Connected Nation today posted a filing that proposes a framework for developing national data on broadband deployment.   It is a very creative proposal that builds on the long experience and the strong expertise in GIS mapping, data analysis and data collection that is a key strength of Connected Nation.  The organization makes the point that developing this kind of data and producing it with maps and public reports that are easy to understand is not a simple charge.  They point out that in order to provide policy makers with accurate readings on the status of broadband deployment and uptake the reporting program must be “tied up with local conditions on the ground if [it is] to provide an effective tool for broadband demand stimulation strategies that aim to fill the gaps in the network and close the digital divide.”

Rather than develop an entirely separate and substantially untried national reporting system that relies on address-level availability data that most broadband providers do not have, Connected Nation proposed in its filing an alternative that builds on the local and state based formulas they have used so successfully in states like Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, South Carolina and Ohio.  Connected Nation proposes that the FCC act as a “national clearinghouse” for the maps created by these state-level efforts, and assist in the development of appropriate “best practices” that encourage, rather than preempt, public-private partnerships.

In making this proposal, Connected Nation is trying to provide a means of utilizing the unique experience and success it has had to date to provide the FCC and policy makers at the national level with nationwide, accurate and up to date information.   This is no easy task as Connected Nation points out.  In the short time we’ve been working with them, we’ve come to appreciate how much expertise and how many tools they have built in order to create the most accurate, up to date data possible.  It is not rocket science I suppose, but it is very complex and resource-intensive – at least if it is to be done right. 

I am hopeful that this framework submitted by Connected Nation is given serious attention.  It seems that relying on a tried and true system in which most of the kinks have been worked out would help policy makers and industry focus more effectively and more rapidly on the serious task of ensuring broadband is deployed to all Americans.