Broadband Deployment Accuracy and Technological Availability (DATA) Act
Our Fixation on 25/3 Mbps
Recently Mike Conlow discussed how cellular companies are reporting large numbers of passings on the Federal Communications Commission's broadband maps as having the capability to receive exactly 25/3 Mbps. That isn’t a very fast broadband speed, so why does this make any difference? It turns out that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is using the number of locations with speeds under 25/3 Mbps to allocate the $42.5 Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) grant dollars between states. The problem is that, in many cases, the claimed speeds are not
Data: Areas Unserved and Underserved by Broadband in Texas
An analysis of data from the latest version of the Federal Communications Commission's National Broadband Map, which the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) will use to allocate $42.5 billion in Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) funding later in June 2023, reveals some interesting trends that affect rural customers. The data shows that Texas has 777,115 “unserved” Broadband Serviceable Locations (BSLs). Texas has 364,991 BSLs that are considered “underserved,” meaning that they are able to receive broadband service above 25/3 Mbps but below 100/2
There are [still] too many locations in the National Broadband Map
For many months, states have raced to add locations to the Federal Communications Commission's National Broadband Map, trying to maximize their allocation of broadband funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). But in a few short weeks, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration will allocate funding and then my prediction is we’ll never hear about “missing locations” again.
US investing billions to expand high-speed internet access to rural areas: "Broadband isn't a luxury anymore"
Many Americans take a solid internet connection for granted. Many others, however, are living in areas where they can't even get online. Now, the US government is working to bridge the digital divide by expanding access to broadband. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo is leading the Biden administration's $65 billion broadband push, which is part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). The goal is make broadband universally available in the next five years, and a plan to lower the cost of the utility is also in place. "Broadband isn't a luxury anymore.
The Latest FCC Maps
Anybody who is intimately familiar with the Federal Communications Commission's National Broadband Map knows that there is a lot of fiction buried in the reporting. There is one huge flaw in the FCC mapping system that has carried over from the previous FCC mapping regime—internet service providers (ISP) self-report the speeds they can deliver. Per the FCC mapping rules, ISPs can claim broadband marketing speeds rather than some approximation of actual speeds.
Cellular home Internet coverage filings that were denying states funding... where are they now?
The new version of the Federal Communications Commission's National Broadband Map makes a lot of progress on areas with fixed wireless or DSL coverage at speeds of exactly 25/3. Of the 2 million locations that were previously deemed Underserved 42% have moved to Unserved. Thirty-three percent are still Underserved, and 20% have moved to Served at 100/20 or better. Looking specifically at North Carolina, which had almost 10% of these locations (almost 200,000), we can see part of the story.
[Mostly minor] Correction to Unserved locations and allocation estimates
According to the Federal Communications Commission's new National Broadband Map, there are 8.3 million Unserved locations in the U.S. The FCC published “LBR Wireless” files for 41 states. As I rushed to download the data, I didn’t know what that meant as they hadn’t ever published them before, so I skipped them. I now know that to mean “Licensed by Rule” wireless.
Three Takeaways from Version 2 of the FCC’s National Broadband Map
The Federal Communications Commission released Version 2 of the National Broadband Map. Three key takeaways from the latest data:
Sen. Rosen Pushes FCC to Fix National Broadband Map's Nevada Coverage
US Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) successfully pushed the Federal Communications Commission to update its National Broadband Map to more accurately reflect Nevada’s current broadband needs, which is critical for the allocation of funding for high-speed internet from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act's (IIJA) $42 billion Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. A previous, deeply flawed map misrepresented the high-speed internet coverage in Nevada and would have caused the state to lose out on potentially millions of dollars in BEAD funding.
The state that lost its chair after the music stopped
On first look, the new Federal Communications Commission's National Broadband Map seems to be a step in the right direction. For example, in Alaska, a known problem area, the number of locations and the estimated amount of money allocated increase significantly. But Michigan is another story. Michigan has 71,139 fewer Unserved locations on the new map versus the old one, by far the biggest decrease in the 50 states.