Data & Mapping

On February 22, 2022, the Federal Communications Commission’s Broadband Data Task Force and Office of Economics and Analytics (OEA) announced the filing dates for the initial Broadband Data Collection (BDC) availability data collection beginning on June 30, 2022.1 Now the Task Force and OEA published data specifications related to the biannual submission of subscription, availability, and supporting data for the Broadband Data Collection (BDC).

CostQuest Associates said it has officially been contracted to provide broadband location data needed to update the National Broadband Map. The Federal Communications Commission selected the company months ago but the contract award was delayed because LightBox, another company that bid on the contract, protested the decision. According to CostQuest, the US Government Accountability Office denied the protest in late February 2022.

If one goes by the experience of Georgia, a national leader in broadband mapping, a truth seems evident: A state must, over a lengthy period, negotiate with providers and undergo a trial-and-error technical process in order to complete a map of all the high-speed Internet coverage within its borders. The recent experience of Montana suggests broadband mapping doesn’t have to be as complicated. In less than two months, Montana was able to receive a completed initial coverage map from LightBox — the same company that sold Georgia a master address file for its groundbreaking work.

The Utah Broadband Center, powered by the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity, has launched a statewide internet speed test campaign for Utahns to report their internet speed at home, work, or wherever they connect. In partnership with GeoPartners, a geospatial engineering firm, data from the Utah Internet Speed Test campaign will be mapped and used to identify areas of low or no access to high-speed internet.

Rural LISC launched a new tool developed in collaboration with Heartland Forward that maps 2021 enrollment in the Federal Communications Commission’s Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) Program and helps target enrollment efforts for the new Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) that replaced EBB at the end of 2021.

All facilities-based providers of fixed and mobile broadband Internet access service can begin to submit broadband availability data under the new rules and procedures for the Broadband Data Collection beginning on June 30, 2022. Filers must submit data depicting deployment as of June 30, 2022, and must submit the data by September 1, 2022. The Federal Communications Commission's Broadband Data Task Force and the Office of Economics and Analytics are providing this Public Notice more than six months in advance of the September 1, 2022 filing deadline.

LightBox, a leading information and technology company, announced that the State of Montana has awarded LightBox a contract for their SmartFabric™ product and GIS technology to create broadband serviceable location analytics and mapping capabilities for Montana. Montana joins the growing list of states that have selected LightBox to ensure they have the most accurate location fabric, analysis, and broadband maps.

Certain internet service providers are claiming there is no need to expand broadband service in Grafton County (NH) towns because they already provide high-speed internet to the area. Grafton County applied for a federal grant through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). Their plan is to build out a middle-mile broadband network from Bristol to all 39 New Hampshire towns, including the city of Lebanon.

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo spelled out the Biden Administration's ambitious goals for the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act's $65 billion investment in broadband at a February 1 Senate Appropriations Commerce Subcommittee hearing. This investment, according to Raimondo, will depend on the Federal Communications Commission's progress in coming up with better broadband availability maps.

To ensure Congress's largest-ever broadband and digital equity investments are here to stay, we must have robust and accurate broadband adoption data. Unfortunately, such broadband adoption data is not currently publicly available. While the Federal Communications Commission's maps were updated in 2021 with 2020 data, the broadband adoption data was not released. The importance of having robust, accurate, and timely data can not be overstated.