FCC Eliminates Professional Engineer Certification Requirement for Broadband Data Collection

FCC Eliminates Professional Engineer Certification Requirement for Broadband Data Collection

The Federal Communications Commission has eliminated the requirement that broadband internet access service providers have a certified professional engineer (PE) certify their biannual Broadband Data Collection (BDC) filings. This change has already gone into effect, providing relief from a requirement that has been waived for every BDC filing cycle since the program’s inception.

New “Qualified Engineer” Standard

The FCC has replaced the PE certification requirement with a more flexible “Qualified Engineer” (QE) standard. Providers may now have their BDC filings certified by an engineer who meets one of three criteria:

• A corporate officer with a Bachelor of Science in engineering who has direct knowledge of network design and construction
• An engineer with a bachelor’s or postgraduate degree in electrical engineering or similar technical discipline plus at least seven years of relevant broadband network experience
• An employee or agent with specialized broadband network training plus at least 10 years of relevant experience

Providers must still submit corporate officer certifications as required by the Broadband DATA Act, and the QE must certify they have examined the submission and that all statements are true and correct.

For questions about how this change affects your BDC compliance obligations or to discuss your engineering certification needs, please contact Lans Chase or Brett Hallagan.