Map quest
May 14, 2009
When working at my first telecom reporting job in the early ‘90s, I was amazed when an inventory software outfit told me that phone companies frequently lacked detailed information as to what network assets they had and/or where it was located. As various service providers have built broadband networks in the years since, I feel certain that keeping track of network assets has vastly improved. But as a nation, we apparently still lack complete information relative to U.S. broadband availability and need.
Of course, the federal government is trying to address that issue. As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the NTIA has been charged with allocating $350 million of the $4.7 billion in broadband stimulus funds it will disperse to developing and maintaining a broadband inventory map. Still unclear, however, is just who will develop and maintain that map, or collection of maps, and precisely what kind of information said map(s) should include...
When working at my first telecom reporting job in the early ‘90s, I was amazed when an inventory software outfit told me that phone companies frequently lacked detailed information as to what network assets they had and/or where it was located. As various service providers have built broadband networks in the years since, I feel certain that keeping track of network assets has vastly improved. But as a nation, we apparently still lack complete information relative to U.S. broadband availability and need.
Of course, the federal government is trying to address that issue. As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the NTIA has been charged with allocating $350 million of the $4.7 billion in broadband stimulus funds it will disperse to developing and maintaining a broadband inventory map. Still unclear, however, is just who will develop and maintain that map, or collection of maps, and precisely what kind of information said map(s) should include...
posted by Connect Ohio at
1:46 PM
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