A Look at Broadband Access, Providers and Technology

The Federal Communications Commission publishes a bi-annual dataset based on data submitted by internet service providers using Form 477. This dataset provides information at the Census block level, the most granular geography used by the US Census Bureau, on types of technologies available (e.g. Cable, Fixed Wireless, Fiber-optic, etc.), maximum advertised download/ upload speeds, and providers’ names among other information. However, this dataset has several limitations. First, data is not granular enough and if a household or business in a particular block has access to any technology, the entire block is considered “covered”. Second, speeds are maximum advertised speeds and not actual speeds. Lastly, the data is carrier self-reported and is not validated by consumers or third-party entities. These limitations tend to overestimate coverage of broadband technology. Regardless of these limitations, this dataset (December 2017 v2) can provide valuable information for local planners and policymakers, such as but not limited to:

• Which providers have the largest footprint in the country?
• Which technologies offer the highest or lowest advertised download/upload median speeds?
• How does provider competition look like overall and in urban/rural areas?
• Are there differences between urban/rural locations regarding speeds, providers, and/or technology?

A total of 7.65 million Census blocks and 21.17 million records were analyzed. About 3.61 million or 47.3 percent were urban blocks, 2.76 million or 36 percent were rural, and the remaining 16.6 percent were not assigned an urban/rural category. Total population was 325.7 million living in 137.3 million housing units and 1,877 providers submitted information.