscription data as some 
parties have requested, it leaves the door open to do so.  The Order initiates a voluntary program for 
providers to help test a client-side application that will evaluate ways to collect more granular data in a 
manner that minimizes burdens on respondents.  These technical improvements are an important step to 
enable the Commission to collect additional data in the future.
Finally, I am pleased that this item takes steps to explore making the subscription data collected 
on the Form 477 available to the public, including researchers.  Such information is a valuable resource 
for local and state governments, academics, as well as members of the general public.  I encourage the 
Wireline Competition Bureau, in consultation with the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, to explore 
ways to facilitate greater public access to the subscription data collected on the Form 477, while still 
protecting competitively sensitive data.
I would like to thank my fellow Commissioners, as well as the staffs of the Wireline Competition 
Bureau and the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, for your tireless work on this item.