Contact Us

FCC FABRIC FAQ

Get answers to critical questions regarding the FCC Broadband Serviceable Location Fabric for the Broadband Data Collection process.

Built on Data
background image with gray overlay of a picture of a rural area
How do I get access to the FCC Fabric?

Eligible entities must execute a license agreement with CostQuest Associates to get access to the FCC Broadband Serviceable Location Fabric (Fabric). Please visit the FCC Fabric Resources page for more instructions on how to access the Fabric and execute a license agreement with CostQuest. Please email nbfsupport@costquest.com if you need assistance or have any questions regarding the FCC Fabric.

Disclaimer: This FAQ does not constitute legal advice. CostQuest can’t provide legal analysis for Licensees.  We recommend that any questions or concerns be discussed with your legal counsel after review of the appropriate License Agreement. 

Tier 2 FCC Fabric Licensing FAQ:

On August 30th, 2022, the Tier 2 UCS was modified to allow Tier 2 Licensees to share the information they submit into the FCC BDC with other Tier 2 Licensees.    

This modification allows Tier 2 Licensees to share availability data (including the unique Location ID from the Fabric that is incorporated into the BDC availability data) with other Tier 2 Licensees (such as ISPs, state, local and Tribal government entities, and other expressly approved parties).  Please note that the use of shared material must be consistent with the licensing terms for the Fabric.    

To the extent a Licensee wishes to make other additional uses of the Fabric data, or Derivatives thereof, including the BDC availability filings that are created using Fabric data, additional use rights must be secured.  One example of such an additional use that would require additional data usage rights would be the publication by the Tier 2 licensee of a map of fixed broadband availability data tied to individual Fabric locations. The only revision to the use rights granted via this Tier 2 UCS modification is to allow Tier 2 Licensees to share the information they submit to the FCC BDC with other Tier 2 Licensees.    

No. Per the terms of the Tier 2 License, the UCS may be updated from time to time. As such, the updated UCS is in effect with this publication.

Yes.  The Tier 2 License has been updated periodically.  The most recent version can be found at:  https://costquest.info/3KRakYU  

No. Licensees are prohibited from using Fabric data for any other purposes beyond their participation in the BDC, including for any commercial use, publication, or other non-commercial uses.    

Tier 2 Licensees are prohibited from using Fabric data for any other purposes beyond their participation in the BDC.  While the FCC has certain rights to use Fabric data in support of its Universal Service Fund programs, we recognize that additional data usage rights may be needed in the future to allow for ISPs to comply with certain program rules.  We anticipate that additional information will be provided in the future.  This enhancement to the Tier 2 Data License Agreement does allow for Broadband Data Collection availability data to be shared with other Tier 2 licensees for this purpose.  

Licensee use of the Fabric data is limited to the purposes expressly set forth in the Fabric License, and the UCS attached thereto. Under the Tier 2 FCC Fabric License, Licensees can develop reports and analytics which support the FCC BDC efforts.  Examples for a Tier 2 government entity could include identifying ISPs who have submitted (or not submitted) into the BDC, as well as comparing BDC submissions to other sources of broadband availability information to formulate an availability challenge. 

Tier 2 licensees may only share data with other Tier 2 licensees, which only includes internet service providers, state, local and Tribal governmental entities, and other approved entities that have executed a Tier 2 Fabric License.  It is the licensee’s responsibility to confirm, prior to sharing any data, that the entity with whom it intends to share data is a Tier 2 licensee that has executed a licensing agreement with CostQuest.   

The Tier 2 FCC Fabric license allows Tier 2 Licensees to share fixed broadband availability data with other Licensees, provided that the data is in the same format as submitted to the FCC through the BDC. This data can only be used as provided in the UCS which is then in-effect and only as necessary to create, correct, challenge, and/or submit broadband availability data for the BDC.  

Tier 2 Licensees and other stakeholders will require additional data usage rights to allow for the administration of the BEAD program, including the challenge processes required under the BEAD program (as opposed to the FCC’s challenge processes).  NTIA and the FCC are aware of this need and will provide additional information in the future.  

You can reach out to BroadbandData@costquest.com.

For current Fabric licensees, you should receive an email via the FCC helpdesk with instructions for the Tier 2 UCS Agreement. See the question below for a copy of the current Tier 2 UCS Agreement.  

Visit the FCC Fabric Resources page for more instructions on how to access the Fabric or visit the FCC’s web page How Entities Can Access the Fabric. Note that there are separate instructions for broadband service providers and government entities.   

All questions can be sent to nbfsupport@costquest.com.

A copy of the updated UCS can be found at:  https://costquest.info/3KRakYU 

The August 26th, 2022, UCS enhancement allows ISPs who licensed the Fabric data under Tier 2 and created their FCC BDC filing, could share the same filing with states who have licensed the Tier 2 Fabric data for BDC purposes. The shared file can only include the Fabric location_id along with your coverage data. The states themselves can link the shared file to their Tier 2 licensed Fabric. That said, the shared data file cannot be shared with non-licensees nor used for purposes outside the BDC effort. A shared file cannot contain other fields sourced from the Licensed Materials.  

Download Tier 2 FCC Fabric Licensing FAQ

Download the PDF version of the FCC Broadband Serviceable Location Fabric Tier 2 FAQ here.

Tier 4 FCC Fabric Licensing FAQ:

A Tier 4 Fabric license is intended for entities that are not governments, tribes or ISPs.  In some cases, ISPs who seek Fabric Data outside of their service area can qualify as a Tier 4 Licensee.  

There are two Tier 4 Agreements, the Standard Agreement (“Standard Agreement”) and the Research License (“Research License”) (collectively, “Agreements”).  The Tier 4 Standard Agreement supports the filing of BDC challenges by entities not covered under another Tier Agreement (i.e. entities other than governments, tribes, ISPs, etc.).  The Tier 4 Research License supports non-commercial academic or public-policy research directly related to broadband availability. 

This process is described in this BDC article: How Entities Can Access the Location Fabric – BDC Help Center (fcc.gov) 

If you have questions regarding the FCC’s Broadband Serviceable Location Fabric for the Broadband Data Collection, please email nbfsupport@costquest.com.   

Download Tier 4 FCC Fabric Licensing FAQ

Download the PDF version of the FCC Broadband Serviceable Location Fabric Tier 4 FAQ here.

More Fabric resources

BDC Help Center – The Location Fabric
Changes to FCC Fabric Between Versions 1 to 2
FCC Fabric Challenge Process Results
FCC Fabric Tier 2 License FAQ
FCC Broadband Serviceable Location Fabric Methods Manual
BDC Help Center – Bulk Challenges
BDC Challenge Process Overview
How Entities Can Access the Fabric
FCCFabric Tier 4 License FAQ

Have questions? 

If you have any questions regarding the FCC Broadband Serviceable Location Fabric, please email nbfsupport@costquest.com.

Disclaimers

This FAQ does not constitute legal advice. CostQuest can’t provide legal analysis for Licensees.  We recommend that any questions or concerns be discussed with your legal counsel after review of the appropriate License Agreement. 

This communication does not reflect the opinion or the policy of the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC is not responsible for the information or views in this communication and is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of such information or views.  

Last Update 04/12/2023

© Copyright 2023 Pivot Group. All Rights Reserved. Site Design by Pivot Group
Back to Top

Search