Wicker Asks for Feedback on Wireless Coverage Map

Many Mississippi residents in rural areas, including Lafayette County, lack access to a consistent and reliable mobile broadband connection. U.S. Senator Roger Wicker found it imperative that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) correct the coverage map for those who need it most.

Wednesday, Wicker asked Mississippi residents for feedback on an initial wireless coverage map distributed by the FCC that will determine eligibility for up to $4.53 billion in Mobility Fund Phase II (MF-II) funding. Click here to take the survey. 
This funding goes to rural areas that lack access to consistent and reliable mobile broadband service. The map shows that only 2 percent of the state lacks access to a consistent, reliable 4G LTE connection from at least one carrier. That means 98 percent of Mississippi would be ineligible for federal support through MF-II funding.
“Spend some time in the rural parts of our state, and you will see that many Mississippi residents lack access to a consistent and reliable mobile broadband connection,” Wicker said. “I am interested in hearing from my constituents about their experiences with wireless internet service and how the FCC’s Mobility Fund might help their area. It is imperative for the FCC to get this map right, targeting support to the people and communities who need it most.”
Throughout the rural areas of the state, C Spire offers the best network in Mississippi.
“C Spire is proud to offer the No. 1 network in Mississippi,” CEO of C Spire Wireless Hu Meena said. “And we know there will always be more work to be done in our home state to improve coverage and upgrade technology – especially in our vast rural areas.”
“Senator Wicker continues to do great work on behalf of Mississippi’s mobile broadband consumers,” Meena said. “Anyone can look at the FCC’s recently released map of LTE coverage in Mississippi and see that it fails to accurately reflect consumer experience in many areas. As a result, the map should not be used by the federal government to decide where $4.5 billion in Universal Service Support for the deployment of mobile broadband services should be directed over the next 10 years.”
Under the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the Universal Service Fund is intended to ensure that rural customers have access to mobile services comparable to those in urban ones.
The challenge process will last for 150 days (five months) and will come to a close in August. Once it is submitted to the FCC, the challenged party will have 30 days to oppose the challenge. FCC staff will then adjudicate certified challenges and responses and develop a final map of eligible areas for MF-II support. Once a final map has been created, carriers will compete for available funding through a reverse auction process to deploy mobile voice and broadband coverage to rural, unserved areas.

Adam Brown is the sports editor of HottyToddy.com. He can be reached at adam.brown@hottytoddy.com.