UPDATE: GAO Denies LightBox Challenge Of FCC Broadband Fabric Mapping Contract Award

March 1, 2022 – The U.S. Government Accountability Office has denied a bid protest filed by LightBox Parent, LP challenging the FCC’s decision to award a $44.9 million contract to CostQuest Associates Inc. to create a Broadband Serviceable Location Fabric.

November 19, 2021 – LightBox Parent, LP has filed a bid protest with the Government Accountability Office challenging the FCC’s decision to award a $44.9 million contract to CostQuest Associates Inc. to create a Broadband Serviceable Location Fabric. A “bid protest” is a challenge to the terms of a solicitation or the award of a federal contract.

The “Broadband Serviceable Location Fabric” will be a common dataset of all locations in the U.S. where fixed broadband internet access service can be installed, and is a key component of the FCC’s new Broadband Data Collection program. Broadband service providers will provide the FCC with granular and detailed coverage data which will be layered on top of the Fabric, thereby giving the FCC an accurate picture of broadband coverage in the U.S. and creating a more accurate national broadband map.

The FCC released a Request for Proposals (RFP) to create the Broadband Serviceable Location Fabric on June 1, 2021, with responses due July 1, 2021. However, a pre-award protest was filed with Government Accountability Office following the RFP response deadline, which forced the FCC to issue a revised RFP on August 13, 2021. Revised proposals were due August 26, 2021. The $44.9 million contract to develop the Fabric was then ultimately awarded on November 9, 2021, to CostQuest.

LightBox, who also submitted a proposal in response to the Fabric RFP, filed its bid protest challenging the FCC’s decision pursuant to the Federal Acquisition Regulation process. As a result, “FCC efforts to proceed with the Fabric have been stayed while the GAO has 100 days to issue a decision on the protest.”

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