Stimulus Funding State Internet Mapping, Too

slfisher 0 453 Views

In addition to funding broadband projects in the states, particularly in rural areas, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, also known as the stimulus package, includes funds for , as well as state-wide broadband mapping and planning.

The project, which will also help create a national broadband map, is being managed by the Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).

The State Broadband Data and Development Grant Program, announced on July 1, is a competitive, merit-based matching grant program that will provide approximately $240 million in grants to assist states or their designees to develop state-specific data on the deployment levels and adoption rates of broadband services, the NTIA said. Awardees are required to contribute at least 20 percent non-federal matching funds toward project costs.

Each state could have only a single, eligible entity to perform the mapping. Applications for the program were accepted from July 14 to August 14.

On September 9, the NTIA announced that it had received applications representing all 50 states, five territories, and the District of Columbia. Fifty-two of the 56 states (or their designated entities) also submitted requests for broadband planning funds, typically about $500,000 each over a 5-year period, the NTIA said, which also released a of the applicants.

Now, the NTIA is beginning to announce grant awards made to the states for mapping. On October 5, the NTIA the first grants:

  • California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC): approximately $1.8 million
  • Indiana Office of Technology (IOT): approximately $1.3 million
  • Rural Economic Development Center, Inc. (e-NC Authority): approximately $1.6 million
  • Vermont Center for Geographic Information (VCGI): approximately $1.2 million

The CPUC was also awarded $500,000 for the cost of broadband planning activities in California over four years, bringing its grant award total to approximately $2.3 million, and the e-NC Authority was awarded approximately $435,000 for the cost of broadband planning activities in North Carolina over five years, bringing its grant award total to over $2 million, the NTIA said.

On October 23, the NTIA announced a grant of approximately $1.4 million to fund broadband mapping and planning activities in West Virginia. In addition, the West Virginia Geologic and Economic Survey will receive $185,000 for the cost of broadband planning activities in West Virginia over two years, bringing its grant award total to approximately $1.4 million.

Other states are waiting to hear responses.

The national broadband mapping project has come under criticism in recent months for bowing to industry pressure and planning to put less detail in the map.

Dani AI

Generated

A practical complement to 's summary: a short, technical checklist and troubleshooting guide for anyone evaluating state broadband maps and disputing coverage claims.

States' published maps and downloadable datasets often differ in format and accuracy. Important metadata to look for includes the spatial unit (census block, address point, polygon), how "served" is defined, the data source (provider self-report vs independent test), technology labels (DSL, fiber, fixed wireless, satellite), advertised down/up speeds, and the last-verified date. Maps that lack explicit verification dates or spatial precision should be treated with caution.

When coverage in a map disagrees with observable performance, the most useful evidence is repeatable, timestamped measurements tied to a location identifier (census block or lat/long). A minimal reproducible record contains:

  • date and UTC time,
  • public IP seen during the test,
  • connection type (Ethernet, Wi-Fi, modem model),
  • speed-test results (download/upload/latency) and at least one route capture (traceroute).
    Example commands (capture both Windows and Unix formats):
    tracert 8.8.8.8
traceroute 8.8.8.8
ping -c 10 8.8.8.8

    Screenshots of test results and a short note on whether tests were run behind NAT, a proxy, VPN, or a router-level QoS setting are very helpful.

Networking-specific cautions: tests behind proxies, corporate VPNs, or HTTP/SOCKS proxies will not prove last-mile coverage. Wi-Fi performance and router QoS can mask actual broadband speed; repeating tests on a wired client and temporarily bypassing home routers produces the cleanest evidence. Also redact personal data when sharing logs—only include the minimum location info needed (census block or coarse lat/long) and the public IP.

When available, request the machine-readable dataset and its verification policy from the state mapping contact. Well-documented, machine-readable evidence tied to standard spatial identifiers is the fastest way to trigger map corrections.

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.

Edit Preview