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The U.S. National Broadband Map: Data limitations and implications

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  • Grubesic, Tony H.

Abstract

The 2011 release of the National Broadband Map (NBM) has generated significant interest from the telecommunications policy community. The NBM is a multiagency effort, including the National Telecommunications Administration (NTIA), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), fifty U.S. states and five U.S. territories, to collect and disseminate information on broadband provision and quality of service for the United States. From a geographic perspective, the NBM represents a marked departure from previous broadband data efforts. Specifically, instead of disseminating FCC Form 477 data on providers at the ZIP code or Census tract level, the NBM reports provision information at the Census block level—the smallest geographic unit in which the Census bureau tabulates survey information. While this increased level of geographic data resolution is a welcome change, there are several notable limitations to these data that are important to consider when conducting spatial econometric analysis for public policy evaluation. With this in mind, the purpose of this paper is twofold. First, this paper explores the salient characteristics of Census block geographic base files, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses as summary units of spatial analysis. This also includes a brief discussion on how the NBM treats geographically large blocks and their use of road segments for aggregating provider data. Second, this paper examines the impacts of empty blocks (i.e. blocks that have no household information associated with them) for the spatial analysis of broadband. Finally, this paper provides a short overview of how these data limitations can impact public policy evaluation and provides a blueprint for improving the National Broadband Map.

Suggested Citation

  • Grubesic, Tony H., 2012. "The U.S. National Broadband Map: Data limitations and implications," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(2), pages 113-126.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:telpol:v:36:y:2012:i:2:p:113-126
    DOI: 10.1016/j.telpol.2011.12.006
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Tony H Grubesic & Mark W Horner, 2006. "Deconstructing the Divide: Extending Broadband xDSL Services to the Periphery," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 33(5), pages 685-704, October.
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    5. Tony H. Grubesic & Timothy C. Matisziw & Alan T. Murray, 2011. "Market Coverage and Service Quality in Digital Subscriber Lines Infrastructure Planning," International Regional Science Review, , vol. 34(3), pages 368-390, July.
    6. Grubesic, Tony H., 2008. "Spatial data constraints: Implications for measuring broadband," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 32(7), pages 490-502, August.
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    9. Prieger, James E. & Hu, Wei-Min, 2008. "The broadband digital divide and the nexus of race, competition, and quality," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 20(2), pages 150-167, June.
    10. Grubesic, Tony H. & Murray, Alan T., 2005. "Geographies of imperfection in telecommunication analysis," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 29(1), pages 69-94, February.
    11. Gillett, Sharon E. & Lehr, William H. & Osorio, Carlos, 0. "Local government broadband initiatives," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 28(7-8), pages 537-558, August.
    12. Grubesic, Tony H., 2006. "A spatial taxonomy of broadband regions in the United States," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 18(4), pages 423-448, November.
    13. Tony H. Grubesic & Alan T. Murray, 2004. "Waiting for Broadband: Local Competition and the Spatial Distribution of Advanced Telecommunication Services in the United States," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(2), pages 139-165, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Caldarulo, Mattia & Mossberger, Karen & Howell, Anthony, 2023. "Community-wide broadband adoption and student academic achievement," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(1).
    2. Whitacre, Brian & Biedny, Christina, 2022. "A preview of the broadband fabric: Opportunities and issues for researchers and policymakers," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(3).
    3. Elizabeth Mack & Alessandra Faggian, 2013. "Productivity and Broadband," International Regional Science Review, , vol. 36(3), pages 392-423, July.
    4. Mack, Elizabeth A. & Helderop, Edward & Keene, Thomas & Loveridge, Scott & Mann, John & Grubesic, Tony H. & Kowalkowski, Brian & Gollnow, Miranda, 2022. "A longitudinal analysis of broadband provision in tribal areas," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(5).
    5. Teklemariam, Mekuria Haile & Kwon, Youngsun, 2020. "Differentiating mobile broadband policies across diffusion stages: A panel data analysis," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(8).
    6. Grubesic, Tony H. & Helderop, Edward & Alizadeh, Tooran, 2019. "Closing information asymmetries: A scale agnostic approach for exploring equity implications of broadband provision," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(1), pages 50-66.
    7. Alizadeh, Tooran & Grubesic, Tony & Helderop, Edward, 2020. "Socio-spatial patterns of the national broadband network revealed: Lessons from greater Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(5).
    8. Conley, Kelsey & Whitacre, Brian, 2015. "Does Broadband Matter for Rural Entrepreneurs or ‘Creative Class’ Employees?," 2015 Annual Meeting, January 31-February 3, 2015, Atlanta, Georgia 196832, Southern Agricultural Economics Association.
    9. Tedi Skiti, 2016. "Strategic Technology Adoption and Entry Deterrence in the US Local Broadband Markets," Working Papers 16-15, NET Institute.
    10. Mack, Elizabeth A. & Maciejewski, Ross, 2015. "A profile of visual analytical toolkits for understanding the spatio-temporal evolution of broadband provision," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(3), pages 320-332.
    11. Isley, Catherine & Low, Sarah A., 2022. "Broadband adoption and availability: Impacts on rural employment during COVID-19," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(7).
    12. Silva, Simone & Badasyan, Narine & Busby, Michael, 2018. "Diversity and digital divide: Using the National Broadband Map to identify the non-adopters of broadband," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 42(5), pages 361-373.
    13. King, Jesse & Gonzales, Amy L., 2023. "The influence of digital divide frames on legislative passage and partisan sponsorship: A content analysis of digital equity legislation in the U.S. from 1990 to 2020," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(7).

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