Reasons for Changes
When changes across version of the Fabric occur, there are four main reasons for this, summarized below:
- An update in the underlying data used in the Fabric. New or updated data could indicate the following: the presence of a broadband serviceable location (BSL) where there had not existed one before (e.g., new imagery or building-footprint data, or updated information about parcel boundaries); the removal of a BSL that had been in a prior version (e.g., the demolition of a structure that was a BSL); or that the address or unit-count associated with a BSL needs to be updated. Note that Version 2 of the Fabric includes additional secondary addresses that were not included in Version 1, which may improve users’ ability to match addresses to the Fabric.
- CostQuest model changes between version releases. With each version of the Fabric, CostQuest updates model inputs, gains more information about the underlying data, and updates the logic based on feedback about the prior Fabric release. These changes can result in a more accurate selection of the primary versus secondary buildings on a parcel, a residential structure instead of an outbuilding, for example.
- Manual review and visual verification. Where CostQuest’s confidence in the accuracy of certain locations is low, CostQuest will conduct one or more manual (i.e., non-automated) visual reviews of imagery and other data to determine whether or not a BSL is present. These manual reviews and visual verifications may result in a BSL being removed.
- Challenges to the Fabric. Fabric challenges submitted by outside parties can result in a location being added to (or removed from) the Fabric, changes to unit counts, and other types of modifications to the Fabric data.
The following three reports identify and quantify Fabric changes between Version 1 and Version 2:
- Version Change Report: This report consists of state-level files with a record for every Fabric location where one can identify: (i) if the location was added or removed between versions, (ii) if the location’s BSL status changed, and/or (iii) if the location experienced any changes to attributes.
- Challenge Impact Report: This report consists of state-level files data that quantify the impact the Fabric challenge process had on the Fabric between Version 1 and Version 2. For each Fabric location, one can identify the number of accepted challenges by challenge type.
- Successful Challenge Report: This report lists the 358,131 Fabric challenges nationwide that were accepted by the FCC between Version 1 and Version 2.
These reports and their associated README files can be found at https://us-fcc.box.com/v/Fabric-V2-Changes. The README files for the first two reports include a state-level summary of the data.
