If your location challenge to the National Broadband Map was rejected, you can see the reason for this in the Reason for Denial section in your notification email or by viewing the Response Code Description after logging into the Map and clicking on the ID in your list of challenges. (For information on how to log into the Map and view your challenges, see How to View and Manage Location, Availability and Mobile Challenges.)
The following charts list the possible reasons for the denial of a challenge and corresponding explanations of each reason. These are broken out by the type of location challenge originally submitted.
(Note: If you received results for a bulk Fabric challenge submitted in the BDC system, please see Fabric Challenge Response Codes.)
Why was my attempt to add a new or missing Location Challenge rejected?
The Response You Received | Additional Explanation |
The address provided for the challenge is a duplicate. | All addresses associated with locations on the Map must be unique. Your challenge attempted to add a new location with an address that already exists, and therefore, could not be accepted. Before adding an address, use the Map's address lookup to see if it finds that address for another location. If it does, you should correct the address of the other location before you submit the challenge to add a new location with that same address. |
The address provided for the challenge could not be validated using multiple address sources. | Addresses are checked against various address sources (e.g., the National Address Database (NAD), commercial address sources, tax assessor sources, and/or USPS-certified Coding Accuracy Support System (CASS) software). The address you entered with your challenge could not be validated against these various sources and therefore could not be accepted. |
The geographic coordinates for the challenge intersect with the footprint of an existing BSL. |
The coordinates of the location point fall on, or within a close distance of, the building footprint of a location that already exists on the Map. Typically, each building on the Map has only one location point associated with it, but the Map also includes a unit count for a building that has multiple units within it. If you believe the information about the point, such as the building type, address, or unit count, is incorrect, you can file a different type of challenge to update that information. |
The challenge attempts to add another BSL within an "entity” boundary (e.g., college, military installation, prison), inconsistent with the FCC definition of a BSL. | The coordinates of the location point associated with the challenge fall within the boundary or parcel of a Community Anchor Institution (CAI) entity, such as a college, hospital, or military base. While there are often multiple structures within such entity boundaries, under the FCC’s rules, these boundaries are typically represented as a single location point with a single building type. Therefore, a challenge to add an additional location point within such a boundary cannot be accepted. |
The challenge did not pass the manual review process required for this location. | Your challenge was manually reviewed using aerial imagery, and the results of this review did not support adding this new location. For example, structures that aren’t commonly broadband serviceable locations (BSLs), such as electrical utility infrastructure or recreational vehicles, will not be added to the location dataset. |
The challenge duplicated a previously accepted challenge. | The information in your challenge was also included as part of another challenge that was previously accepted. The location will be included in a future version of the location data shown on the Map. |
The challenge attempted to add another location to a single-location parcel inconsistent with the FCC definition of a Broadband Serviceable Location. |
Under the FCC's rules, only one structure on certain single-location parcels can be identified as the Broadband Serviceable Location (BSL). Your challenge attempted to add a location to a single-location parcel that already has a BSL and therefore could not be accepted. If there is a point on another building on the parcel but you think it should be on this building instead, you can file a challenge to move the location, rather than trying to add a new one. |
The geographic coordinates provided with the challenge are not on or near a structure or are on or very close to a road. | One of the criteria for adding a new or missing location is that the location must fall within, or be very close to, the footprint of a structure that is not already a Broadband Serviceable Location (BSL). Another criteria is that the point cannot fall within close proximity of a road centerline. Your challenge did not meet these criteria and therefore could not be accepted. |
The challenge duplicates the lat/long coordinates from another challenge. | Every location must have a unique latitude and longitude. Because the coordinates of the location you attempted to add duplicate the coordinates of another one of your challenges, your location could not be added. |
The challenge duplicates the primary address from another challenge. | All of the addresses associated with locations must be unique. The address for the location you attempted to add in this challenge matches the address of a location in another one of your challenges. Therefore, the challenge could not be accepted. |
The challenge was withdrawn. | The challenge was not processed because you withdrew it. |
The challenge was overtaken by new data as reflected in updated Fabric. | The FCC and its location data contractor incorporate updated underlying source data (separate from challenges) in the process they use to create the location data set (the Fabric) that is published on the Map twice a year (see Changes to the Fabric between Versions). If that process resulted in adding the location that was in your challenge to the next version of the Map, you will see this response, and it means that the location you were trying to add was already added. |
Why was my attempt to change an Address rejected?
The Response You Received | Additional Explanation |
The address provided for the challenge is a duplicate. | All addresses associated with locations on the Map must be unique. The address associated with your challenge already exists and therefore could not be accepted. Before adding an address, use the Map’s address lookup to see if it finds that address for another location. If it does, you should correct the address of the other location before you submit the challenge to add a new location with that same address. |
The address provided for the challenge could not be validated using multiple address sources. | Addresses are checked against various address sources (e.g., the National Address Database (NAD), commercial address sources, tax assessor sources, and/or USPS-certified Coding Accuracy Support System (CASS) software). The address you entered with your challenge could not be validated against these various sources and therefore could not be accepted. |
The challenge duplicated a previously accepted challenge. | The information in your challenge was also included as part of another challenge that was previously accepted. The change will be included in a future version of the location data shown on the Map. |
The challenge was withdrawn. | The challenge was not processed because you withdrew it. |
The challenge was overtaken by new data as reflected in updated Fabric. | The FCC and its location data contractor incorporate updated underlying source data (separate from challenges) in the process they use to create the location data set (the Fabric) that is published on the Map twice a year (see Changes to the Fabric between Versions). If that process resulted in making the update requested in your challenge, this response means that the change will be incorporated into the next version of the location data on the Map. |
Why was my attempt to change the Unit Count rejected?
The Response You Received | Additional Explanation |
The unit count provided for the challenged location exceeds expectations. | Maximum unit count increases have been put in place to prevent changes that are not likely given the size of the challenged BSL. The review process compares the number of challenge units with the number of units we would expect at that structure based on its size. The expected number of units is based on examining similar structures within the county and determining an average size per unit within a land use category. Having this benchmark process in place prevents the addition of an unexpectedly large number of units into a small structure. |
The challenge duplicated a previously accepted challenge. | The information in your challenge was also included as part of another challenge that was previously accepted. The change will be included in a future version of the location data shown on the Map. |
The challenge was withdrawn. | The challenge was not processed because you withdrew it. |
The challenge was overtaken by new data as reflected in updated Fabric. | The FCC and its location data contractor incorporate updated underlying source data (separate from challenges) in the process they use to create the location data set (the Fabric) that is published on the Map twice a year (see Changes to the Fabric between Versions). If that process resulted in making the update requested in your challenge, this response means that the change will be incorporated into the next version of the location data on the Map. |
Why was my attempt to move a Location rejected?
The Response You Received | Additional Explanation |
The challenge impermissibly attempted to move the challenged location outside of the parcel boundaries for the Fabric record. | A location can only be moved within the boundary of its current parcel. Your challenge attempted to move the location outside the parcel boundary. The parcel boundaries used to establish each version of the Map location data are aggregated from various underlying sources and updated periodically. If you believe the parcel boundary associated with this location may be incorrect, it may be best to wait for the next version of the Map for potential parcel boundary updates to be incorporated. |
The challenge impermissibly attempted to move the challenged location to an existing Fabric record. | This challenge was not accepted because the destination point falls on the footprint of another building that is already included in the location dataset. |
The challenge duplicated a previously accepted challenge. | The information in your challenge was also included as part of another challenge that was previously accepted. The change will be included in a future version of the location data shown on the Map. |
The challenge was withdrawn. | The challenge was not processed because you withdrew it. |
The challenge was overtaken by new data as reflected in updated Fabric. | The FCC and its location data contractor incorporate updated underlying source data (separate from challenges) in the process they use to create the location data set (the Fabric) that is published on the Map twice a year (see Changes to the Fabric between Versions). If that process resulted in making the update requested in your challenge, this response means that the change will be incorporated into the next version of the location data on the Map. |
Why was my attempt to remove a Location rejected?
The Response You Received | Additional Explanation |
Rejected due to filer’s prior challenge to add the location being accepted. | This challenge was rejected because you sought to remove a location that was added to the location data as the result of a successful challenge that you submitted previously. |
The challenge did not pass the manual review process. | Your challenge was manually reviewed using street or aerial imagery, and the manual review did not support removing the location at this time. The most frequent reason for this rejection is the location challenge appears to be a BSL based on visual review of the imagery . |
The challenge duplicated a previously accepted challenge. | The information in your challenge was also included as part of another challenge that was previously accepted. The change will be included in a future version of the location data shown on the Map. |
The challenge was withdrawn. | The challenge was not processed because you withdrew it. |
The challenge was overtaken by new data as reflected in updated Fabric. | The FCC and its location data contractor incorporate updated underlying source data (separate from challenges) in the process they use to create the location data set (the Fabric) that is published on the Map twice a year (see Changes to the Fabric between Versions). If that process resulted in making the update requested in your challenge, this response means that the change will be incorporated into the next version of the location data on the Map. |
Why was my attempt to add an Additional Address rejected?
The Response You Received | Additional Explanation |
The address provided for the challenge is a duplicate of an address included in the Fabric data, including secondary addresses. | All of the addresses associated with locations on the Map, including supplemental addresses, must be unique. Your challenge attempted to add a supplemental address that already exists in the location dataset and therefore could not be accepted. Before adding an address, use the Map's address lookup to see if it finds that address for another location. |
The address provided for the challenge could not be validated using multiple address sources. | Addresses provided with challenges are checked against various address sources (e.g., the National Address Database (NAD), commercial address sources, tax assessor sources, and/or USPS-certified Coding Accuracy Support System (CASS) software). The address you entered with your challenge could not be validated against these various sources and therefore could not be accepted. |
The challenge duplicated a previously accepted challenge. | The information in your challenge was also included as part of another challenge that was previously accepted. The change will be included in a future version of the location data shown on the Map. |
The challenge was withdrawn. | The challenge was not processed because you withdrew it. |
The challenge was overtaken by new data as reflected in updated Fabric. | The FCC and its location data contractor incorporate updated underlying source data (separate from challenges) in the process they use to create the location data set (the Fabric) that is published on the Map twice a year (see Changes to the Fabric between Versions). If that process resulted in making the update in your requested challenge, this response means that the change will be incorporated into the next version of the location data on the Map. |
Why was my attempt to change the Building Type rejected?
The Response You Received | Additional Explanation |
The challenge duplicated a previously accepted challenge. | The information in your challenge was also included as part of another challenge that was previously accepted. The change will be included in a future version of the location data shown on the map. |
The challenge was withdrawn. | The challenge was not processed because you withdrew it. |
The challenge was overtaken by new data as reflected in updated Fabric. | The FCC and its location data contractor incorporate updated underlying source data (separate from challenges) in the process they use to create the location data set (the Fabric) that is published on the Map twice a year (see Changes to the Fabric between Versions). If that process resulted in making the update requested in your challenge, this response means that the change will be incorporated into the next version of the location data on the Map. |
The challenge impermissibly attempted to change the building type code for a location within an “entity” boundary (e.g., college, military installation, prison). | The challenge attempted to change the building type code for a location that represents a Community Anchor Institution (CAI) entity, such as a college or military base. While there are often many structures within the boundaries of such entity parcels, under the FCC’s rules these boundaries are typically represented as a single location point with a single building type. Therefore, a challenge to change the building type of CAI entity boundary locations cannot be accepted. |