FCC Form 477 and BDC Data Due September 1, 2022

This is a reminder of the upcoming September 1, 2022 deadline for the FCC Form 477 Broadband Report and the inaugural Broadband Data Collection (“BDC”) submission.

Form 477

Form 477 must be submitted by: (i) facilities-based providers of broadband connections to end-user locations; (ii) providers of wired or fixed wireless local exchange telephone service; (iii) providers of interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service; and (iv) facilities-based providers of mobile telephony services.  The data supplied must be current as of June 30, 2022.

Form 477 must be filed electronically, and should be submitted using the 477 interface at https://apps2.fcc.gov/form477/login.xhtml.  As a reminder, the Form 477 filing interface requires an individual CORES username and password to log in.  More information on the login requirements can be found in this Public Notice.  Users can access the updated guide for this interface here. You can also find instructions for completing Form 477 here.  As an additional reminder, providers are required to utilize the 2020 Census data when filing their Form 477s.

Further instructions, tutorials and information on using the Form 477 electronic filing system are available at https://www.fcc.gov/general/form-477-resources-filers.

BDC Submission

Facilities-based providers of fixed and mobile broadband internet access who have one or more end user connections in service on June 30, 2022 are required to file data in the BDC.  In most instances, filers required to submit a FCC Form 477 are also required to submit data to the BDC.  The data submitted must depict broadband service availability as of June 30, 2022.

BDC data is submitted online through the BDC system, and users log in utilizing their CORES username and password.  Information on using the BDC system can be found here.  Filers are required to submit the following: information about the filer, broadband availability data (including supporting data), and Form 477 broadband subscription data, if they are a broadband provider.  The format of broadband availability data will vary based on the technology used to provide the service.  For instance, mobile wireless broadband service providers are required to submit propagation maps and propagation model details for each network technology and for outdoor stationary and in-vehicle mobile network coverage.  Such providers are also required to submit signal strength heat map data.  More information on these requirements are available at the BDC Availability Data Specifications.  Additional information on filing and submission requirements can be found on the BDC For Filers Page and in the BDC Help Center.

The FCC will be hosting a workshop on preparing and submitting mobile availability data on Thursday, August 18, 2022 at 4:00 PM Eastern Time.  An additional workshop covering the BDC system and common error codes will occur on Tuesday, August 23 at 4:00 PM Eastern Time.  Persons interested in participating in the webinar should register by emailing [email protected] and indicating the desired webinar session.  Persons who register will receive information on how to attend the webinar.

Please Contact Us if you have any questions.

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