How to file a challenge when the FCC map is wrong about your address

Sometimes the map says a company serves your house and the company says it does not. Maybe a quote came back with a very long install window, or a sales call ended in a no. You can ask the FCC to correct the record. It takes patience, and the rule is written down in federal regulation, so this guide follows the rule rather than guessing at process.

What if the FCC map is wrong about my address?

You can file an availability challenge. First look up your address at broadbandmap.fcc.gov, as described in the map walk-through. If a listed provider does not actually serve the address, click Availability Challenge next to that provider. The map walks you through the form.

What do I need to file?

Under 47 CFR 1.7006(d)(1), a consumer challenge has to include:

• Your name and contact information.
• The address or coordinates of the location.
• The provider you are challenging.
• A category of dispute, chosen from the options the portal offers.
• Evidence and details of a request for service, or an attempted request for service. A denial, a written quote with a very long install window, or a speed far below what is listed are examples of what people use.
• A certification that all statements of fact in the challenge are true.

That evidence step is the one people forget. Before you file, ask the provider for service in writing or by a recorded order screen, and keep the reply.

What happens after I file?

The portal alerts the provider. Within 60 days of receiving the alert, the provider must reply. It can concede, in which case it corrects the location within 30 days. Or it can dispute, with evidence, in the portal and to you directly. If it disputes, you and the provider have 60 days from its reply to try to resolve the challenge between you.

If you cannot, the challenge goes to the FCC, which has 90 days to review the evidence and make a determination. A provider that does not respond receives a finding against it. A consumer must make an initial showing by a preponderance of the evidence, which means it must be more likely than not that your claim is right.

Does a challenge change anything?

If it succeeds, the map is corrected at your location, so the record of who serves your address becomes more accurate. The map is the FCC's official picture of reported service, and public programs look at it. A correction does not by itself make a different provider come to your road, and it can take months. If you need internet sooner, you will want to look at other options in parallel, such as those in our guide on what to do when cable stops.

What if the map is missing a provider?

That is a different problem. The challenge process described here is for a listing that you dispute. If a local company serves you and does not show, there is nothing for you to challenge, and the practical step is to ask the company directly. High Desert Internet works this way: a person looks at your address and the path to the tower, whatever any map says.

Where do I get help with the form?

The FCC's help center has articles on the challenge process at help.bdc.fcc.gov, and the Consumer Complaint Center is the place for other problems. This site links to them and does not quote them. If your question is about High Desert specifically, call 775-575-9593. A person answers 9 to 5 every day.

If you simply want to know whether a tower can reach your roof, send your address through the check form and a person will look at the path and call you back.