It’s time for a new approach for mapping broadband data to better serve Americans

There are two fundamental problems with the data used for broadband mapping right now.

1. The request on the form the Federal Communications Commission uses to collect broadband data is too broad. Form 477 is the primary tool used to collect data on broadband deployment. Right now, this form asks providers if they are “providing or could …without an extraordinary commitment of resources provide broadband service to an area.” If the answer is yes to either question, the area is considered covered – meaning many places are counted as covered that have no access and providers have no plans to provide it any time soon.
2. The lack of location specificity poses challenges. The FCC data is based on census blocks, the smallest unit used by the US Census Bureau – though in rural areas, these blocks can be quite large. If broadband access is delivered to a single customer in that block, the entire block is counted as having service. We must be able to count those within the census block who are unserved.

We commend all members of the Senate Commerce Committee for their active oversight and leadership on this issue and recommend three actions the committee could take to encourage the FCC to more quickly close the broadband gap:

1. Remove “could provide” from the question in Form 477. We should measure actual progress, not hypothetical progress, and make funding decisions on real access data.
2. Use both availability and actual usage (and/or subscription data) to guide investments and communicate progress moving forward. 
3. Fix the availability data collection and reporting challenges prior to releasing a new report on broadband mapping.