Research

National Broadband Availability Map Reaches 20-State Milestone

NTIA’s National Broadband Availability Map (NBAM) reached a 20 state milestone with the addition of Wyoming and Washington State. The NBAM is a geographic information system platform which allows for the visualization and analysis of federal, state, and commercially available data sets. This includes data from the Federal Communications Commission, US Census Bureau, Universal Service Administrative Company, US Department of Agriculture, Ookla, Measurement Lab, and the state governments.

Broadband Models for Unserved and Underserved Communities

A description of five viable models for municipally enabled broadband. Eight percent of US markets are “well served” with broadband are “municipally enabled.” The other 92% of well-served municipalities get broadband from private service providers. Moving forward, however, public and hybrid networks may be a viable alternative for bringing broadband to communities that are not well served, researchers said. The researchers estimate that there are 6,500 such communities nationwide. The five models for municipally enabled broadband:

Assessing fifteen years of State Aid for broadband in the European Union: A quantitative analysis

How public funds, or State Aid, have been used to support the deployment of broadband infrastructure in Europe since 2003. The descriptive analysis relies on a unique data set on all the broadband measures notified to the European Commission by Member States between 2003 and 2018. The authors identify two waves of State Aid for broadband: one for the deployment of basic broadband, and a more recent one for the roll out of next-generation access networks. The use of State Aid is very heterogeneous across Member States, with a few large countries representing the bulk of the cases.

Georgia Launches Broadband Availability Map

Georgia’s Broadband Availability Map is a new tool that will bring more transparency about the internet marketplace and clarify which Georgia households do not have access to high-speed internet.

Closing the K–12 Digital Divide in the Age of Distance Learning

A full 15 to 16 million public school students across the US live in households without adequate internet access or computing devices to facilitate distance learning. Almost 10% of public school teachers (300,000 to 400,000) are also caught in the gap, affecting their ability to run remote classes. The 32-page report, Closing the K–12 Digital Divide in the Age of Distance Learning, fixes a one-year price tag of at least $6 billion and as much as $11 billion to connect all kids at home, and an additional $1 billion to close the divide for teachers.

Adoption of stand-alone broadband service jumps to 42% of US broadband households in 1Q 2020, up from 34% in 2017

New consumer research finds the market for broadband service is steady overall, showing high adoption rates and rising average revenue per user (ARPUs), with the adoption rate for stand-alone internet service rising from 34% in 2017 to 42% in 1Q 2020. The average stand-alone internet subscriber now pays $60 per month for service, which increased by 36% from 1Q 2012 to 3Q 2019, while payment for TV + Internet services increased from $107 to only $127 over the same time period.

American Broadband Initiative Progress Report

The US Department of Commerce joined with its government partners to release a Progress Report detailing the accomplishments of the American Broadband Initiative (ABI) after the release of the initial ABI Milestones Report.

Observations on Past and Ongoing Efforts to Expand Access and Improve Mapping Data

The US Government Accountability Office was asked to examine the current state of broadband investment and deployment. This report examines (1) industry and federal investments to deploy broadband in the US since 2009, and (2) efforts federal agencies are making to address deployment challenges.

CBO Scores the Spectrum IT Modernization Act

The Spectrum IT Modernization Act of 2020 (S. 3717) would require the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to establish goals and performance measures to modernize the infrastructure of federal agencies that is related to the electromagnetic spectrum they use. Under the bill, the NTIA would report to the Congress on its own management of spectrum infrastructure. Additionally, each agency that uses federally assigned spectrum would submit a plan to the NTIA describing its plans to modernize its infrastructure to use it more effectively.

Unequally disconnected: Access to online learning in the US

A new weekly Household Pulse Survey from the US Census Bureau offers a rich opportunity to quantify the impact of COVID-19 on children’s education during this time. It includes questions about the availability of digital devices and the internet in homes across the US, which allow us to explore the concern that access to distance learning is out of the reach of many of the most vulnerable students. Based on four weeks of data, our findings are bleak:

Limiting Broadband Investment to "Rural Only” Discriminates Against Black Americans and other Communities of Color

The federal government’s existing broadband programs target hundreds of millions of dollars to expand broadband availability for residents of “unserved and underserved” rural areas, while studiously ignoring tens of millions of urban Americans who still lack high-speed internet service. This policy framework is counterproductive for reducing the nation’s overall digital divide. It is also structurally racist, discriminating against unconnected Black Americans and other communities of color. We present data below showing that:

The Transparency Report Tracking Tool: How Internet Platforms Are Reporting on the Enforcement of Their Content Rules

Today, transparency reporting on issues such as government requests for user data is considered an industry-wide best practice for technology and telecommunications companies. Over the past few years, internet platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube have also begun publishing transparency reports that outline how they are enforcing their own content policies and rules. This reporting has been expanded to include a number of metrics and categories of content that are unique to these types of platforms.

Free Expression, Harmful Speech and Censorship in a Digital World

As more aspects of our lives increasingly move online, we must contend with operating in a digital public square owned by private entities — one where freedom of expression falls not under the purview of the First Amendment, but under emergent standards being shaped by technology companies. Such challenges have taken on an increased urgency during the COVID-19 pandemic, with Americans turning to social media for interaction and information and finding the platforms awash in false claims and conspiracy theories that threaten health.

CBO Scores ACCESS BROADBAND Act

ACCESS BROADBAND Act (S 1046) would direct the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to establish the Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth to help communities develop strategies to expand the deployment and use of high-speed Internet services. The office would conduct workshops, develop broadband training, create and distribute publications, consult with other federal agencies that offer broadband support programs to streamline and standardize their applications processes, and develop a central website for information about federal broadband programs.

NTIA Data Reveal Shifts in Technology Use, Persistent Digital Divide

The National Telecommunications & Information Administration released results of its latest NTIA Internet Use Survey, which show that nearly 4 out of 5 Americans were using the Internet by November 2019, and are increasingly using a larger and more varied range of devices.

Toward Inclusive Urban Technology

Our cities are changing at an incredible pace. The technology being deployed on our sidewalks and streetlights has the potential to improve mobility, sustainability, connectivity, and city services. Public value and public inclusion in this change, however, are not inevitable. Depending on how these technologies are deployed, they have the potential to increase inequities and distrust as much as they can create responsive government services.

Smart Cities, Inclusive Technology, and Public Service

Over two years ago when I began my fellowship with Benton, I recognized how our cities are changing at an incredible pace. The technology being deployed on our sidewalks and streetlights has the potential to improve mobility, sustainability, connectivity, and city services. Of course, technology can be divisive as well as progressive. Does the potential of the 21st Century data-collecting, responsive, hyperconnected city benefit us all equally? Is it built with resident understanding, feedback, and consent?

NTIA Adds 5 States to National Broadband Availability Map

Wisconsin, Colorado, Illinois, Oregon, and New Hampshire join 13 other states who are partnering in the National Broadband Availability Map (NBAM) program. With the addition of five new states, the NBAM is another step closer to creating a national platform that can help inform policymakers and expand Internet coverage across the United States. 

Sponsor: 

BroadbandUSA

National Telecommunications and Information Administration

Department of Commerce

Date: 
Wed, 06/17/2020 - 19:00

Federal data can help state and local leaders and businesses understand what drives broadband adoption and utilization in their communities and target the digital divide. Learn about federal data sources, current trends, and where to access local information to inform your broadband efforts. NTIA will present the findings from their 2019 Internet Use Survey, and the U.S. Census Bureau will highlight the broadband and connectivity data available in their American Community Survey.

Speakers:



As Virus Keeps Kids From Schools, New Figures Show Millions Lack Home Internet

The US Census Bureau estimates that nearly 1-in-10 households with school-aged children lack a consistent internet connection that can be used for educational purposes at a time when millions of kids have been forced out of classrooms by the coronavirus. Among 60 million households with children in public or private schools, about 5.4 million, or just over 9%, have internet available only “sometimes,” “rarely,” or “never” for educational purposes, the estimates suggest.

Community Broadband: The Fast, Affordable Internet Option That's Flying Under the Radar

With at least 20 million people across the United States lacking broadband service, community and tribal broadband networks offer a much-needed opportunity to expand and improve internet access across the country. These networks, which include municipal or public option networks, today serve more than 900 communities nationwide.

MoffettNathanson: It’s a Two Horse Broadband Race Between FTTP and Cable Broadband, FTTN/DSL Headed to Zero

Communications industry financial analysts at MoffettNathanson Research expect to see continued cable broadband market share gains, which have accelerated as bandwidth demand climbs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The researchers’ “equilibrium” forecast calls for DSL market share to drop to zero. And “mid-tier” telco broadband increasingly is becoming “just as obsolete,” the researchers said. “Broadband is increasingly a two-horse race between cable and telco FTTH, where it exists,” the analysts argue.

Senator Markey is on the Right Track to Connect Everyone

Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) introduced a bill with real potential to mitigate the digital divide. Most proposals simply call for more money for existing programs or for new programs without evidence they will help. Real-world experience, however, has demonstrated how little we truly understand about why many low-income people do not subscribe. The Markey bill tackles this underlying issue.

Cooperatives Fiberize Rural America: A Trusted Model For The Internet Era

This report illustrates the remarkable progress cooperatives have made in deploying fiber optic Internet access across the country. It features updated maps that show areas already covered by cooperative fiber networks, areas where cooperative fiber networks expanded between June 2018 and June 2019, and areas where cooperatives are currently building out new infrastructure. A few important takeaways: