Data & Mapping

According to Albert Einstein, insanity is “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.” Congress is taking this to a whole new level with its latest discussions about how to “fix” broadband internet deployment across the United States. The most vociferous criticisms of the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program have centered on how long it has taken to deploy. On its face, that is a fair criticism. Contextualized, however, the criticism does not hold water. No one is asking why it took so long. The simple answer: Maps.

Sen Roger Wicker (R-MS) reintroduced the Proper Leadership to Align Networks (PLAN) for Broadband Act. The legislation requires the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to develop a national strategy to close the digital divide, as well as a plan to implement this strategy. Previous reports from the Government Accountability Office found that federal broadband efforts are fragmented and overlapping.

Virginia has made significant progress in providing high-speed connectivity to all its households and businesses over the past decade and anticipates using $1.43 billion in Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) funding to reach 100 percent connectivity to all addresses in the next few years.

Congress created the new Broadband Data Collection (BDC) maps with the passage of the Broadband Deployment Accuracy and Technological Availability Act (the Broadband DATA Act). This created the requirement for the new mapping system that replaced the old system of reporting maps called the 477 process. One of the requirements of the Broadband DATA Act is that internet service providers (ISPs) have to engage a professional engineer to certify that the data submitted to the FCC is accurate.

On December 31, 2024, Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel released a note reflecting on the agency's work over the course of 2024. "The end of the year is always a time for reflection," Chairwoman Rosenworcel said. "That’s especially true for me in 2024 as my service at the Federal Communications Commission is coming to a close. It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve in this role and a special privilege to be the first woman confirmed to do so." The Chairwoman categorized her time at the FCC into five core values:

We supposedly have a decent handle these days of the number of locations that can buy broadband due to the Federal Communications Commission broadband mapping and data collection effort. While some folks will argue about the accuracy of the FCC's National Broadband Map, we know a lot more than we did just a few years ago. The map is supposed to disclose where internet service providers (ISPs) are capable of serving, but not where they have customers.

The Technology Policy Institute announced the launch of a first-of-its-kind 

The Broadband Data Task Force announces that the sixth Broadband Data Collection (BDC) filing window for submitting broadband availability and other data as of December 31, 2024, will open on January 2, 2025. In addition, the December 2024 update of the Broadband Serviceable Location Fabric (Fabric) is being made available to existing Fabric licensees in advance of the opening of the window.

The Federal Communications Commission announced the launch of a major update to the Mapping Broadband Health in America platform, expanding its capacity to analyze the intersection of broadband connectivity and a range of critical health outcomes, including new variables to better examine maternal health.