--- title: How to File a Challenge When the FCC Map Is Wrong url: https://hdiss.net/guides/challenge-the-fcc-map/ business: High Desert Internet Services (HDISS) phone: 775-575-9593, 775-391-5660 email: info@hdiss.net mailing_address: Home base: 200 S Virginia St, Suite 760, Reno NV 89501 (dispatch office, not a walk-in store). Mail: Billing Dept., PO Box 11353, Reno NV 89510 hours: Office open 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, seven days a week. Network watched around the clock. type: Fixed wireless internet service provider (homes and small businesses), web hosting, customer email, domain registration service_area: Northern Nevada - Washoe, Lyon, Storey, Churchill and Douglas counties and Carson City; availability is checked address by address (line of sight to a tower) plans: Bronze $50/mo up to 500 Mbps down, up to 200 Mbps up; Silver $75/mo up to 800 down, up to 200 up; Gold $99/mo up to 1 Gig down, up to 200 up; ask about the up to 1 Gig / 1 Gig ultra-low-latency service no_online_purchase: true (check your address or call; existing customers pay at https://www2.fernley.net/hdiss/onlinepay/paymentform.cfm) since: 2002 --- - [Home](https://hdiss.net/) - [Guides](https://hdiss.net/guides/) - How to file a challenge when the FCC map is wrong about your address # How to file a challenge when the FCC map is wrong about your address On the FCC National Broadband Map, click the Availability Challenge button next to the provider you dispute, describe the problem, attach evidence that you asked for service, and certify that it is true. The provider has 60 days to answer, and unresolved cases go to the FCC. Sagebrush prairie in the high desert. Stock photo: Adobe Stock. [Photo credits](https://hdiss.net/photo-credits/) On this page - [What if the FCC map is wrong about my address?](#what-if-the-fcc-map-is-wrong-about-my-address) - [What do I need to file?](#what-do-i-need-to-file) - [What happens after I file?](#what-happens-after-i-file) - [Does a challenge change anything?](#does-a-challenge-change-anything) - [What if the map is missing a provider?](#what-if-the-map-is-missing-a-provider) - [Where do I get help with the form?](#where-do-i-get-help-with-the-form) 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. ## Takeaways - The rule is 47 CFR 1.7006(d), and the FCC added firm deadlines in a 2024 order that took effect September 16, 2024. - You need your contact information, the address, the provider, a category of dispute and evidence of a request for service. - The provider has 60 days to respond. If it disputes, you each have 60 days to talk, then the FCC has 90 days to decide. ## 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](https://broadbandmap.fcc.gov), as described in the [map walk-through](https://hdiss.net/guides/check-which-providers-reach-your-address/). 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](https://hdiss.net/guides/when-cable-stops-at-the-end-of-the-road/). ## 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. ### Sources - [law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/47/1.7006](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/47/1.7006) (47 CFR 1.7006(d), read 10/15/26) - [govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2024-08-15/pdf/2024-16935.pdf](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2024-08-15/pdf/2024-16935.pdf) (89 FR 66254, Aug 15, 2024, effective Sept 16, 2024) - [broadbandmap.fcc.gov](https://broadbandmap.fcc.gov) (FCC National Broadband Map, read 2026-10-15) ### Talk to a person - Call [775-575-9593](tel:7755759593) [775-391-5660](tel:7753915660) Open 9-5 every day - Email [info@hdiss.net](mailto:info@hdiss.net) [Check my address](https://hdiss.net/check-availability/#check) Local since 2002 Fixed wireless from towers in Northern Nevada. Three plans, no contracts, local support, 4.8 on Google from 36 reviews. [About High Desert](https://hdiss.net/about/) ### Keep reading - [How to check which providers reach your address](https://hdiss.net/guides/check-which-providers-reach-your-address/) - [Internet options when cable stops at the end of your road](https://hdiss.net/guides/when-cable-stops-at-the-end-of-the-road/) - [FCC National Broadband Map](https://hdiss.net/glossary/fcc-national-broadband-map/) - [Broadband Data Collection](https://hdiss.net/glossary/broadband-data-collection/) - [Check my address](https://hdiss.net/check-availability/) - [What Nevada's High Speed NV build-out means for rural roads](https://hdiss.net/guides/high-speed-nv-bead-rural-roads/) ## More on choosing and understanding - [What fixed wireless internet is and how it works](https://hdiss.net/guides/what-is-fixed-wireless-internet/): Fixed wireless internet is a radio link from a tower to a small antenna mounted on your home or shop, with a router inside that shares the connection over Wi-Fi. It needs no phone line or cable in the street, only a clea - [Is fixed wireless the same as satellite?](https://hdiss.net/guides/is-fixed-wireless-the-same-as-satellite/): No. Fixed wireless is a radio link from your roof to a tower a short distance away on the ground, while satellite internet sends your data up to a dish in orbit and back down again. Both use radio and both need a clear v - [What line of sight means and why we check it first](https://hdiss.net/guides/what-line-of-sight-means/): Line of sight means your roof antenna and the tower it points at can see each other, with nothing solid in between. It is checked at your address because the path is what decides whether fixed wireless works, and a town ## Questions people ask ### Is there a fee to file a challenge? The rule does not list one for consumers. Check the portal for current details. ### Can I challenge for a slow speed? Speed far below what is listed is one example the rule gives of evidence. Pick the matching category in the portal. ### Will the provider be told it was me? The portal alerts the provider to the challenge. Your contact details are part of the filing, so assume the provider can see who filed.