 |
 |
||
|
|
||
The State of States' Broadband Mapping Many states and counties have little insight into, but plenty of funding for, broadband infrastructure -- and they will not spend the money without knowing it's going where it is needed. Understanding the FCC's current map provides little usable data, and a number of these regional governments are now figuring out ways to work around rather than with the census-block-based broadband map. With the possibility of up to 50 states each using its own approach to calculating broadband coverage and density, it behooves the FCC to accelerate its options. After all, the lack of a useful national resource wastes invaluable time operators could use deploying infrastructure to under- and unserved homes and businesses across the country. Here are examples of how some states and counties deal with a lack of visibility into their infrastructure, including one very simple approach perhaps all states might consider:
Illinois This requirement, as reported by Illinois NPR, underscores the uselessness of the map provided by the FCC. The commission, as operators and government agencies (along with a growing number of consumers and SMBs) know, relies on operators' self-reported census block data. If one premise within an entire census block -- which can be miles wide in rural regions -- has access to a provider's service, then the FCC considers the entire area "served."
Echoing Outside the Windy City
Illinois wants to ensure more than Chicago is wrapped in broadband infrastructure.
(Source: Yinan Chen from Pixabay) "It's really frustrating," one sales executive told BBWN angrily. This scenario plays out across many states. Last June, the entire Illinois Congressional Delegation sent a letter to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and the four commissioners asking the agency to reform the mapping process (which the FCC is doing). In part, the letter noted some RLECs have been unable to apply for or receive funding due to inaccurate maps. These RLECs have provided detailed engineering studies, collected and prepared customer “testimonial” documents, and submitted an extensive FCC petition for reconsideration regarding competitive overlap. They also have filed comments and documents with the FCC requesting a review of these core issues. Despite these efforts, inaccurate mapping has continued to hurt the ability of affected companies to expand broadband to rural communities. In one case, a small Illinois RLEC was initially declared as 100% competitively overlapped due to inaccurate 477 reporting by another broadband service provider; and as a result, was deemed ineligible to receive funding.
Roanoke, Va.
Making History Beyond Main Street
Roanoke's Historic District, as well as the city itself, already have broadband coverage but Roanoke County wants to ensure the entire Virginia county has FCC-mandated speeds, hence its ambitious survey efforts.
(Source: Wikimedia) By identifying these areas, Roanoke may gain access to state or federal grants, public-private partnerships or other funding mechanisms. "The state of Virginia has made some very nice grant opportunities available, but to get the grants you have to do your homework," he said.
Georgia The ACE team includes government agencies like the Department of Community Affairs, Georgia Technology Authority, Department of Economic Development, State Properties Commission and Georgia Department of Transportation. The agencies then implemented a governance framework for communication and project management. An advisory committee includes representatives from industry such as AT&T, Georgia Cable Association, Comcast, Georgia Telecom Association and Windstream. The team also engaged with broadband experts at federal and state agencies, it reported. Like other state leaders, Georgia knew of the disparity between reality and the FCC census-block broadband map and designed a two-phase program to gather and create its own broadband map. DCA chose GTA to satisfy the legislation's mapping requirement; in turn, GTA contracted the University of Georgia's Carl Vinson Institute of Government to execute a broadband mapping strategy, which published a map based solely on FCC data in phase one (completed) and a map based on enhanced data (phase two), that launched with a three-county pilot.
Ingredients Make the Map
In a three-county pilot of Phase II of its broadband mapping project, the state of Georgia discerned a big difference between data provided by the FCC and data it received directly from providers under NDA.
(Source: Georgia Broadband Initiative) Georgia plans to then share this information with providers operating within the state which, in turn, must disclose their precise deployment data with Georgia's broadband department under a strict non-disclosure agreement, according to the report. If they do not participate in the NDA, operators will be ineligible for an state or local broadband funding, a broadband executive told Broadband World News under condition of anonymity. Related posts:
— Alison Diana, Editor, Broadband World News |
As more streaming video providers enter the market and consumers find it harder to locate content, they're returning to piracy.
Years of investment in infrastructure and user-friendly tools make the difference in how operators act before and after natural disasters, even though Hurricane Dorian's impact on Florida was far less than originally forecast (thankfully).
The operator is selling its wireline network across four mainly rural states, areas in which it has invested federal CAF II funds to bridge the digital divide.
The number and power of Britain's so-called altnets is growing, increasing access to fiber-based gigabit broadband for residents and businesses where incumbents such as BT, Virgin and Openreach did not deliver.
|
|
|
||
