Screenshot of a coverage map showing a green/red color scheme.

Updated Map Color Schemes

A major update to the coverage map is coming shortly, but I wanted to release a small, interim update first.

With the update released today, the map now defaults to a green-red color scheme for all networks. While the brand-specific colors used previously were kind of fun, I don’t think the meaning of different shades was intuitive. Further, the branded color scheme didn’t work well for making comparisons between multiple networks.

Two new color schemes (blue-yellow and grayscale) have also been added. These color schemes may offer better accessibility for colorblind individuals. Map users can switch to the new color schemes and the old branded color schemes from the map’s settings menu.

Feedback on the changes is welcome. I’ll likely tweak the color schemes when the major map update comes out later this year.

Abstract icon representing the idea of a refresh or an update

FCC Releases Broadband Map V3

Today, the FCC announced the release of the third version of the National Broadband Map. The map shows the availability of internet service providers and cellular coverage throughout the US.

Improved Reliability

The FCC suggested the map is becoming more reliable with successive versions:

Challenges, verifications and audits are all making the Map better. Robust participation in the challenge processes continues to play a valuable role in correcting data shown on the Map. To be specific, the results of 4.8 million challenges to provider reported availability information and over 1.5 million accepted location challenges. Since our last release, we’ve initiated mobile coverage audits in a number of states. We’ve also seen hundreds of corrections to provider reported data based on FCC-initiated verification efforts.

Newer Data

With the recent release, a new round of data is available from the FCC’s Broadband Data Collection program. The previous round of data represented networks’ mobile coverage circa December 2022. The new data reflects networks’ status as of June 2023.

In the coming weeks, I’ll share a new version of Coverage Critic’s maps incorporating the latest data and a handful of other upgrades.