Different Approaches to Mapping the Digital Divide

For states, broadband mapping is the hot topic in the quest to identify unserved and underserved areas. Collecting accurate, detailed information on who has, and more importantly, who doesn’t have a broadband connection will be essential in securing the maximum amount of Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program funding. North Carolina and Georgia have been proactive in collecting broadband coverage data and making it available to the public but have taken different approaches on how they have built their maps. North Carolina’s broadband mapping efforts have been fostered through North Carolina State University’s Friday Institute as a part of a larger effort to make sure K-12 students have access to the internet. Georgia used a different approach, collecting performance data from each internet service provider based on a fabric of specific locations. Researchers from both states believe the Federal Communications Commission 477 census maps significantly underestimated the number of unserved households in their respective states. Detailed state mapping efforts provide data necessary to challenge FCC and NTIA estimates, which are likely to be below the actual population of unserved households within a state.