Broadband Availability

The U.S. Department of Education developed this broadband availability map and search engine as part of a collaborative effort with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). This education-focused broadband map and database builds upon the NTIA State Broadband Data and Development (SBDD) Program that surveys bi-annually broadband availability and connectivity for the 50 United States, 5 territories, and the District of Columbia.

The State Broadband Initiative was created by the NTIA, to encourage economic growth by facilitating the integration of broadband and information technology into state and local economies. As it relates to education, broadband can be an important tool to help educators, parents and students meet major challenges. The country’s economic welfare and long-term success depend on improving learning for all students, and broadband-enabled solutions hold tremendous promise to help reverse patterns of low achievement.

With broadband, students and teachers can expand instruction beyond the confines of the physical classroom and traditional school day. Broadband can also provide more customized learning opportunities for students to access high-quality, low-cost and personally relevant educational material. Broadband can improve the flow of educational information, allowing teachers, parents and organizations to make better decisions tied to each student’s needs and abilities. Improved information flow can also make educational product and service markets more competitive by allowing school districts and other organizations to develop or purchase higher-quality educational products and services.

To build the education broadband availability tool set, four primary data sources were used:

• NTIA U.S. Broadband Availability Data (Fall 2010) for nationwide broadband availability
• NTIA U.S. Community Anchor Institutions (Fall 2010) for PK-12 school, college and university connectivity
• NCES Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (2009) for data on U.S. colleges and universities
• NCES Common Core of Data (2008-09) for data on pre-kindergarten through grade 12 public schools

For additional information, please see:

• The National Broadband Map
• Broadband Classroom
• National Broadband Plan with Chapter 11: Education
• ED.gov for Developers

Agency information:

• National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)
• Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
• National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
• U.S. Department of Education (ED)