Thursday, December 31st, 2009
By Drew Clark, Editor, BroadbandCensus.com
WASHINGTON, December 31, 2009 – The Commerce Department agency responsible for the mapping component of the broadband stimulus program
announced, on the last day of the year, that it had funded five more states’ broadband data programs.
With the announcement – of funding for broadband data and mapping in Iowa, Montana, New Hampshire, Utah and the U.S. Virgin Islands – the National Telecommunications and Information Administration has awarded 41 grants totaling $78 million.
There remain 15 awards still to be made – rounding out the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories that submitted applications and are eligible for grant funding.
The agency said that it planned to make those awards early in 2010.
NTIA has been relatively parsimonious in its approach to funding broadband data-collection efforts.
Although the “Notice of Funds Availability” released on July 1, 2009, said that the agency would accept applications for funding of up to $3.9 million per state, plus $500,000 for “broadband planning activities,” in practice the NTIA has cut that amount by more than half. The average award has been $1.9 million.
Up to $350 million of the $7.2 billion allocated for broadband-related activities by the American Recovery and Reinvestment...
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Monday, December 14th, 2009
By Drew Clark, Executive Director, BroadbandCensus.com
WASHINGTON, December 14, 2009 - Broadband Census Data announced the availability of highly granular Census block mapping services to state recipients of broadband mapping grants.
BroadbandCensus.com provides the information necessary for states to meet grant obligations under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. It does this by identifying:
- carriers;
- internet technologies;
- advertised speeds;
- prices; and
- the presence or absence of broadband within each Census block.
Using BroadbandCensus.com, a state can fully map the broadband footprint of its carriers within 42 days, for a fraction of the budget allocated by the Recovery Act.
And the cost is less than what a state might otherwise expect for a product of this caliber.
BroadbandCensus.com builds its broadband maps by blending multiple data sets of publicly-available information.
These sources include:
- Wireline footprints;
- Radio-frequency engineering maps;
- Publicly-available carrier data;
- Survey-grade research; and
- Crowdsourced data.
The data underlying BroadbandCensus.com is verifiable, publicly available, and granular to the Census block level.
BroadbandCensus.com can also go beyond the Census block level and offer consumer broadband data at the rooftop level. This survey-grade information is no more than six months old.
Unlike compiled consumer data built for direct marketing, the BroadbandCensus.com suite of services makes use of active household demographic data.
Working in collaboration with Brian Webster Consulting, Broadband Census Data...
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Monday, November 9th, 2009
By Rahul Gaitonde, Reporter, BroadbandCensus.com
WASHINGTON, November 9, 2009 - On Friday, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration announced seven new state recipients of the state broadband data and development grant program. These grants fund state efforts to map broadband availability and speeds. Each state was asked to pick a designated entity – either a state body or a non-profit organization – that would develop a plan for how broadband mapping would be conducted.
Of the seven states awarded grants on Friday, two choose to fully internalize their process and have state agencies control the mapping.
In Alabama, the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs was tasked; they received $1.4 million for broadband data collection and mapping activities and $463,000 for broadband planning activities both for over a two- year period.
In Washington State, the Department of Information Services received $1.7 million for data collection and mapping and almost $500,000 for broadband planning activities both for over a two-year period.
Wyoming and Idaho, by contrast, choose to contract their mapping to the Puget Sound Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology, a Seattle based non-profit. Wyoming received $1.3 million for data collection and mapping over a two-year period and $500,000 for broadband planning activities...
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Sunday, October 11th, 2009
By Christina Kirchner, Reporter-Researcher, BroadbandCensus.com
WASHINGTON, October 11, 2009 – Current measures of broadband comparisons between the United States and the rest of the world – and within the country – have limitations, according to a study by the Government Accountability Office released on Friday.
Under the Broadband Data Improvement Act, passed in October 2008, GAO was asked to conduct a study about broadband metrics and standards, including comparisons of international broadband services.
These limitations including the “lack of comprehensive measures from the government to compare price, actual delivered speeds, and service reliability data from providers,” and information that was gathered through international broadband comparisons that are not comparable across countries.
Based on the information that it received, the GAO said that data collected from the Federal Communication Commission from its semiannual report constituted another setback, as information collected from providers does not include information pertaining to speeds, price, availability and service reliability.
According to the report, Form 477 used by the FCC used to gather their data does not require “broadband providers to report on price or actual delivered speeds.” This effects the comparisons used on other parts of the country, which then affects policy positions or investment decisions.
Even after the National Telecommunications...
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Tuesday, September 29th, 2009
By Andrew Feinberg, Deputy Editor, BroadbandCensus.com
WASHINGTON, September 29, 2009 - Current broadband mapping data is not specific enough in detail to help the Federal Communications Commission produce a national broadband plan, despite recent revisions to agency data-collection practices, staff members said Tuesday.
That assessment came during presentations at the agency’s marathon open meeting, which lasted more than three hours and included presentations from many members of the broadband task force, which is responsible for crafting a strategy by February 2010. The workshoprepresented an opportunity for a "mid-course correction" after numerous open workshops and public meetings - an open process that chairman Julius Genachowski (D) called "unparalleled in FCC history."
The most important part of the process is starting by examining the facts already in the record, said Omnibus Broadband Initiative Managing Director Eric Garr. But while Garr welcomed the numerous participants in the process so far, he asked for more information and less rhetoric.
"Bring opinions, but also bring your data," he said.
Outside data is especially important to the process because the commission lacks needed information, said broadband task force head Blair Levin. "The task we are being asked to do cannot be done with the resources we have," he said.
The commission's lack...
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Thursday, July 30th, 2009
By Ryan Womack, Reporter-Researcher, BroadbandCensus.com
July 30, 2009 – Broadband advisors to Washington state’s governor have issued a request for proposals on the state’s broadband mapping project.
The Broadband Advisory Council said applicants should have an experienced track record, proven technology and a business model that addresses proven demand.
Under rules overseen by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, each state can choose only one grantee to construct its broadband coverage map.
Washington State has issued five recommendations for data applicants: Encourage public-private partnering in the development of grant applications; support proposals increasing funding for anchor institutions; support proposals that target unserved and underserved areas; leverage advances in science, healthcare, smart grid and energy efficiency, innovation in education and improved transportation infrastructure; and encourage proposals increasing access and adoption.
The council says it is hoping that Gov. Christine Gregoire will sign into effect policy enabling the Washington State Department of Information Services to proceed with mapping efforts immediately, in oversight of the statewide project.
The notice of funds availability for the Broadband Data Information Act was released July 1 and applications became available July 14. The council recommends that applicants partner and ensure their proposals are received no later than Aug....
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Monday, July 27th, 2009
Special Transcript for Paid Subscribers of BroadbandCensus.com
Editor’s Note: The following is an UNOFFICIAL advance transcript/summary of the NTIA’s Broadband Mapping Online Workshop. The transcription was made by Drew Clark, Editor of BroadbandCensus.com, and is being made available as a special, time-sensitive benefit to paid subscribers of BroadbandCensus.com Weekly Report. We will provide a link to the official NTIA transcript when it is available. To purchase your subscription to BroadbandCensus.com Weekly Report, please visit http://broadbandcensus.com/sign-up-weekly-report.
DISCLAIMER: This transcription was based upon simultaneous participation in the conference call, and NOT upon an audio recording. Therefore, it is possible that there are errors in the transcription portions of this transcript/summary. If you identify any errors, please e-mail drew@broadbandcensus.com, and they will be corrected.
WASHINGTON, July 27, 2009 – The National Telecommunications and Information Administration held a
workshop,
via webinar, on Friday, July 24, from 1 p.m. ET to 2:45 p.m. The two NTIA officials on the call, Edward "Smitty" Smith, Program Director, State Broadband Data and Development Grant Program, and Anne Neville, focused on the nuts and bolts of the $240 available for broadband data and mapping. And they answered dozens of questions about the program.
NTIA’s...Read More »
Tuesday, July 21st, 2009
By Ryan Womack, Reporter-Researcher, BroadbandCensus.com
WASHINGTON, July 21, 2009 – The coordinator of the national broadband plan at the Federal Communications Commission, Blair Levin said Monday he is less optimistic about the broadband efforts than he was when he accepted the job.
The Minority Media and Telecom Council today brought together both public and private broadband representatives, where Levin stated that after reading more than 8,000 pages of comments in the FCC’s broadband proceeding that the agency received from the public, he is “much less optimistic as when Chairman Copps asked me to come in.”
Levin wasn’t quite jovial in his statements, either. He said that the comments – bar a few – have primarily criticized FCC policy and history, or asked for money. But few have offered a real plan to achieve ubiquitous broadband coverage.
There is “very little in the 8,000-something pages that moves the ball forward…. The insight has to be tied to an exact government action,” he said.
Levin himself said, “I don’t really know anything” when it comes to the current state of broadband in the United States, or what it may look like in the future.
Levin pointed out the need for granular, sophisticated data in order to make educated...
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