Columbia SC Chosen For Critical Information Needs Research Model Pilot

The Federal Communications Commission’s Office of Communications Business Opportunities (OCBO) selected Columbia, South Carolina to field-test the Research Design for its Multi-Market Study of Critical Information Needs (Research Design).

The site was chosen because it is a medium-sized market that is racially, ethnically and linguistically diverse. Ease of travel for data collection, as well as having a nearby school of communications/journalism, also made it a model site. The selection is the next step in OCBO’s process to ensure the FCC has a vetted research tool that can subsequently be used in markets nationwide.

The Commission is obligated under § 257 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, to review and report to Congress on: (1) regulations prescribed to eliminate market entry barriers in the provision and ownership of telecommunications services and information services, or in the provision of parts or services to providers of telecommunications services and information services by entrepreneurs and other small businesses; and (2) proposals to eliminate statutory barriers to market entry by those entities, consistent with the public interest, convenience, and necessity. In order to assess whether government action is needed to ensure that the information needs of all Americans are being met, including women and minorities, it is necessary to understand how the public acquires critical information, how the media ecosystem operates to provide this information, and what barriers exist to participation.

OCBO expects to complete this next phase of its Critical Information Needs Research no later than July 2014.