Future FCC Form 477 Filings Will Use 2010 Census Tracts for Broadband
PUBLIC NOTICE
Federal Communications Commission
News Media Information 202 / 418-0500
445 12th St., S.W.Internet: http://www.fcc.gov
Washington, D.C. 20554
TTY: 1-888-835-5322
DA 11-1937
Released: November 22, 2011
WIRELINE COMPETITION BUREAU ANNOUNCES CONVERSION TO
2010 CENSUS TRACTS FOR BROADBAND SUBSCRIBERSHIPREPORTING IN FUTURE FCC FORM 477 FILINGS
WC Docket No. 07-38
The Commission requires facilities-based wired, terrestrial fixed wireless, and satellite broadbandservice providers to report on FCC Form 477 the number of broadband subscribers they have in each
census tract they serve.1 The Census Bureau changed the boundaries of some census tracts as part of the
2010 Census. This public notice announces, in response to informal inquiries from broadband service
providers, that broadband service providers must use the revised census tracts (i.e., the 2010 census tracts)
to report broadband subscribership information in the FCC Form 477 filing that is due no later than
March 1, 2012. That filing will collect information about the filers’ operations as of December 31, 2011.
Broadband service providers also will use the 2010 census tracts in subsequent FCC Form 477 reports
pending further revisions in census tract boundaries by the Census Bureau.
This is a change from earlier Form 477 filings in which entities reported broadband
subscribership information using the census tract boundaries that the Census Bureau employed in the
2000 Census.
FORM 477 FILING SYSTEM MODIFICATIONS
To facilitate the transition to reporting based on the 2010 census tracts, the Wireline CompetitionBureau staff is modifying the Commission’s Form 477 electronic filing system. These modifications will
be largely transparent to filers.
·
For submissions of information as of December 31, 2011 and subsequent data-collection
dates, the system will recognize as valid only the census tract codes that were valid for
the 2010 Census.
·
For revisions of information as of June 30, 2011 and earlier data-collection dates, the
system will continue to recognize as valid only the census tract codes that were valid for
the 2000 Census.
1 See Development of Nationwide Broadband Data to Evaluate Reasonable and Timely Deployment of Advanced
Services to All Americans, Improvement of Wireless Broadband Subscribership Data, and Development of Data on
Interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Subscribership, WC Docket No. 07-38, Report and Order and
Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 23 FCC Rcd 9691, 9695-97, paras. 10-12 (2008) (2008 Broadband Data
Gathering Order). Although facilities-based mobile broadband providers report subscribership by state, they are
required to identify the census tracts that best represent their broadband service footprint for each of the speed tiers
in which they offer service. Id. at 6998, para. 16.
WEBSITE INSTRUCTIONS
To provide additional guidance on use of 2010 census tracts, the staff is updating the explanatorymaterials on the “Form 477 Resources for Filers” webpage located at http://transition.fcc.gov/form477/.
IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE
The Bureau expects system modifications and website changes to be completed by early January2012.
RESOURCES
·The “Census Tract Information” link, within the “Form 477 Resources for Filers”
webpage located at http://transition.fcc.gov/form477/, will be updated to include the 2010
census tract codes that the online filing system will accept as valid for broadband
information as of December 31, 2011 and later dates.
·
2010 Census Tract Reference Maps:
http://www.census.gov/geo/www/maps/pl10_map_suite/tract.html.
·
2010 Census Tract Relationship Files:
http://www.census.gov/geo/www/2010census/tract_rel/tract_rel.html.
ACCESSIBILITY INFORMATION
To request materials in accessible formats for people with disabilities (Braille, large print,electronic files, audio format), send an e-mail to fcc504@fcc.gov or call the Consumer & Governmental
Affairs Bureau at (202) 418-0530 (voice), (202) 418-0432 (tty).
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Additional information about the FCC Form 477 requirements is available athttp://transition.fcc.gov/form477/. Specific questions about the requirements may be sent to
477info@fcc.gov, and the Form 477 staff may be contacted at Industry Analysis and Technology
Division, Wireline Competition Bureau, (202) 418-0940, (202) 418-0484 (tty). For additional
information about this public notice, please contact Ellen Burton at (202) 418-0958 or by email:
ellen.burton@fcc.gov.
2
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