Broadband service being evaluated with grant money at stake

DURANT, OK – The Oklahoma Broadband Office is encouraging residents of the Choctaw Nation reservation and throughout Oklahoma to check their home address for current service availability on a map recently released by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Discrepancies as to the level of service being reported may not meet the current claims of performance or availability.

The FCC website allows residents to enter their address and check the reported services available and the company providing the service. If there is a discrepancy with what is posted, a link to challenge those listings is immediately accessible. Information being challenged can assist in allocating additional federal broadband grants to bolster available service, including the areas of the Choctaw Nation reservation.

The FCC website, broadbandmap.fcc.gov, allows residents to provide corrected information by clicking the Availability Challenge link that appears on the page with the information about your address.

“The Oklahoma Broadband Office wants to ensure the map is accurate, especially in rural areas,” said Robert Griffin, Broadband Coordinator for the Choctaw Nation. Griffin noted the Oklahoma Broadband Office’s current map may list broadband service in some locations which may not actually be available.

Any Oklahoman, business, school, church, library, or place with internet service can look at the map and challenge the information.

The deadline to provide corrected or updated information is Jan. 13, 2023.

“The Oklahoma Broadband Office says after the challenge process is completed, the data in the final version of the map will be used to determine how much grant money Oklahoma will get to improve internet service throughout the state,” Griffin added.