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News
Connected Nation Helps State Mapping EffortsLindsey Sutphin, Reporter-Researcher,
BroadbandBreakfast.com
WASHINGTON, June 22, 2010 – As a part of an effort to make a comprehensive, national map, states are mapping broadband coverage and options available in their states.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act requires the National Telecommunications and Information Association to have the national map of broadband coverage publicly available by February 2011. This initiative has spurred billions of grant dollars to organizations mapping their states.
Connected Nation is the private-public partnership organization providing the mapping technology and guidance to the state efforts. Brian Mefford, CEO of Connected Nation, said, “In today’s digital world, being connected to the Internet is critical to preserving and improving lifestyle. Whether you live in a rural or an urban area, broadband gives you the opportunity to work from home, take online classes, and market your products – all of which have an impact on the local economy.”
Thus far, most of the states are being mapped through ESRI’s BroadbandStat mapping systems, which were funded by NTIA grants. Connect Michigan, Connect Minnesota, Connect Nevada, Connect South Carolina, Connect Texas, Connect Alaska, and Connect Iowa are the entities responsible for collecting their state’s data and producing the maps.
The Michigan Public Service Commission received $1.8 million in NTIA grants for its map. In the next 18 months, Michigan’s BroadbandStat map will be updated as additional data becomes available. Michigan’s map includes functions for users to identify population density in an area, identify households with no broadband access, link to news about broadband-related projects, and create charts and reports.
Connect Nevada was awarded $1.4 million in grant funds, and its map includes data about the availability, speed, location, and types of service from the state’s 35 broadband providers. In order to facilitate actual use of the map, Connect Nevada and Nevada’s Broadband Task Force conducted a live demonstration, which was also broadcast online. Leaders and experts in various fields, including agriculture, education, and healthcares, learned how they could customize the map’s functions to their specific needs.
Texas also held a web conference to demonstrate the use of its broadband map. The state has already utilized its map to identify and research the broadband adoption rate, which is only 62 percent in the state. After determining that the two major factors for non-adopters were a lack of relevance and costs, Connected Texas divided the state into geographic blocks, based upon information from the 138 providers in the state. Each block contains a number of households and connectivity data for each predefined area. By outlining specific areas, Connected Texas can better target the needs of each locality in the state.
Both Connect Minnesota and Connect South Carolina worked with the existing broadband providers in their states to identify areas without broadband. They also collected data from community anchor institutions, such as libraries and schools, which are potential access sites for broadband service.
Connected Iowa used its $2.2 million grant for an interactive state map that is currently seeking public feedback and participation. Based upon the feedback, Connected Iowa will conduct planning efforts for broadband expansion based upon the map’s information.
Iowa’s Governor Culver said, “Iowa has made great strides in spreading broadband across the state. In fact, 177 broadband providers offered data showing that the vast majority of our citizens can access broadband. However, only 66 percent of residents report using broadband at home. Through this effort we will continue the progress of getting our citizens online and accessing the unlimited benefits associated with broadband.”
In Alaska, Connected Alaska is working with the state’s Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development to facilitate job creation through their $1.9 million NTIA grant. Since Alaska is more remote than most states, it is particularly interested in the opportunities that broadband can create for higher education purposes.
As Connected Nation works with states to complete an overall national map, citizens, broadband service providers, government organizations, and entrepreneurs are using the state maps to identify opportunity.
Link to article Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, and South Carolina Provide Online Maps Showing Detailed Broadband Coverage
The states of Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, and South Carolina are now providing easy-to-use maps that show in detail each state’s broadband coverage. The interactive, online maps are made possible by BroadbandStat, an application based on ESRI geographic information system (GIS) technology, and will help the states plan and improve high-speed Internet access for their residents and businesses. The BroadbandStat maps were funded by grants from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and contribute to the comprehensive national broadband map that NTIA is required by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to create and make publicly available by February 2011.
“A complete, interactive broadband map is now available for customers, Internet service providers, and policy makers,” said Orjiakor Isiogu, chairman of the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC), about the new map hosted on the Connect Michigan Web site. “This is an important first step as the state seeks to target resources to those areas of the state without high-speed Internet service.”
Interactive tools include the ability to identify the population density and unserved households in a selected area, link to news about broadband-related projects, and create reports and charts.
MPSC received a $1.8 million NTIA grant to launch its broadband mapping and planning initiative. Over the next 18 months, Michigan’s initial BroadbandStat map will be updated and refined as additional data becomes available. Connect Michigan, Connect Minnesota, Connect Nevada, and Connect South Carolina are the entities tasked with collecting the data and producing their states’ online maps. All are affiliated with the nonprofit Connected Nation organization, which partnered with ESRI to create BroadbandStat.
Connect Nevada was awarded $1.4 million in stimulus funds through the NTIA for broadband mapping and planning. Nevada’s broadband map includes data collected on the availability, speed, location, and type of broadband services from more than 35 state broadband service providers.
During the inauguration of his state’s BroadbandStat map, Nevada governor Jim Gibbons said, “Nevadans will now have a map that not only puts information about available broadband services at their fingertips but also defines where the state and the private sector need to focus their attention to bring high-speed Internet to every part of our state.”
Connect Minnesota and Connect South Carolina worked with their state broadband service providers to accurately pinpoint remaining gaps in broadband availability across the state. They also collected data from community anchor institutions such as schools, universities, libraries, hospitals, and public safety facilities, which are potential sites for providing community access to broadband services.
For links to each state’s interactive maps and more information on BroadbandStat, visit www.esri.com/bbstat.
[Source: ESRI press release]Connect South Carolina Releases New Broadband Coverage Maps for the Statewide Broadband InitiativeInitiative Launches New Interactive Mapping App on Connect South Carolina Website
Columbia, SC – Connect South Carolina has launched a powerful new broadband app in the effort to bring affordable, high-speed Internet to the entire state. Available on Connect South Carolina’s website, www.connectsc.org, BroadbandStat is the interactive state mapping resource that puts all the latest information on the broadband landscape directly at your fingertips. Connect South Carolina is a subsidiary of Connected Nation and operates as a nonprofit in the state of South Carolina.
Connect South Carolina has been able to gather and verify state-specific data on the availability, speed, location, and type of broadband services as well as the adoption and availability of broadband at community anchor institutions across the state. The meeting of this milestone is a result of a several-month long process of aggressive outreach to providers and community anchor institutions across the state, and extensive verification and validation of the data collected from these entities. These initial maps include data from 34 state providers, key findings include:- 95.32% of South Carolina households have access to terrestrial fixed broadband service of at least 768 Kbps downstream and 200 Kbps upstream (excluding mobile and satellite services).
- 4.68% of South Carolina households are unserved by a terrestrial fixed broadband provider, representing approximately 72,000 unserved households that do not have access to a fixed wireless or wired broadband service offering (excluding mobile and satellite service).
- With mobile broadband service included, 99.70% or 1,529,333 South Carolina households have access to broadband service of at least 768 Kbps downstream and 200 Kbps upstream.
A public demonstration of the program’s new interactive mapping feature, BroadbandStat, was held via webinar on Friday to encourage citizen verification and to demonstrate the broadband expansion scenario building that can be achieved using the tool.
Connected Nation’s GIS team will continuously refine the maps as more data is gathered - relying upon citizen feedback as part of the validation process. Residents, businesses, and any interested party with knowledge of the state broadband landscape are asked to go to Connect South Carolina’s website to provide input that will be used to verify and ensure the highest level of accuracy for the broadband maps.
On Connectsc.org, those who do not currently have broadband access can add their name and address to a secure database of households that would like to subscribe if given the opportunity. The collected information supports the creation of the broadband inventory map that will assist in expanding broadband delivery to residents across the state.
“We are excited to offer this interactive app to the citizens of South Carolina. With this new website, citizens can play an active role in the validation of the data and more importantly, use it as a resource to search provider options and draw attention to the areas that remain unserved,” explains Brian Mefford, CEO of Connect South Carolina’s parent organization, Connected Nation. “The goal of our nonprofit organization is to expand broadband access to areas where it doesn’t exist and improve the quality of service in areas that are already served. South Carolina’s newly completed map is the first major step in this process.”
As the designated entity for broadband mapping and planning in the state of South Carolina, Connect South Carolina is a public-private partnership uniting local governments, businesses, and citizens in the goal of increasing broadband service in the state’s unserved and underserved areas.
In December 2009, Connect South Carolina was awarded $1.7 million in Recovery Act funding in an effort to increase the availability and use of high-speed Internet service in the state. The funding enables the state to collect data to develop and maintain a detailed map of existing broadband service over two years and conduct planning efforts for a period of five years.
These efforts are in compliance with the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the State Broadband Data and Development grant program (SBDD). Ultimately, these data will populate the comprehensive, interactive, and searchable national broadband map that NTIA is required by the Recovery Act to create and make publicly available by February 17, 2011.
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About Connect South Carolina: Connect South Carolina is a subsidiary of Connected Nation and operates as a nonprofit in the state of South Carolina. The state of South Carolina is leading the initiative to increase broadband Internet access throughout South Carolina. Connect South Carolina was commissioned by the Governor’s Office to work with all broadband providers in the state of South Carolina to create detailed maps of broadband coverage in order to accurately pinpoint remaining gaps in broadband availability in South Carolina. www.connectsc.org.
States Use ESRI's BroadbandStat Application for Broadband InitiativesTen U.S. states and one U.S. territory will soon launch comprehensive broadband mapping and planning initiatives based on ESRI's geographic information system (GIS) technology. They will use BroadbandStat, an application developed by ESRI and Connected Nation, to organize and display broadband service and related data on the Internet. The BroadbandStat application hosts interactive Web maps that show broadband coverage across U.S. states and incorporates other relevant data. It includes tools that use service provider and demographics data to identify unserved and underserved broadband areas with optimum potential for new broadband infrastructure development. Its Web capabilities enable a shared picture of broadband data and support transparency by giving the public access to the information. The new state broadband mapping initiatives are supported by more than $20 million in State Broadband Data and Development Program grants recently announced by the Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). "These grant dollars are an investment in the future of Texas," said Texas agricultural commissioner Todd Staples in a press release on NTIA's $2.5 million award to Texas. "Many communities do not have sufficient broadband service, which limits their abilities to attract new economic development opportunities. It is essential that families, schools, and businesses have high-speed Internet access that will open up the prospects for development." Funds were made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). More than $7 billion in ARRA stimulus funds have been designated to help expand broadband access in unserved and underserved communities across the United States. The NTIA grants were awarded to each state's designated project entity, which in many cases is Connected Nation, a nonprofit corporation and leader in promoting broadband expansion. Awards include the following: - Florida: $2.5 million, to Florida Department of Management Services
- Illinois: $1.8 million, to Partnership for a Connected Illinois
- Iowa: $2.2 million, to Connected Nation
- Michigan: $1.8 million, to Connected Nation
- Minnesota: $1.7 million, to Connected Nation
- Nevada: $1.4 million, to Connected Nation
- Ohio: $1.8 million, to Ohio Office of Information Technology
- Puerto Rico: $1.4 million, to Puerto Rico Office of the Chief Information Officer
- South Carolina: $1.7 million, to Connected Nation
- Tennessee: $1.8 million, to Connected Tennessee
- Texas: $2.5 million, to Connected Nation
For more information about ESRI's BroadbandStat application, visit www.esri.com/bbstat. Connected Nation Previews Interactive Broadband Mapping Tool at Technology Policy Exhibition in Washington, D.C.Connected Nation, in conjunction with ESRI, a market leader in geographic information system (GIS) software, showcased its jointly developed new interactive mapping tool for viewing, analyzing, and validating broadband data at a technology policy exhibition on Capitol Hill. At Tuesday’s technology policy kickoff reception, more than 100 people had the chance to view Connected Nation and ESRI’s BroadbandStat demonstration. Michael Ramage, Executive Director of Connected Tennessee, continued showcasing the technology well after the official end of the event. Jon Gant, a professor at the University of Illinois at Champaign, stopped by to view the BroadbandStat demonstration on Tuesday. Gant, who teaches GIS classes and has used GIS data from more than 20 years, was impressed by the easy, user-friendly interface of BroadbandStat. “Look at how smooth the graphics transition from query to query,” he said, pointing to the screen of BroadbandStat. “And, the small things—like the menus—they are a lot better this way.” “This [GIS data] is really complicated stuff,” he said Tuesday after viewing BroadbandStat. “And, how you all use and represent this complicated data with this kind of interface is really interesting,” he said. Jim Geringer, director of Policy and Public Sector Strategies at ESRI and former governor of Wyoming, was on hand on Tuesday, prior to his participation in a Wednesday’s panel discussion, “Transforming Government Through Technology: The Real, The Possible, The Surprising.” “The common underpinning of all activities—economic, social or health—is people connecting with other people and that activity doesn’t happen without broadband,” he said. “You will never understand how much information is in the world until you can connect with broadband. Broadband mapping—or showing who is connecting and who is not—is just the first step.” The Technology Policy Exhibition is a free, educational event that briefs lawmakers and staff, reporters, and representatives from government agencies and private sector organizations on cutting-edge Internet technologies. It is the largest technology exhibition on Capitol Hill. Yesterday’s event served as the official kickoff of today’s 6th Annual State of the Net Conference, hosted by ICAC at the Hyatt Regency, Capitol Hill Connect South Carolina Initiative Will Feature Latest in Broadband Mapping TechnologyColumbia, SC– Yesterday, South Carolina received a match grant of approximately $1.7 million from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to support a comprehensive broadband mapping and planning initiative through the Connect South Carolina program. Connect South Carolina ( www.connectsc.org) is a partnership between the state of South Carolina and Connected Nation to increase broadband Internet access throughout rural South Carolina. The grant is comprised of $1.2 million for broadband data collection and mapping activities over a two-year period and almost $500,000 for broadband planning activities over a five-year period in South Carolina, bringing the total grant award to approximately $1.7 million. The award provided through NTIA’s State Broadband Data and Development Grant Program is a matching grant and part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
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