The Federal Communications Commission has approved an order to help better identify gaps in broadband coverage throughout rural America. Center for Rural Affairs Policy Director Johnathan Hladik says the Commission took a big step in moving forward with this. He says his group has been asking the agency to do this for some time.

Part of the step taken by the FCC is also an effort to correct inaccuracies in previous broadband maps. Hladik says that needs to be corrected.

He says correcting the map inaccuracies and identifying the gaps in coverage is only an initial step. Hladik says more needs to be done to ensure Rural Americans have proper broadband coverage.

The FCC noted that more than 21 million people have no access to high speed broadband internet. Hladik says that number is inaccurate as it’s actually much more than that.