Map Description:

The Indicators of Broadband Need map was created by the United States Department of Commerce, National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). The map uses several different data sources to show information on broadband availability within the United States.

The Indicators map leverages address, block, and tract-level data to evaluate the availability,  accessibility, and utilization of broadband internet across the United States. Data from Microsoft indicates the percentage of devices in a county that use the internet at broadband speeds. Tract-level data from the American Community Survey indicates the percentage of homes that report no internet access or that lack access to a computer, smartphone, or tablet at home. In addition to Census Block-level data from the FCC on the potential of a provider to offer broadband internet, the map also uses speed test data from M-Lab at the county-level, and Ookla at the tract-level, to understand the performance of broadband internet providers across the country.

The Indicators of Broadband Need Map also includes measures of equity to promote an inclusive understanding of broadband availability, access, and usage. The map displays high-poverty tracts, and the locations of higher education institutions eligible as Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) under NTIA's Connecting Minority Communities grant program. There is also a layer that shows areas designated as American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Areas by the U.S. Census in 2020.

Coverage Definition:

The Indicators of Broadband Need map provides information on broadband availability, access, and usage from several different data sources. Layers in this map were created using data sourced from the American Community Survey collected by the U.S. Census, Ookla, Measurement Lab (M-Lab), Microsoft and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Please refer to the entry for each data source to understand how it defines one of availability, access, or coverage.

Collection Method:

The map uses several different data sources to show information on broadband availability within the United States. Layers in this map were created using data sourced from the American Community Survey collected by the U.S. Census, Ookla, Measurement Lab (M-Lab), Microsoft and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Please refer to the entry for each data source to understand how it collects data.