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Illegal Data Submission Leads to FCC Penalty and Compliance Plan
Jefferson County Cable (JCC), a local Internet service provider based in Toronto, Ohio, has recently admitted to providing false information to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regarding its broadband coverage area. The admission has resulted in the company being fined $10,000 and being required to implement a compliance plan to prevent similar violations in the future.
Violation Details
JCC confessed to falsely claiming to offer fiber service in an area that it had not yet expanded into. Additionally, the company also admitted to submitting inaccurate coverage data to the FCC to deter other ISPs from acquiring government grants to service the same area. This incident was brought to light in February 2023 through an article published by Ars.
The FCC released a statement on March 15, outlining the outcome of its investigation. According to the FCC, Jefferson County Cable violated the requirements of the Broadband Data Collection program as well as the Broadband DATA Act, a US law, by reporting inaccurate information pertaining to its broadband Internet access service capabilities.
In response to the violation, JCC has agreed to pay a civil penalty of $10,000 to the United States Treasury. Furthermore, the company has committed to implementing enhanced compliance measures to ensure accurate reporting moving forward. These actions are intended to support the FCC’s objective of bridging the digital divide by obtaining precise data on the availability of broadband services.
Correction of Inaccurate Data
The FCC order revealed that Jefferson County Cable initially reported serving 8,178 addresses in its data collection for June 30, 2022. Subsequently, this number was reduced to 6,605 addresses in the FCC’s December 31, 2022 data collection. However, even the revised figure exceeded JCC’s actual coverage area.
Following a letter from the FCC Enforcement Bureau in March 2023, JCC rectified its inaccurate submissions by eliminating around 1,500 addresses from its filings in May 2023. These locations were falsely claimed by the company, despite being unable to provide broadband services to them within the stipulated time frame.
JCC acknowledged its failure to review and comprehend the FCC’s guidelines on Broadband Data Collection filings, leading to the erroneous reporting. The company’s misconduct was exposed by Ryan Grewell, the owner of Smart Way Communications, a small wireless ISP. Grewell uncovered the false claims made by JCC through challenges filed at specific addresses using the FCC’s mapping system.
Disclosure of False Claims
One of Grewell’s challenges identified a location in Bergholz, Ohio, which turned out to be among the 1,500 falsely claimed addresses. In response to the challenge, JCC’s executive, Bob Loveridge, inadvertently admitted to the deception in an email. Loveridge expressed the company’s intent to dissuade competitors from receiving deployment grants by falsely reporting service availability in certain areas, even though the service had not been extended to those locations.
Efforts made by concerned individuals like Ryan Grewell and the FCC’s diligence in investigating such infractions highlight the importance of accurate data reporting in the telecommunications industry. By holding entities like Jefferson County Cable accountable for their misleading practices, regulatory bodies like the FCC aim to uphold integrity and transparency in the provision of broadband services.
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