Embedded Files
Visualization: https://broadbandmap.fcc.gov/
PRESENTATION OF THE APPLICATION
WHAT IS ITS PURPOSE?
Figure 1: FCC Fixed Broadband Deployment Home Page showing the different ways a user can search
The FCC Fixed Broadband Deployment application provides a visualization where users can see the distribution of broadband deployment across the United States in the following formats:
Location (address or coordinates)
Area (State, County, Congressional District, Census Place, Tribal Area, or CBSA(MSA)
Comparison (Nationwide or State)
Providers
WHAT IS THE DATA?
Figures 2-6: FCC Fixed Broadband Deployments' four main pages for data visualization
For this visualization, the main data is the provider detail which has the provider's ID number, provider's name, holding company's name, the state in which they provide service, and the maximum advertised download/upload speeds.
In order to visualize the provider detail data on a map, the visualization also keeps raw data available from Census.gov that contains the states, counties, Congressional Districts, Census Designated Places, Tribal Areas, definitions of Urban/Rural, and the definitions of Tribal.
HOW WAS THE DATA COLLECTED?
The data was collected by the FCC using its FCC Form 477, which is completed by facilities-based providers of broadband service. These forms are reported in June and December of each year. The FCC Form 477 data collection relies on 2010 Census blocks as the standard. In other words, all maps (state, county, Congressional Districts, Tribal Areas) are displayed as how they were in the 2010 Census.
WHO ARE THE USERS OF THE VISUALIZATION?
Anyone who is interested in the deployment of broadband across the United States. Broadband providers may access the visualization to determine where to expand next. Congress may access the visualization to address the lack of broadband in rural areas or improve the broadband infrastructure.
WHAT QUESTIONS DO PEOPLE HAVE?
How does my location compare to others around/far away from me?
How does geography play a role in deployment of broadband?
What types of internet technologies are available?
Which places have the fastest internet?
HOW CAN PEOPLE FIND ANSWERS?
People can search by coordinates, address, state, county, Congressional District, Census Place, Tribal Area, and CBSA (MSA). They can then filter the results by changing the data version (June or December since 2016), the types of technologies that are offered by providers, and the download/upload speeds that is advertised by the providers.
Figures 7-8: Illinois' broadband deployment (as of June 2020) and the filters for the visualization
WHAT WORKS IN THE VISUALIZATION?
The visualization updates smoothly upon applying filters to the data. All search queries work as expected. There is no need to click a button to update, which can be either a pro or a con depending on personal choice.
The option to change color scheme of the map is also a great touch of customization and helps users with difficulty in distinguishing certain colors.
Figures 9-10: Visualization customization
WHAT NEEDS IMPROVEMENT?
In the comparison page, it would have been nice to be able to compare two areas (for ex. two states) side by side rather than have them all listed in a table. A user is also not able to compare two data versions side by side or in the same table, which would have been nice to see how broadband has expanded throughout the years.
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