Commissioner Rosenworcel Remarks at Pew Broadband Mapping Event

According to the Federal Communications Commission’s last-published report, 24 million Americans lack access to high-speed internet service, with 19 million of them in rural areas. But last week the New York Times offered new numbers and they’re problematic, too. It found that 162 million people across the country do not use internet service at broadband speeds. There’s a big delta between 24 million and 162 million. 

The FCC distributes billions of dollars each year to help accelerate the build-out of broadband so we can connect all our communities. It’s irresponsible for the agency to do so without having a truly accurate picture of where those resources should go. In the interest of keeping is simple, I’ve distilled my ideas for a do-over down to the three C’s of broadband cartography:

• The first c is coordination. Policymakers need to work collaboratively across all levels of government to get our maps right.
• The next c is for correct. We need to put a premium on accuracy. 
• The next c is for creative. We need to explore new ideas about how we can improve our maps. Why not give  the Universal Service Administrative Company  a role validating the data before we make the funds available to carriers? We can use [FCC offices around the country] to spot check the data in our existing maps. We could start a pilot project with postal trucks and have them collect wireless deployment data as they go about their routes in rural communities. Finally, we need to fully embrace crowdsourcing.

The best map will be coordinated, correct, and creative. It will be a Citizens Broadband Map. And the time to startbuilding it is right now.