By this Public Notice, the [FCC] 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.” As required under the Broadband DATA Act, the Fabric “shall . . . serve as the foundation upon which all data relating to theavailability of fixed broadband internet access service . . . shall be reported and overlaid.” 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.
Fabric licenses are now available to entities seeking to conduct non-commercial academic or public-policy research directly related to broadband availability. . . . 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-LocationFabric-.
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.
Public notice:
https://www.fcc.gov/document/access-fabric-academic-and-public-policy-research-announced
