Several lawmakers, and even FCC Commissioners, believe the Commission’s broadband availability map needs to be overhauled before it can be relied on to determine how telecom subsidies should be distributed. To that end, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is working with eight states to update the national broadband availability map. The eight states – California, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, and West Virginia – will contribute data and other inputs to the map.
“In order to ensure that all Americans have access to broadband, we need a more precise picture of the current services and infrastructure that are available,” said David Redl, Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator.
“NTIA’s work on an updated map, in partnership with these initial states, will help policymakers around the country make better decisions as they devise broadband expansion plans.”
The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018 directed NTIA to update the map using its previously developed state partnerships. The initial eight states were chosen because they reflect geographic diversity and participate in NTIA’s State Broadband Leaders Network. They also have state broadband plans or programs, and are willing to contribute data that can be combined with nationwide data sources to give policymakers a deeper understanding of broadband availability.
NTIA plans to seek participation from additional states, territories and federally recognized tribes that have broadband programs or related data-collection efforts. The initial map will include available nationwide data for every state combined with state-level data from the eight states. Comments? Email Us.
February 13, 2019
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