The new maps add weight to the Biden administration’s plan to spend big on infrastructure, at the same time put pressure on the FCC to update its own mapping
Broadband availability has become a top priority: Policymakers in the US are now getting a proper sense of the problem of broadband availability in the country. For years, the FCC has used a mapping methodology which likely overestimated the status of broadband coverage, because it relied solely on data provided by operators and considered entire districts (“census blocks”) to be covered even where only one household received broadband. COVID-19 further exposed the scale of the problem, with many Americans lamenting the lack of adequate infrastructure for their remote working and learning needs.
The new maps show the scale of the problem: On Thursday, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) unveiled a new digital map that displays the availability of broadband (intended as a minimum of 25Mbps in download as per the FCC’s definition) across the US. The tool combines data from several sources, including speed tests providers (Ookla and M-Lab), and Microsoft’s data on the speeds at which Microsoft users download software updates. The map enables a comparison between data from these providers and the FCC’s data, showing a significant gap between the two (particularly in rural areas and away from the coasts), and reinforces the suspicion that the FCC’s methodology could be overestimating broadband coverage. The latest FCC maps show that 14.5m Americans are without broadband, though Microsoft and others have suggested it could be three times as many (about 42m).
More ammunition for Biden’s plans: The White House confirmed that this tool will not replace the FCC’s maps, but it certainly serves as a useful weapon to push through Biden’s infrastructure plan. Since January, the FCC has embarked on an effort to overhaul its mapping methodology, and has received funding from Congress ($65m) to that effect. Policymakers have put pressure on the FCC to complete this work as soon as possible (as early as July) although it is likely that the FCC’s new maps will not be ready until early 2022. The NTIA’s tool puts pressure on the FCC to finish the job as early as possible, and gives the Biden administration ammunition to make a case for its big spending plans, which has been met with resistance by the largest operators in the country due to its push for fibre and the role it could give to municipal and cooperative networks.
