Minnesota, a leader in broadband mapping, joins seven other states across the country to improve mapping accuracy
WASHINGTON– U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, co-chair of the bipartisan Senate Broadband Caucus, announced that Minnesota has been chosen by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to collaborate with seven other states across the country to broaden and update the national broadband availability map. Minnesota, a leader in broadband mapping, will join West Virginia, California, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Utah, to contribute data and other inputs to improve the accuracy of national broadband mapping.
“As we work to close the digital divide and bring high-speed internet to communities across the country, it is critical that we have a clear understanding of existing broadband infrastructure,” Klobuchar said. “Minnesota has a long history of effectively mapping broadband availability and will be a strong partner with the NTIA and these other states as they work to bring broadband internet connection to every family, regardless of their zip code.”
“In order to ensure that all Americans have access to broadband, we need a more precise picture of the current services and infrastructure that are available. NTIA’s work on an updated map, in partnership with these initial states, will help policymakers around the country make better decisions as they devise broadband expansion plans.” said David Redl, Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator.
The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018 directed NTIA to update the national broadband availability map using its previously developed state partnerships. The initial eight state partners were chosen because they reflect geographic diversity, participate in NTIA’s State Broadband Leaders Network, have active state broadband plans or programs, and were willing to contribute data that can be combined with nationwide data sources to give policymakers a deeper understanding of broadband availability.
NTIA expects to seek participation from additional states, territories and federally recognized tribes that have broadband programs or related data-collection efforts. The initial map will include available nationwide data for every state combined with state-level data from the eight states.
As a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, Klobuchar has long championed accuracy in national broadband mapping and rural broadband expansion. In September 2018, Klobuchar and Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) led a letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) highlighting that the FCC’s mobile coverage maps and nationwide broadband coverage reports overstated service and quality in rural areas and encouraged the FCC to use crowdsourced data to improve coverage maps. Klobuchar and Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) led the Precision Agriculture Connectivity Act, which was signed into law as part of the 2018 Farm Bill. The bipartisan legislation will identify gaps in coverage and encourage broadband deployment on farms and ranchland. The 2018 Omnibus Budget Act, which was signed into law on March 23, 2018, contained an additional $600 million for dedicated broadband funding as well as Klobuchar’s bills to encourage wireless carriers to work with rural or smaller carriers to increase wireless broadband access in rural communities and to cut red tape by ensuring that states coordinate highway construction projects with broadband providers so that broadband infrastructure can be installed at the same time—known as “dig once.”
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