The fixed availability challenge process begins when a challenger submits a dispute, or challenge, to the internet service availability information, reported by service providers, to the FCC’s Broadband Data Collection. For information on the types of fixed availability challenges that can be filed, see: How to Submit an Availability Challenge.
For information on the methodologies that can be used for bulk challenges, see: Overview of Bulk Fixed Availability Challenges.
If a provider disputes a challenge, the provider and the challenger have 60 days to attempt to resolve the challenge among themselves before the FCC adjudicates the challenge. We encourage the challenger and the provider to share information and attempt to come to a common understanding of the facts.
If, as a result of this dialogue, the challenger and the provider agree that the provider’s availability data are accurate (in the case of bulk challenges, this could be for some or all of the challenged locations), the challenger can withdraw its challenge(s) from the BDC system using either the BDC system interface or an API. Alternatively, a provider can indicate in their final response that the challenger now concurs with the provider that the data was accurate as reported.
How to Withdraw Challenges via API
Bulk fixed challengers can withdraw challenges in bulk via an API. Using this approach, challengers can leverage an API to automatically withdraw challenges in batches of 1,000 challenges (rather than manually selecting 100 challenges at one time from the BDC system interface).
General documentation explaining how to use the API is available at: https://us-fcc.app.box.com/v/bdc-filer-api-spec and the API swagger file (according to the OpenAPI standard) is available at: https://us-fcc.app.box.com/v/bdc-filer-api-swagger. Section 4 of Chapter 4 of the API documentation specifically discusses bulk withdrawals.
How to Withdraw Challenges via the BDC System
Note that any FRNs, entity names, challenge IDs, or other data contained in the following screenshots were produced solely for testing purposes and are not related to actual challenges in the BDC system.
- After logging in to the BDC system at https://bdc.fcc.gov/, the challenger should find and select the relevant FRN from the Entity Selection page.
- Once an FRN has been selected, the challenger will be directed to the Submissions Dashboard page for that FRN. From there, it should then select the "Bulk Fixed Challenge" link under the Crowdsourced/Challenge Submissions section toward the end of the page.
- Once on the Bulk Fixed Challenge page, there is a table of challenged locations. The challenger can use the filters at the top of the page to filter the locations as needed. Once they have located the challenged locations they want to withdraw, they can click a check box next to each challenged location and then click the "Withdraw" button at the top of the table.
- A window will then appear asking if the challenger wants to confirm the withdrawal. Once a challenge is withdrawn, it cannot be reactivated.
- Bulk challengers can also withdraw multiple challenges at one time by either selecting multiple check boxes at once or clicking the check box in the first table row, which will select all the challenged locations on one page of the table. Challengers can also change the number of challenged locations shown on one page by scrolling to the bottom of the table and selecting how many locations to show, up to 100. Once the multiple locations are selected, the challenger would follow the same process of clicking the Withdraw button.
- Once successfully withdrawn, challenged locations appear under a "Withdrawn" tab, which can be selected from the top right of the challenged location table.
Challengers that require additional assistance in navigating the process of withdrawing challenges can submit a help request using the Get Help form.
You can find more information on using the BDC system in the User Guide.