Broadband Deployment Is Extensive, but Gaps in Rural Areas

BROADBAND DEPLOYMENT IS EXTENSIVE, BUT GAPS IN RURAL AREAS
[SOURCE: Government Accountability Office]
About 30 million American households have adopted broadband service, but the Federal Communications Commission’s data indicating the availability of broadband networks has some weaknesses. FCC conducts an extensive data collection effort using its Form 477 to assess the status of advanced telecommunications service in the United States. For its zip-code level data, FCC collects data based on where subscribers are served, not where providers have deployed broadband infrastructure. Although it is clear that the deployment of broadband networks is extensive, the data may not provide a highly accurate depiction of local deployment of broadband infrastructures for residential service, especially in rural areas. GAO recommends that FCC develop information regarding the cost and burden that would be associated with various options for improving the information available on broadband deployment and report this information to the relevant Senate and House committees to help them determine what actions, if any, are necessary. FCC provided technical comments on this report, but did not comment on this recommendation. (GAO-06-426)
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-426
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d06426high.pdf