Battle Brews Over Broadband Mapping

Before the federal government spends more than $7 billion to expand broadband Internet service in underserved areas, it wants maps that show where the money should go. But the biggest U.S. provider of broadband coverage maps, Connected Nation Inc., is backed by big telecommunications companies like Comcast Corp., Verizon Communications Inc. and AT&T Inc. that potentially stand to benefit from how the Obama administration doles out the money. As it seeks to provide maps for the federal stimulus program, Connected Nation is coming under fire from officials in its home state of Kentucky, and Internet advocates in Washington leery of its industry ties. Critics complain it uses unverifiable confidential information from phone and cable companies to draw its maps, and worry Connected Nation will use the maps to steer stimulus funds toward its big corporate sponsors, at the expense of smaller players or poorly served areas. "I think it's a huge conflict of interest to turn our mapping over to the companies that stand to benefit from the results," said Art Brodsky, communications director of Public Knowledge, which has joined with other public-interest groups, including Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports, to lobby against Connected Nation. Officials at Connected Nation, which is drawing broadband maps for 10 states, including Minnesota and Tennessee, say Internet providers are the best sources of the data it needs, and say Connected Nation has a "governance framework" for projects that is independent of its board of directors, which includes executives from cable and phone companies.