The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society and the National Broadband Mapping Coalition invite you to join us for an online panel discussion on September 26 at 3:00 PM ET/12:00 PM PT to learn about how communities and states are collecting data on local broadband availability as the Federal Communications Commission rolls out the Broadband Data Collection (BDC) program.

National broadband availability data collected by the FCC has long been widely criticized for a lack of granularity and overstating the level and quality of broadband service to American households. BDC aims to improve this coverage data.

BDC data will be used to determine the allocation and distribution of funding to states under the $42.5 billion Broadband Access Equity and Deployment (BEAD) program. While awaiting the BDC data, governmental entities, community organizations, and researchers have begun undertaking their own data collection and mapping efforts.

Local data is essential to help communities plan and direct their own broadband solutions. However, the uncertainty around the potential need to challenge the accuracy of the BDC data complicates these efforts.

During the event on September 26, the panelists will discuss these community data collection and mapping efforts, highlighting promising approaches for collaboration and best practices for speed test surveys. We will also discuss how states and communities can be best prepared for the challenge process to ensure they have access to the federal funds they need to address broadband availability.

In a panel moderated by Dustin Loup, Program Manager at the National Broadband Mapping Coalition, we will hear from:

Eduard Bartholme, Senior Outreach Director, Broadband Data Task Force, Federal Communications Commission
Shayna Englin, Director, California Community Foundation Digital Equity Initiative
Lonnie Hamilton III, Broadband Planner, Office of Broadband, Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD)
Sarah Morris, Senior Advisor, Office of the Assistant Secretary, NTIA
Lai Yi Ohlsen, Data Scientist, Measurement Lab
Brian Whitacre, Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, Oklahoma State University

Event will be streamed on Youtube and Twitter.

From the Ground Up: Broadband Mapping By and For Communities