Guessing at data
Markets without trustworthy information can’t function, and reliable data about highspeed internet access pricing and and speeds doesn’t seem to exist in this country. Solving that problem was the focus of some interesting talks this morning at a conference convened by BroadbandCensus.com.
There are several voluntary efforts going on right now, based on mashing together speed tests and mapping functions (Virginia Tech, BroadbandCensus, SpeedMatters) but these are just first steps towards reliable data. It’s an amazing situation, actually - carriers providing this basic internet access service get to say “I have something in my pocket, what color is it?” They say that this data is expensive to get and reveals proprietary information. When state authorities want the data, sometimes the carriers make them sign non-disclosure agreements.
(Meanwhile, Ken Flamm of UT Austin points out, the US expends more effort gathering cheese prices than internet access infrastructure data.)
I was particularly impressed by Jane Smith Patterson of the e-North Carolina Authority (funded by the legislature), who said bluntly that she thinks highspeed internet access is a utility, and that people in North Carolina want (and deserve) 30 Mbps symmetrical access. She thinks the carriers have all the data needed, that it’s easily available, and that states should be the entities working on this issue - they have the economic development imperative that isn’t as acutely felt at the federal level.
Eamonn Confrey of Broadband.gov (Ireland) made the point that Ireland felt it was going to lose multinationals if it didn’t improve its highspeed internet access infrastructure. So they’re working not only on data gathering but also on investing in urban dark fiber (open access) installations.
The state-federal divide on responsibility for gathering data is interesting. The state authorities are more vitally interested in the welfare of their citizens (arguably), and the partisanship that surrounds access issues may be more muted in the state context. Plus the pressure that states can exert on federal policy is useful.
More tomorrow from TPRC.
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[…] The blog posts are beginning to appear for the Broadband Census for America Conference on Friday, September 26. Here’s the post by Tim Vollmer from the American Library Association. And from Cynthia Brumfeld at IP Democracy. And from Susan Crawford’s blog. […]
BroadbandCensus.com is a remarkably useless website.
It tells you where broadband is, but does not tell you where there is no broadband. If you take the census, they assume you have broadband. There is no option to say that you do not have broadband.
The speed test crashed my web browser.
Asking what is available in my zip code is remarkably useless as well. Zip codes are the wrong way to go. There are 2 towns sharing one zip code here, and the larger town has Time-Warner cable. The smaller town has no cable.
It is also a very slow website when accessed from dialup.
Efforts like “BroadbandCensus.com” appear to be well-meaning, but in fact they are gathering data on behalf of the large cable and telephone companies which can be used for anticompetitive purposes. A database showing exactly where competitors are providing service would give these giants the ability to target these areas and destroy competition.
It is possible to avoid this problem by gathering statistics in confidence and then publishing only aggregated results, as the FCC has tried to do using Form 477. However, the founder of BroadbandCensus.com was behind a lawsuit which attempted to force the FCC to release this sensitive data, endangering small competitors to the telephone and cable monopolies. We need to nurture competition — not aid those who want to kill it.
Reacting to Tom Jaskiewicz, I’m sorry to hear about the browser crash, and I appreciate the feedback. On our “census page,” at http://broadbandcensus.com/census/form, you do have the option, in the drop down menu to the right of “What type of service?” to say “Dial-up.” We are not assuming you do or don’t have broadband — we are trying to find out where, and who, offers it in a given ZIP code, as well as smaller geographical units, like ZIP+4. We realize that ZIP codes are too large, which is why we have been supporting efforts to collect and publicly release data on the census block and ZIP+4 level. See http://broadbandcensus.com/blog/?p=119
With regard to Brett Glass’ comment, we’ve been talking about this for a long time already. Please see http://broadbandcensus.com/blog/?p=352
[…] “Guessing at data,” Susan Crawford’s blog […]
[…] “Guessing at data,” Susan Crawford’s blog […]
[…] Vollmer from the American Library Association. And from Cynthia Brumfeld at IP Democracy. And from Susan Crawford’s blog. […]
[…] “Guessing at data,” Susan Crawford’s blog […]