Rural Residents of Klickitat County: Verify your internet service before Jan 13th.
The FCC Broadband Map information will help determine which areas get included in federal broadband funding worth over $42 million.
by Cole Goodwin
The Mid-Columbia Economic Development District (MCEDD) and the Snowden Community Council (SCC) are asking rural residents of Klickitat County to visit the FCC Broadband Map and verify their residential internet service information before Friday, January 13th, 2023. The FCC Broadband Map information will help determine which areas get included in federal broadband funding worth over $42 million.
FCC National Broadband Map showing internet service coverage for Oregon and Washington.
Interestingly, during discussion at the Lyle Community Council Meeting on January 11th, 2023 several locals noted that they had “never even heard of” some of the broadband providers listed on the FCCC Broadband Map. Another local commented that they weren’t sure how they or others would be able to participate in the online reporting of their internet access whilst not having any access to internet.
Those who do not have internet access at their home are encouraged to access internet services at their local library.
What you can do
1. Please visit, https://broadbandmap.fcc.gov/home.
2. Enter your home address in the search box and as you type, let the website match your location, and click on your address.
3. Click on the green dots to find your home location, then review the internet service information.
4. If you believe the internet service information to be incorrect, this is where the MCEDD challenge instructions apply (see below).
Images showing the FCCC’s broadband access map at several locations in Klickitat County
Additional Instructions rom Carrie Pipinich, Deputy Director of MCEDD:
Availability Challenges
If the information about the internet services available at your home or other location is incorrect, you can dispute it by clicking on the Availability Challenge link on the right side of the map and submitting the form. Click here to learn how to submit an Availability Challenge. Please note that while speed tests are going to be important for many things, they will be treated as a consumer complaint in this instance rather than a direct challenge to the map.
·Location Challenges
If the information about the location point of your home or other location seems to be incorrect, you can submit a Location Challenge to correct the information on the location. The link to do this is to the right of the address on the map. To add a location, click on the place on the map where the location should be and then click the “Challenge Location” button. Click here to learn how to submit a Location Challenge."
For more in-depth FCC Broadband Map instructions online, you can visit the WA Dept. of Commerce.
Learn more at the Snowden Community website.
