Commerce’s NTIA unveils National Broadband Map and new broadband adoption survey results

WASHINGTON--The Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) today unveiled the National Broadband Map -- the first public, searchable nationwide map of broadband Internet availability -- and the results of a new nationwide survey on broadband adoption. The data will support efforts to expand broadband access and adoption in communities at risk of being left behind in the 21st century economy and help businesses and consumers seeking information on their high-speed Internet options. NTIA met the deadline Congress gave the agency to create and launch the National Broadband Map by February 17, 2011.

“A state-of-the-art communications infrastructure is essential to America’s competitiveness in the global digital economy,” said Acting Commerce Deputy Secretary Rebecca Blank. “But as Congress recognized, we need better data on America’s broadband Internet capabilities in order to improve them. The National Broadband Map, along with today’s broadband Internet usage study, will inform efforts to enhance broadband Internet access and adoption -- spurring greater innovation, economic opportunities, and advancements in health care, education, and public safety.”

“The National Broadband Map shows there are still too many people and community institutions lacking the level of broadband service needed to fully participate in the Internet economy. We are pleased to see the increase in broadband adoption last year, particularly in light of the difficult economic environment, but a digital divide remains,” said Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator Lawrence E. Strickling. “Through NTIA’s Broadband Technology Opportunities Program, digital literacy activities, and other initiatives, including the tools we are releasing today, the Obama Administration is working to address these challenges.”

National Broadband Map

The National Broadband Map, available at www.broadbandmap.gov, is an unprecedented searchable database of information on high-speed Internet access. NTIA created the National Broadband Map in collaboration with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), using data that each state, territory and the District of Columbia (or their designees) collected from broadband providers or other data sources.

The website resulting from this Federal-state partnership includes more than 25 million searchable records showing where broadband Internet service is available, the technology used to provide the service, the maximum advertised speeds of the service, and the names of the service providers. Users can search by address to find the broadband providers and services available in the corresponding census block or road segment, view the data on a map, or use other interactive tools to compare broadband across various geographies, such as states, counties or congressional districts.

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said, “The release of the National Broadband Map, the first of its kind in the nation, is a significant milestone.” This cutting-edge tool will continue to evolve with the help of new data and user feedback. It will provide consumers, companies and policymakers with a wealth of information about broadband availability, speeds, competition and technology, and help Americans make better informed choices about their broadband services.”

The map shows that between 5 - 10 percent of Americans lack access to broadband at speeds that support a basic set of applications, including downloading Web pages, photos and video, and using simple video conferencing. The FCC last July set a benchmark of 4 Mbps actual speed downstream and 1 Mbps upstream to support these applications. NTIA collected data in ranges between 3 - 6 Mbps and 6 - 10 Mbps maximum advertised download speeds, which are the closest measurements to the speed benchmark for broadband that the FCC set.

Other key findings based on the data include:

Speeds for community anchor institutions: The data show that community anchor institutions are largely underserved. For example, based on studies by state education technology directors, most schools need a connection of 50 to 100 Mbps per 1,000 students. The data show that two-thirds of surveyed schools subscribe to speeds lower than 25 Mbps, however. In addition, only four percent of libraries reported subscribing to speeds greater than 25 Mbps.

Wireless speeds:

Approximately 36 percent of Americans have access to wireless (fixed, mobile, licensed, and unlicensed) Internet service at maximum advertised download speeds of 6 Mbps or greater, which some consider the minimum speed associated with 4G wireless broadband service. Ninety-five percent of Americans have access to wireless Internet service speeds of at least 768 kbps, which corresponds roughly to 3G wireless service.

The map will serve a variety of uses. For example, Federal, state, and local policymakers can compare broadband availability among geographic areas and across demographic groups, which can inform policies to support private sector investments in deploying broadband. The data can assist broadband providers in assessing new business opportunities and economic developers as they work to attract businesses to, or address barriers to investment in, their communities. The map will also help consumers and small businesses learn about the broadband service options in their neighborhood or where they may relocate.

The State Broadband Data and Development Grant Program

NTIA created the map through the State Broadband Data and Development Grant Program, a matching grant program that implements the joint purposes of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the Broadband Data Improvement Act (BDIA). NTIA awarded grants to assist states or their designees in gathering and verifying state-specific data on broadband services. In less than one year, grantees performed two rounds of data collection from 3,400 broadband providers operating in their states, representing more than 1,650 unique broadband companies on the national level. Before sending data to NTIA, grantees used a range of analysis and verification methods, from drive-testing wireless broadband service across their highways to meeting with community leaders for input. Many grantees met with broadband providers, large and small, to confirm data or suggest more accurate depictions of their service areas. Some grantees, unsure of service, performed field investigations. Information on their specific processes may be found on the national broadband map website.

The map will be updated every six months based on input from grantees. Using crowdsourcing tools, the public can help improve accuracy by providing feedback on the data. The map is consistent with the Obama Administration’s Open Government Initiative, undertaking to bring transparency, participation, and collaboration to the way the government operates.

NTIA’s grant program also supports a variety of state-driven efforts to integrate broadband into their economies. In addition to managing this grant program, NTIA will expand its information-sharing and coordination activities in order to serve as a broader resource that empowers state and local broadband practitioners as they develop their individualized plans of action.

Broadband Adoption Data

NTIA today also released a new report previewing data collected through the Internet Usage Survey of 54,000 households, commissioned by NTIA and conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau in October 2010. The Current Population Survey (CPS) data show that while virtually all demographic groups have experienced rising broadband Internet access adoption at home, historic demographic disparities among groups have persisted over time.

Highlights of the February 2011 Digital Nation report include:

Broadband Internet access at home continues to grow: 68 percent of households have broadband access, as compared to 63.5 percent last year. (In the survey, broadband was defined as Internet access service that uses DSL, cable modem, fiber optics, mobile broadband, and other high-speed Internet access services.)

Notable disparities between demographic groups continue: people with low incomes, disabilities, seniors, minorities, the less-educated, non-family households, and the non-employed tend to lag behind other groups in home broadband use.

While the digital divide between urban and rural areas has lessened since 2007, it remains significant. In 2010, 70 percent of urban households and only 60 percent of rural households accessed broadband Internet service. (Last year, those figures were 66 percent and 54 percent, respectively.)

Overall, the two most commonly cited main reasons for not having broadband Internet access at home are that it is perceived as not needed (46 percent) or too expensive (25 percent). In rural America, however, lack of broadband availability is a larger reason for non-adoption than in urban areas (9.4 percent vs. 1 percent). Americans also cite the lack of a computer as a factor.

Despite the growing importance of the Internet in American life, 28.3 percent of all persons do not use the Internet in any location, down from 31.6 percent last year.

This report, accessible on www.ntia.doc.gov, is based on the first data sets released by the Census Bureau. In the coming months, the Census Bureau will provide NTIA with more geographically detailed data. NTIA intends to release that data to the public through www.data.gov as part of the agency’s commitment to open government and transparency.

Taken from Benton Foundation
Written By Moira Vahey

Hark! Students to Accelerate Virginia by testing their Internet speed this holiday break

BLACKSBURG - While winter break brings a welcome reprieve from the demands of schoolwork and exams, it can also bring frustrations to those of us who must leave our lightning fast college Internet connections and return home to broadband dead zones. The irony of finally having the time to stream TV shows or play online games only to be obstructed by a slow Internet connection is disheartening.

Unfortunately, many areas of our state have limited or nonexistent access to broadband. This may only be a minor inconvenience for some (e.g., missing out on catching up on 30 Rock and having to bake Christmas cookies with your Aunt Rita instead), but it has major implications for many. Inadequate broadband services hold back many Virginia communities' economic growth since jobs that require broadband are expected to increase much more quickly than others over the next ten years.

The Accelerate Virginia campaign is working to increase awareness of the power of broadband and identify areas where access to broadband is limited or not available at all. The campaign is asking college students going home for the holidays to take a speed test of their own and then encourage their friends and family to do the same. Patrick Fay communications manager for Accelerate Virginia said, "We are asking everyone in Virginia with an Internet connection to participate by taking a speed test. And by passing the word on to their friends and family, in person or by Facebook and Twitter, students in the state can really make an impact."

Whether you have a broadband connection at home or not, please visit http://acceleratevirginia.org/speedtest/ to run a brief Internet speed test. Your input will help the campaign to create an accurate map of broadband availability in Virginia that will highlight localities that are in need of broadband infrastructure investment.

Participation in the campaign will also help you to identify alternatives to your existing Internet connection. After completing the speed test, you will receive a detailed review of your broadband connection and a summary of what others in your community are reporting about their service, including provider names, connection types, speed averages, and satisfaction ratings.

Increased access to broadband throughout Virginia will benefit all of us by facilitating economic growth. This translates to increased employment for our communities and more job opportunities for us when we graduate. Please remember to run a speed test over the holidays and encourage your family members and friends to do the same.

Sara Grant, a junior from Blacksburg, Va., majoring in communication in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech, is a writer for the Accelerate Virginia campaign.

By Sarah Grant

County seeks help in pinpointing broadband service

Franklin County is the first locality to launch a statewide internet speed test campaign, and residents are being asked to help.

Called Accelerate Virginia, residents are encouraged to run speed tests from their homes and businesses to help develop an accurate map of existing broadband service locations in the county.

Data collected from the speed tests will be used to demonstrate where and what kind of internet services are currently offered to county residents.

Sandie Terry, director of information technology for the county, said about 30 percent or more of the county's population has no access to any form of broadband.

The state's first generation broadband map, initially released in 2009, misrepresented the county's broadband availability, she said.

The initial map was based upon analysis of information voluntarily contributed by public and private sector broadband stakeholders.

However, Terry said the disclaimer on the state map acknowledged the data was incomplete and the map would evolve as more data became available.

The state map depicted a majority of Franklin County as served with broadband, but this conflicted with information collected locally in the same time frame, she said.

Local data showed that hundreds of addresses throughout the county are unable to obtain any form of broadband service, Terry said.

The county and its private wireless internet service provider partner B2X plotted unmet demand based on follow-up site surveys that determined these locations could not be served by their network, usually due to terrain or trees.

By partnering with the Accelerate Virginia campaign, Terry said that widespread citizen input can generate a more realistic view of the current locations at which service providers offer broadband in the county.

Terry is encouraging county residents to help out the program.

To participate in the campaign, they are asked to run one or more Accelerate Virginia internet speed tests, available from the county's website or directly at www.acceleratevirginia.org/speedtest.

Terry said anyone, whether they have a broadband connection or not, can participate.

After completing the speed test, residents are requested to spread the word about the importance of broadband in their community and encourage their friends, family members and neighbors to run speed tests, Terry said.

If the county meets a goal of obtaining data from at least 300 speed tests, the Accelerate Virginia campaign will be able to create an accurate countywide map of reported internet service.

This mapping may be used to seek future grant funding to expand the wireless network, Terry said. The Accelerate Virginia campaign, led by Virginia Tech's eCorridors group, will be conducting other localized internet speed test campaigns throughout the state.

For those who cannot get broadband services at their address, the Federal Communications Commission is asking that it be reported to the Broadband Dead Zone.

Taken from The Franklin News Post
Written By CHARLES BOOTHE

Virginia residents contribute to broadband map

Taken from Virginia Tech News
Written By Patrick Fay
October 18, 2010

An innovative broadband mapping application developed by Virginia Tech faculty members continues to receive national attention as the federal government identifies high-speed Internet access as a critical tool for helping to jump start the economy.

eCorridors -- founded in 2000 by Erv Blythe, vice president for information technology, and led by Brenda van Gelder, executive director of converged technologies for security, safety, and resilience -- initially created a map of community broadband in 2006 to allow Blacksburg, Va., residents to compare the Internet speeds offered by providers.

The Accelerate Virginia campaign will rely on residents' input to construct a map of broadband availability in Virginia.

After the map's release, eCorridors received numerous requests from state agencies in Virginia, North Carolina, and Alaska, as well as national broadband mapping projects, to adapt elements of its speed test and mapping tools.

"Our application is generally recognized across the nation as the first to integrate Web-based mapping with network performance measurement for the purpose of producing volunteered geographic information that can be analyzed spatially as a 'map' of the Internet," said Seth Peery, senior GIS (geographic information systems) architect of eCorridors.

The link to economic growth

Interest in broadband mapping spread to a wider audience in spring 2010, after the federal government released the National Broadband Plan. Created under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the plan proposes increasing broadband access to help stimulate business development and job creation.

Many communities are investing in fiber optic infrastructure. This generation of broadband technology uses light waves to transmit information across networks for superior Internet connection speeds.

The growing recognition of broadband as a driver of economic opportunity and growth, as well as other community benefits, prompted eCorridors' leaders to launch the Accelerate Virginia campaign, a statewide expansion of the broadband mapping project accompanied by a consumer education program.

But broadband goes beyond just stimulating the economy. The National Broadband Plan states that every American should have access to affordable high-speed Internet service. That access is critical for many human services, including health care, education, public safety, and local government.

"Over the past decade in working with Virginia regions and communities in the broadband and technology areas, it is clear that broadband access is critical to the economic development, quality of life, education, and health care needs of our citizens and business community," van Gelder said. "This campaign to assess the quality and availability of broadband connectivity will lead to direct benefits for all Virginians."

High-speed Internet access is critical for many public services, such as health care, education, public safety and local government.

Consumer engagement

eCorridors' strategy of going directly to consumers for an assessment of their Internet availability and performance is different because providers have traditionally been the only sources of such information and do not typically make it publicly available. Accelerate Virginia participants are given the opportunity to run an Internet speed test and provide an evaluation of their current service.

In return, they receive a detailed review of their broadband connection and a summary of what others in their community are reporting about their service, including provider names, connection types, speed averages, and satisfaction ratings.

Combined with other data sources, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration will use the Accelerate Virginia speed test data to update Virginia's state broadband map of served, underserved, and unserved areas, as well as to validate providers' claimed coverage areas. This data will be used to identify areas in need of broadband infrastructure investment.

Grass-roots movement

To build a sufficiently large sample of residential speed tests, eCorridors is looking to obtain at least 300 speed test data points per county. The Accelerate Virginia campaign is targeting planners, educators, community leaders, student groups, and individuals across the state, educating them about the need for investment in broadband infrastructure, and recruiting them to help run mapping campaigns in their communities.

Campaign resources, such as fact sheets, brochures, door tags, and informational videos will be available for public distribution. Training workshops are also being planned to help communities carry out successful mapping campaigns. Social media sites, such as Twitter and YouTube, are being used to help users share the news about the Accelerate Virginia campaign within their own social networks.

The eCorridors team has been collecting Internet connectivity data since 2006 through a community broadband access map. This research served as the basis for the new Accelerate Virginia broadband mapping application. From left are Jarrod Rife, Patrick Fay, Jean Plymale, Brenda van Gelder, and Seth Peery.

"The Accelerate Virginia campaign is a consumer driven, grass-roots approach for engaging and educating the public," said Jean Plymale, who works in applications research and development for eCorridors.
"I urge everyone to participate by running a speed test and contributing other service details to the Accelerate Virginia broadband mapping campaign," Plymale said. "We have a responsibility to understand what kind of Internet services are available in Virginia."

The eCorridors program

eCorridors is an outreach program founded in 2000 and led by Virginia Tech’s information technology division. Its mission is to facilitate the development of advanced network infrastructure throughout Virginia.

eCorridors provides information to communities about options for high-speed communication technologies and the incentives for network development. In doing so, the program contributes to the state's economic growth by allowing businesses and organizations to acquire and maintain a competitive advantage.

Did you know?

Seth Peery, the senior GIS architect of eCorridors, in collaboration with the Measurement Lab, provided technical assistance to the Federal Communication Commission during the development of its broadband quality test application. At the request of Virginia’s former secretary of technology, Aneesh Chopra, Peery and the eCorridors team also developed customized speed test applications for Virginia’s public schools and libraries.

• For more information on this topic, contact Patrick Fay at (540) 231-8490.

New Online Survey to Benchmark Virginia Business and Household Broadband Usage

The Virginia Tech eCorridors program is supporting an assessment of broadband access to determine the ways in which businesses are connecting to, and using broadband technologies (services and applications). Results from the assessment will be integrated into the Commonwealth’s comprehensive broadband mapping initiative that is currently underway in the Commonwealth and will provide the basis for future broadband policy and training initiatives.

eCorridors urges business owners to take advantage of this opportunity to participate in Virginia's statewide assessment of broadband connectivity and access. To participate in the online survey, please visit www.wired.virginia.gov. Should you prefer to complete a phone or paper survey, please contact Caroline Stolle at the Center for Innovative Technology – caroline.stolle@cit.org or 804-692-2558.

eCorridors program to begin consumer broadband mapping campaign in NRV" in the Spotlight

Taken from New River Valley News & Views
Written By Jan Gilbertson
June 09, 2010

The National Broadband Plan states that no matter where you live or how much money you make every American, every school, every library, every business, every health care and public safety facility needs to have access to affordable broadband services. Broadband has become the foundation of the American economy and the platform required for innovation and opportunity. It is the tool every child needs if they are to learn and compete in the global economy. Access to affordable broadband infrastructure is required to ensure that businesses, large and small, are created here, move here and stay in the New River Valley (NRV).

Not everyone in the NRV has access to high speed Internet, and not everyone who has access to broadband subscribes. In an effort to understand and improve this situation, Virginia Tech's eCorridors program (http://www.ecorridors.vt.edu) will introduce a new broadband mapping portal this summer, as well as a new consumer education and participation campaign in the region.

In the past, providers have been the primary source of information regarding where internet services, broadband or otherwise, are available. For the first time, Virginia residents, businesses, educational institutions, healthcare facilities, public safety groups and others are being asked to provide information about Internet service availability in their communities. To compete globally, create opportunities, and maximize investment in broadband infrastructure, Virginia needs a more precise understanding of where and what kind of internet services are available.

As a partner in the Virginia broadband mapping initiative, eCorridors is requesting assistance in the collection of at least 300 or more new speed test (http://www.ecorridors.vt.edu/maps/broadbandmap.php) data points per county to achieve a statistically significant sample size. This is necessary to adequately model current broadband availability in the state.

Combined with other data sources, the eCorridors speed test data will be used for updating Virginia's state broadband map of served, under-served, and unserved areas, as well as to validate providers claimed coverage. This data will be used to identify areas in need of affordable broadband infrastructure investment.

Be a part of history. Urge your community to participate in a local speed testing campaign. For more information and to organize a local speed test campaign in your area, contact Jean Plymale at (540) 231-2270 or vplymale@vt.edu.

FCC Survey finds 4 out of 5 Americans don't know their Broadband Speeds

Washington, DC -- Today the Federal Communications Commission released the results of a survey on the consumer broadband experience. The survey found that 80 percent of broadband users in the United States do not know the speed of their broadband connection.

The survey is part of the agency’s overall broadband speed initiative, which involves several bureaus and offices and is being coordinated by the Commission’s Consumer Task Force. Through the initiative, the agency will also measure the actual speeds that consumers receive and compare them to the speeds that broadband providers advertise.

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said, “Speed matters. The more broadband subscribers know about what speeds they need and what speeds they get, the more they can make the market work and push faster speeds over broadband networks.”

Today, the Consumer Task Force announced two initiatives that will help the FCC determine the broadband speeds consumers are getting in their homes and on their mobile devices, a key recommendation in the National Broadband Plan.

In the first of these initiatives, the FCC is asking today for 10,000 volunteers to participate in a scientific study to measure home broadband speed in the U.S. Specialized hardware will be installed in the homes of volunteers to measure the performance of all the country’s major Internet service providers across geographic regions and service tiers. The FCC is partnering with SamKnows Limited in this effort, the same firm that successfully conducted a similar test in the United Kingdom. A Public Notice asking for comment on the test plan was released in April 2010 and can be found at http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-10-670A1.pdf.

This study will culminate in a “State of Broadband” report to be released later this year. The tests are also a key part of the Broadband Action Agenda (described at http://www.broadband.gov/plan/broadband-action-agenda.html). The Action Agenda details a number of initiatives designed to foster competition and maximize consumer benefits across the broadband marketplace.

Anyone can register as a volunteer for this national test at www.TestMyISP.com. Volunteers will be able to track the performance of their own broadband service, as well as providing valuable data for the FCC, Internet service providers, and the public at large.

Next, the FCC’s Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau is issuing a Public Notice today to look at ways to measure mobile broadband speed. More and more consumers are using mobile wireless devices to access the Web, sometimes as a primary Internet connection. The Public Notice asks for input on the best ways to measure mobile broadband speeds, the ways that speed measurements can be used to help improve service, and the information consumers should have about the speed of mobile broadband coverage.

The FCC welcomes comments from all interested parties and the general public on this Public Notice. Comments can be filed through the agency’s Electronic Comment Filing System at http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs/, or in other ways described in the Public Notice itself. The Public Notice can be found at http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-10-988A1.pdf.

Ultimately, the FCC hopes to develop tests that help each individual consumer in the U.S. determine his or her own broadband speed. The agency took a first step in March by providing two speed tests that consumers can use at home or on their wireless phones. These consumer tests can be found at http://www.broadband.gov/qualitytest/about/. The national initiatives announced today are intended to develop more scientific and consistent broadband speed measures.

“Better information can help all consumers choose the broadband services that best meet their needs,” said Joel Gurin, Chief of the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau of the FCC. “Today, most people just know that their home broadband speed is supposed to be ‘blazing fast.’ They need more meaningful information to know exactly what speed they need for the applications they want to run, and what provider and plan is their best choice. The difference between an inexpensive low-speed plan and an expensive, high-speed plan can be hundreds of dollars a year. Consumers need to be able to choose wisely.”

Details on Today’s Survey Results

The survey found that no demographic group had good awareness of their home broadband speed (the survey asked specifically about download speed). But there were some demographic differences. For example, 71 percent of men do not know what speed they’re getting, while the figure is 90 percent for women. With respect to age, 73 percent of those between the ages of 18 and 29 do not know their home broadband speed, while the number goes up to 88 percent of people age 65 and over.

Most Americans are satisfied with the broadband speed they are getting. Fully 91 percent of broadband users say they are “very” or “somewhat” satisfied with the speed they get at home. The comparable number for mobile broadband, which is not yet technologically capable of the same speeds as home broadband, is 71 percent satisfaction. As a point of comparison, 92 percent of cell phone users are very or somewhat satisfied with their cell phone service overall.

The FCC’s survey of consumers, conducted by Abt/SRBI and Princeton Survey Research Associates, International from April 19 to May 2, 2010, interviewed 3,005 American adults. The national random digit dial survey was conducted in English and Spanish and the sample included both landline and cell phones. For responses based on those with personal cell phones (2,463 respondents) the margin of error is plus or minus two percentage points. For responses based on home broadband users (1,742 respondents), the margin of error is plus or minus 2.6 percentage points.

Taken from Federal Communications Commission
Written By Rosemary Kimball
June 01, 2010

- FCC -
For Immediate Release
e-mail: rosemary.kimball@fcc.gov

News Media Contact:
Rosemary Kimball at (202) 418-0511