NTIA Needs New Ways of Tabulating Broadband Data, Redl Says
NTIA Administrator David Redl blogged Wednesday the agency is looking for new ways to tabulate broadband data beyond FCC Form 477 reports. NTIA asked for comments by July 16 on how to enhance broadband data quality and accuracy (see 1805290031).…
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The FCC said more than 30 percent of rural Americans live in areas without broadband, Redl wrote. “We know these gaps exist, but what we don’t know is precisely which areas of the country have insufficient broadband capacity. That makes it difficult to ensure that public investments in infrastructure are efficient and effective.” Form 477 data is “valuable, but the data is not independently validated or verified,” he said. “It is also reported at the Census block level, so that can lead to inaccuracies that overstate availability -- especially in rural areas where Census blocks are large.”