A 'Cautionary Story' Sadly Comes True for Broadband Mapping

[Commentary] A month ago, we wrote a "cautionary story" about how the state of Texas was setting up the telecom front group Connected Nation to be the broadband mapper of choice. The state did it by the book, albeit with a Request For Proposals (RFP) that fit Connected Nation like a glove. Guess what? The state of Texas has declared a winner. Guess who it is? If you didn't guess Connected Nation, you're not paying attention. What will the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) do when all of those Connected Nation proposals come flooding in full of confidentiality claims that give substantially less data than the intent of the legislation? Will NTIA reject them all? Where will that leave the states which sent them in? NTIA has told state officials the information doesn't have to come from carriers, but there is some difference of opinion about what the NTIA's broadband mapping announcement says and what it means. NTIA Dir. Larry Strickling was quoted by Broadbandcensus.com as saying he hopes carriers will waive confidentiality, and that there are other ways of collecting information. Check us off as skeptical for the first.