Twice a year, the federal government asks broadband and wireless providers to submit the exhaustive Form 477. Government processes are often complex, sometimes frustrating, but always mandatory. In today’s post, we simply want to break Form 477 down by the simplest questions: Who, What, When and Why.
WHO needs to complete the FCC Form 477?
- Facilities-based providers of broadband connections to end user locations
- Providers of wired or fixed wireless local exchange telephone service
- Providers of interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service
- Facilities-based providers of mobile telephony service
WHAT parts of Form 477 do you need to complete?
First of all, there are 7 possible components to Form 477- your organization may NOT need to complete them all.
- Fixed Broadband Subscription
- Fixed Voice Subscription
- Mobile Broadband Deployment
- Mobile Broadband Service Availability
- Mobile Broadband Subscription
- Mobile Voice Deployment
- Mobile Voice Subscription
If you only provide wireless service, you only need to worry about the wireless sections. The same goes for broadband-only providers. If you provide both, sorry to tell you that you’re on the hook for it all!
WHEN is Form 477 due?
Twice a year- on March 1 and on September 1
- The March 1 report includes data as of the preceding December 31 (the December snapshot).
- The September 1 report includes data as of June 30 (the June snapshot).
WHY do you need to report this information?
The federal government provides money toward the deployment of broadband infrastructure and wants to know how that money is being utilized. Additionally, Form 477 helps the government create a national dataset to see what parts of the U.S. are covered and where competition is greatest.
According to FCC.gov, “The information is incorporated into the FCC’s reports to Congress on broadband deployment as it affects all Americans – including those who live in rural, sparsely populated areas. It assists the Commission in identifying regulations that should be modified or are not necessary. Twice each year, the Commission publishes the information collected on Form 477 to inform the public and policymakers about trends in broadband and local telephone competition, while protecting the competitively sensitive information of individual filers.”
At this point, you may want the answer to another question: HOW can I complete Form 477 without going crazy? That’s where Mapcom can help! To find out more or sign up for our FCC Form 477 Reporting Enrollment, contact us here!