On Monday, the House passed by voice vote two broadband mapping bills, the Mapping Accuracy Promotes Services (MAPS) Act (H.R. 4227) and the Broadband Deployment Accuracy and Technological Availability (Broadband DATA) Act (H.R. 4229). Together, these bills will work to fix the nation’s flawed broadband maps.
The Broadband DATA Act was introduced by Representative Dave Loebsack (D-Iowa) and Communications and Technology Subcommittee Ranking Member Bob Latta (R-Ohio), and calls on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to issue new rules to require the collection and dissemination of granular broadband availability data and to establish a process to verify the accuracy of such data, and more. The MAPS Act was introduced by Representatives A. Donald McEachin (D-Virginia) and Billy Long (R-Missouri), and specifies that it is unlawful for a person to willfully, knowingly, or recklessly submit inaccurate broadband service data.