NTIA Creates First Interactive Map to Show the National Digital Divide

This digital map displays key indicators of broadband needs across the country.  The “Indicators of Broadband Need” tool is the first interactive, public map that allows users to explore different datasets about where people do not have quality Internet access. It contains data aggregated at the county, census tract, and census block level from the US Census Bureau, the Federal Communications Commission, Measurement Lab, Ookla, and Microsoft. Speed-test data provided by M-Lab and Ookla help to illustrate the reality that communities experience when going online, with many parts of the country reporting speeds that fall below the FCC’s current benchmark for fixed broadband service of 25 Mbps download, 3 Mbps upload. This is the first map that allows users to graphically compare and contrast these different data sources while also putting poverty and lack of broadband access on the same page. The dataset allows you to see where high-poverty communities are located and how that relates to internet usage patterns, as well as to a lack of computers and related equipment. Usage patterns in tribal communities, which have historically suffered from lack of internet access, are also shown. Users can toggle the separate data sets on and off to compare information, and search for specific locations, including Tribal lands and minority-serving institutions, to gain a better understanding of where broadband needs are greatest.