Tuolumne County Wants You To Check Your Internet Service
Sonora, CA – For the first time ever, anyone can easily challenge internet provider service claims, which could bring thousands of additional dollars in infrastructure funding to Tuolumne County.
That is why the county is urging all residents and businesses to make a quick online check of their high-speed internet status against the Federal Communication Commission’s new broadband map. County leaders explain, “The map details provider claims of available high-speed internet service for every address in the county. The FCC is aware of errors in the data and is requesting our help to improve the data and ensure appropriate infrastructure funding.”
If a discrepancy is found, such as recently being declined service, being charged extra for a connection, or only slow speeds being available, residents or businesses should file a challenge by the Jan. 11, 2023 deadline. The county detailed that the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 provides more than $40 billion in funding for broadband infrastructure and prioritizes connecting two types of homes and businesses:
- Unserved: Wired service with download speeds less than 25 Mbps – or no service at all.
- Underserved: Wired service with download speeds less than 100 Mbps.
“The FCC data show that slightly more than 1% of the county is unserved and nearly 29% are underserved. The county believes the unserved and underserved rates to be considerably higher, especially when focusing on wired connections,” advised county officials.
Geo Partners LLC, a broadband analytics company, estimates that each location listed as served that is successfully proven to be unserved could result in an additional allocation of up to $4,200. That can quickly add up; using that estimate and proving a lack of service at just 100 locations could result in an additional $400,000 in funding.
For detailed instructions on how to check their service and file a challenge, click here. A claim can also be made on the FCC’s broadband map here.
