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Government The Internet United States

FCC Data Exaggerates Broadband Access On Tribal Lands (arstechnica.com) 54

Posted by BeauHD from the poor-data-collection-skills dept.
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Broadband access in tribal areas is likely even worse than previously thought because Federal Communications Commission data overstates deployment, according to a new report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). FCC data collection was already known to be suspect throughout the U.S., not just in tribal areas, which in turn makes it difficult for the FCC to target deployment funding to the areas that need it most. Tribal lands have less broadband access than most other parts of the U.S. and thus may be disproportionately affected by the FCC's data collection problems.

"Residents of tribal lands have lower levels of broadband Internet access relative to the U.S. as a whole, but the digital divide may be greater than currently thought," the GAO wrote. "FCC data overstated tribes' broadband availability and access to broadband service. These overstatements limit FCC and tribal users' ability to target broadband funding to tribal lands." Despite the well-known broadband access problems in tribal areas, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has been trying to limit the Lifeline subsidies that help tribal residents purchase Internet access. A federal appeals court recently blocked Pai's attempt to take a broadband subsidy away from tribal areas.
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FCC Data Exaggerates Broadband Access On Tribal Lands More

FCC Data Exaggerates Broadband Access On Tribal Lands

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  • Headline contains unnecessary words (Score:4, Insightful)

    by fibonacci8 ( 260615 ) on Friday September 14, 2018 @08:05AM (#57313150)
    FCC Data Exaggerates Broadband Access

    The lobbyists just forgot to do something about that particular group being allowed to complain.

    • Exactly. They exaggerate access everywhere else (e.g. if, as self-reported by ISP X, anyone in the county has the option for broadband from ISP X, everyone in the county is regarded as having broadband access offered from ISP X according to the FCC’s current methodology, even if it’s just that one customer actually being offered broadband), so they’re simply being consistent here.

      • However in this particular story about tribal lands there are additional legal issues involved. There are "Lifeline" subsidies involved here, and the FCC was using incorrect data in its attempt to remove the subsidies.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Anonymous Coward

      the fcc isn't the ones exaggerating.. this time. it's the lying, cheating, money-grabbing, grant-stealing telcos that serve these areas. the tribal lands around me in the midwest have virtually no high speed internet past about a mile from the 'developed' part (which happens to be the closest part to town and within the distance limits of dsl served from equipment there.. a corner store, tribal offices.. not much else), and even then all that's available is about 5-6mbit dsl max, on a good day, with good li

  • Can't have the natives sharing broadband communications, might get uppity about their rights or lack there of. The establishment response, let's not kid about, 'FUCK EM'. Might complain about polluting their land, stealing their resources, killing their people, the rest of the world might really hear how the US government Federal, State and Local, abuses native Americans upon a routine and regular basis. I am Australian and this message is brought to you by the way the Australian government, Federal, State

    • Whatever. It is 2018 and this is the US, not aboriginal Australia. If you have ever been to a US tribal land you would soon realize that people there aren't concerned about pollution or whatever drivel you are sprouting. They are just regular people. Now they are in the casino business. The idea that native Americans are running around saving the environment is ignorant.

      • The idea that native Americans are running around saving the environment is ignorant.

        Some tribes care more about the environment than others. The idea that you can paint all native Americans with the same brush is ignorant.

        • Some PEOPLE care more about the environment than others. Native Americans are just people. The idea that they are some sort of mystical people who protect the environment is comical.

          • The idea that they are some sort of mystical people who protect the environment is comical.

            No, it's disingenuous. The only person who's suggested it is you.

            • Nonsense. It's implicit in the original comment, and it's an integral part of the left-wing rhetoric surrounding indigenous peoples. Natives are painted as these holistic gurus with a close connection to nature, so that you can use them as figureheads in your protests against things like the Dakota Pipeline. It's a useful fiction.

  • It is usually very convenient (Score:3)

    by bobstreo ( 1320787 ) on Friday September 14, 2018 @08:33AM (#57313320)

    to support your position when you make up the data only to support your position.

    I guess maybe someone hacked the FCC again to produce these outright lies. /s

    • Don't fall for it. This is all part of Trump's plan to encourage everyone not to depend on the federal government and to do things themselves. It's a trick! Keep the power in the federal government where it belongs. Don't let locals take control, that's the worst possible outcome. The educated people know best, leave it in their hands. Don't let Trump succeed.

  • Better Article at The Register (Score:4, Informative)

    by Passman ( 6129 ) on Friday September 14, 2018 @08:52AM (#57313460) Homepage Journal

    The Register has a better article on this here.
    https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/09/13/fcc_broadband_data_garbage/ [theregister.co.uk]

    They do a pretty good job of breaking down why the FCC data is so flawed and also why this report only deals with Tribal Lands.

  • Comment removed (Score:3, Interesting)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Friday September 14, 2018 @09:02AM (#57313512)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  • What better way to keep a population compliant and docile, than by conditioning them to believe, that government — and its officially-sanctioned monopolies — is the source of all the important things: food, shelter, electricity and other utilities, healthcare, and now the Internet service?

    At what point did we collectively swallow the patent falsehood, that without the benevolent and omniscient government officials none of those things would've been available — and that any self-evident pro

  • When we put the indians on "tribal" lands, and said "we'll take care of you", provide them with housing, food, medial etc...it was a perfect example of government instituted SOCIALISM. How's that worked out for them? And people are hell bent on having the entire country embrace communism/socialism? NO THANK YOU!

  • I was curious of what was going on here. Had the FCC in the last 2 years suddenly gave the shaft to tribal lands? Here is an quote from the article:

    "As of December 2016, only 64.6 percent of tribal areas had access to home Internet services with speeds of at least 25Mbps down and 3Mbps up, for example. Those speeds were available in 69.3 percent of rural areas and 97.9 percent of urban areas."

    First, who was in control of the FCC on December 2016? Not who's controlling it now. Where was the outcry then!!

  • I thought the whole point of these tribal lands was to allow the natives to live the same lifestyle as their ancestors. Why is the federal government promoting the white man's technology there?

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