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Matthew Hillier is unable to receive Comcast service at his home in Arvada, Colorado. But when Comcast submitted data for his new broadband map to the Federal Communications Commission, Comcast didn’t stop claiming it’s helping his home.
Comcast eventually admitted to not providing addresses to the FCC, but only after Ars got involved. Comcast needs to fix Hillier’s home submission. Comcast doesn’t seem to serve the dozens of other nearby homes it claims to be part of its coverage area, so a bigger fix could be needed.
When Hillier looked up the address on the FCC map, Comcast claimed the house offered download speeds of 1.2Gbps and upload speeds of 35Mbps. In fact, he makes do with CenturyLink Internet where his download is 60Mbps and his upload is 5Mbps.
Hillier, an engineer with 30 years of experience working for multiple telecommunications companies, including Comcast and Charter, filed a complaint with the FCC in mid-November, accusing Comcast of not providing his address. I told the meeting. Correcting incorrect data is important. This map will be used to determine which areas of the United States are eligible for $42.45 billion in federal grants to expand broadband availability.
Program rules require ISPs to respond to disputes within 60 days, and Comcast’s initial response to Hilliers claimed that it actually served a house down the street called Quartz Loop. . In an automated email sent to him on Jan. 21, the FCC told Hillier, “The provider that is the subject of your dispute has contested your dispute.
The FCC email describes the lengthy process Hillier and other challengers are expected to complete to prove that the ISP is not serving your home.
You and the provider for your Availability Challenge must attempt to resolve the dispute within 60 days. If you and the Provider in question are unable to reach an agreement within her 60 days, the affected Provider will report the status of efforts to resolve the issue online on her portal. FCC staff will then review all evidence and decide to uphold or overturn the appeal.
“I expect more from the FCC.”
Hillier was not satisfied. “I have provided evidence from Comcast/Xfinity’s own systems that my address is not provided by this provider, even though Comcast/Xfinity reports it to you as such… I expect more from government agencies like the FCC [than] Just say ‘sort it out and let me know what happens,'” he wrote in a response to the FCC shared with Ars.
A look at Hillier’s address revealed that it was impossible to order service from home on the Comcast Web site. As Hillier told his FCC, Comcast’s online availability checker says it’s an “invalid address.” Comcast not only told the FCC that he was servicing his home, but he also took issue with Hillier when he pointed out the error.
Comcast found similar evidence in dozens of homes near Hillier’s Albada address and on the streets of Fort Collins, Colorado, suggesting that he submitted false broadband coverage information. More on this later in this article.
Comcast confirmed to the FCC on February 3, one day after Ars contacted Comcast’s public relations department, that it was not providing service at Hillier’s home in Arvada.
The FCC’s Feb. 3 email told Hillier, “The provider that is the subject of your dispute must grant the dispute and have 30 days to submit a disputed location correction on the online portal. In addition, the status of the challenge on the FCC Maps website has changed from ‘Pending’ to ‘Endorsed’.
Hillier’s neighbor, Robert Eck, confirmed to Ars that he also cannot access Comcast’s services, even though his home is claimed by Comcast on FCC maps. He said he had asked Comcast for broadband “a long time ago,” but “the person I spoke to on Comcast indicated that they did not provide service to my address.
“There are only two options for wireline service, TDS and Lumen (CenturyLink). I don’t understand why Comcast claims to serve our parcel,” said Eck.
