Craig Settles says broadband mapping is one of the keys to success in bringing the best broadband options into communities, but last week’s NTIA concessions to the telecom industry doesn’t really help the mapping exercise.
Here’s a relatively simple but effective way to tackle mapping so states spend less to get much better maps than what’s coming from Connected Nation (the presumed frontrunner for much of the $350 million in mapping grants). NTIA gave a lot of concession for very little gain by the general public in getting good maps.
The good news last week is that One-Economy won the mapping contract for the state of Oregon, and Kentucky (Connected Nation’s first client) and is looking for others to do its statewide mapping (pdf). There might be a shift happening in the universe that saves many states money and time while leading to better broadband decisions.
The Broadband Information Services Consortium (BISC) is a collaboration of BroadMap, New America Foundation and One Economy. They claim to ensure that states will have the most accurate, fully verified, and up-to-date information available for their broadband map, enabling states to more effectively compete for ARRA funds.
Telecommunications providers will not have to give the government revenue or speed data, reports the Washington Post. The U.S. Commerce Department said on Friday that companies such as Verizon, Comcast Corp and AT&T do not have to share how much money they make from each Internet subscriber or how fast their Internet connections typically run.
Instead, they will provide data by the block, usually about a dozen homes depending on the size of the block. They also will share the speed of Internet service that they advertise.
The Commerce and Agriculture departments will award loans and grants to state and local governments, and nonprofit and for-profit companies, including telecommunications companies, to participate in the government’s broadband program.
The first phase of the plan would release $4 billion of the $7.2 billion included in President Barack Obama’s economic stimulus plan. About $350 million will go to the mapping program.
Some argue that Connected Nation developed a solution shaped by telecommunications industry lobbyists, with no way to independently verify the information, and that could result in a falsely rosy picture, reducing potential competition.
