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At Least One Major Carrier Lied About Its 4G Coverage, FCC Review Finds (arstechnica.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Four months after receiving a complaint claiming that Verizon "grossly overstated" its 4G LTE coverage in government filings, the Federal Communications Commission says that at least one carrier is apparently guilty of significant rules violations. The FCC did not name any specific carrier in its announcement and did not respond to our question about whether Verizon is among the carriers being investigated. But the investigation was apparently triggered by a complaint about Verizon filed in August by the Rural Wireless Association (RWA).
The RWA, which represents rural carriers, made its case to the FCC by submitting speed test data. The speed tests showed the Verizon network wasn't providing 4G LTE service in areas that Verizon claimed to cover, according to the RWA. Inaccurate coverage maps could make it difficult for rural carriers to get money from the Mobility Fund, a government fund intended for unserved areas. "A preliminary review of speed test data submitted through the challenge process suggested significant violations of the Commission's rules," FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said Friday in his announcement of the FCC investigation. The FCC said its investigation focuses on "whether one or more major carriers violated the Mobility Fund Phase II (MF-II) reverse auction's mapping rules and submitted incorrect coverage maps."
The RWA, which represents rural carriers, made its case to the FCC by submitting speed test data. The speed tests showed the Verizon network wasn't providing 4G LTE service in areas that Verizon claimed to cover, according to the RWA. Inaccurate coverage maps could make it difficult for rural carriers to get money from the Mobility Fund, a government fund intended for unserved areas. "A preliminary review of speed test data submitted through the challenge process suggested significant violations of the Commission's rules," FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said Friday in his announcement of the FCC investigation. The FCC said its investigation focuses on "whether one or more major carriers violated the Mobility Fund Phase II (MF-II) reverse auction's mapping rules and submitted incorrect coverage maps."
Like the old joke about politicians.
Q: How do you know a politician is lying?
A: His/her lips are moving.
In much the same vein, you know a coverage map is lying because the carrier provided it.
Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.
Now ban them from receiving all Mobility Funds in the future. Maybe even sue them to get past funding back.
Damn, next you're going to tell me the Sun is hot.
They didn't name the company. *coughcast*. I wonder who could possibly be that slimey. *coughcast* *coughcast*
Table-ized A.I.
Not announcing any names till he figures out how to not implicate his corporate masters at Verizon. Given how this investigation started, and given they're evil bastards who lie about everything I have no doubt they're one of the firms. The only question is who else?
I'm sure gigantic fines of maybe $10000 will be applied. That'll teach 'em.
But it's not like Verizon's lapdog is going to do anything. So there's nothing Verizon is worrying about.
I have Verizon. My business partner has T-Mobile. We travel for business often. Every time we get to an area that isn't urban his phone stops working (we even SIM swapped to a spare device to make sure it isn't his phone). The T-Mobile coverage map would say full LTE coverage around us for miles but no T-Mobile coverage was there at all.
My Verizon phone worked even when the map said it shouldn't. So don't be so quick to jump to conclusions.
Run it, use its maps. Carriers lie, radios don't.
https://opensignal.com/
My God, it's Full of Source!
OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
So we already know there will be no penalties, merely some stern words in exchange for an under the table donation.
It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
I've reported to FCC and others that carrier maps in my city are blatently wrong and provided specific gps coordinates and reasons what the blockage is. They include areas that never have service due to hills and obstructions...these areas are not small. The response I got was, the carrier says they do have correrage of that location.
Ah, but you are a plebian. A commoner. A mere consumer. You are nothing. When the Rural Wireless Association complains, that means businesses are being affected. And businesses are real people. So something must be done. It will be a very minimal something because the businesses being affected are tiny and not good campaign donors, and the business doing the lying is huge and a very very good campaign donor. But something will be done. A one time fine of $10,000 was mentioned. That sounds about right for Ajit Pai's master. He sure as fuck can't allow any penalty that will noticeably affect profits.