Fight looms on broadband coverage maps

WASHINGTON – Some of the nation’s biggest telecommunications firms are preparing for a battle over how the Obama administration figures out exactly where in the country broadband Internet service is or is not available, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Connected Nation, a Kentucky-based nonprofit that maps coverage areas for AT&T, Verizon and other companies, wants to undertake the $350 million mapping effort, which will determine how $7 billion in federal stimulus money to support broadband expansion is spent.
But officials in Kentucky and some advocates in Washington argue that the company’s methods are unreliable and question its ties to major telecom firms.
“I think it’s a huge conflict of interest to turn our mapping over to the companies that stand to benefit from the results,” Art Brodsky, communications director of the public-interest group Public Knowledge, told The Wall Street Journal.
In response, Brian Mefford, Connected Nation’s founder and CEO, said: “Connected Nation is committed to the highest level of transparency and independence when we undertake mapping projects – whether it be for a state or the entire nation.”