Improving the Quality and Accuracy of Broadband Availability Data, 24747-24749 [2018-11483]
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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 104 / Wednesday, May 30, 2018 / Notices
Suspension of Liquidation
In accordance with section
735(c)(1)(B) of the Act, Commerce will
instruct U.S. Customs and Border
Protection (CBP) to continue to suspend
liquidation of all appropriate entries of
fine denier PSF from Taiwan as
described in Appendix I of this notice,
which were entered, or withdrawn from
warehouse, for consumption on or after
January 5, 2018, the date of publication
of the Preliminary Determination of this
investigation in the Federal Register.
Further, pursuant to section 735(c)(1)(B)
of the Act and 19 CFR 351.210(d),
Commerce will instruct CBP to require
a cash deposit equal to the estimated
weighted-average dumping margin or
the estimated all-others rate, as follows:
(1) The cash deposit rate for the
respondents listed above will be equal
to the respondent-specific estimated
weighted-average dumping margins
determined in this final determination;
(2) if the exporter is not a respondent
identified above, but the producer is,
then the cash deposit rate will be equal
to the respondent-specific estimated
weighted-average dumping margin
established for that producer of the
subject merchandise, except as
explained below; and (3) the cash
deposit rate for all other producers and/
or exporters will be equal to the allothers estimated weighted-average
dumping margin.
Because the estimated weightedaverage dumping margin for TSCL is
zero, entries of shipments of subject
merchandise both produced and
exported by TSCL will not be subject to
suspension of liquidation or cash
deposit requirements. In such
situations, Commerce applies the
exclusion to the provisional measures to
the producer/exporter combination that
was examined in the investigation.
Accordingly, Commerce is directing
CBP to not suspend liquidation of
entries of subject merchandise produced
and exported by TSCL. Entries of
shipments of subject merchandise from
TSCL in any other producer/exporter
combination, or by third parties that
sourced subject merchandise from the
excluded producer/exporter
combination, are subject to the
provisional measures at the all-others
rate.
Because the final estimated weightedaverage dumping margin for subject
merchandise produced and exported by
TSCL is zero, entries of shipments of
subject merchandise from this producer/
exporter combination will be excluded
from the antidumping duty order. This
exclusion is not applicable to
merchandise exported to the United
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Jkt 244001
24747
States by TSCL in any other producer/
exporter combinations or by third
parties that sourced subject
merchandise from the excluded
producer/exporter combination.
These suspension of liquidation
instructions will remain in effect until
further notice.
Dated: May 23, 2018.
Gary Taverman,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Antidumping
and Countervailing Duty Operations
performing the non-exclusive functions and
duties of the Assistant Secretary for
Enforcement and Compliance.
Disclosure
The merchandise covered by this
investigation is fine denier polyester staple
fiber (fine denier PSF), not carded or combed,
measuring less than 3.3 decitex (3 denier) in
diameter. The scope covers all fine denier
PSF, whether coated or uncoated. The
following products are excluded from the
scope:
(1) PSF equal to or greater than 3.3 decitex
(more than 3 denier, inclusive) currently
classifiable under Harmonized Tariff
Schedule of the United States (HTSUS)
subheadings 5503.20.0045 and 5503.20.0065.
(2) Low-melt PSF defined as a bicomponent polyester fiber having a polyester
fiber component that melts at a lower
temperature than the other polyester fiber
component, which is currently classifiable
under HTSUS subheading 5503.20.0015.
Fine denier PSF is classifiable under the
HTSUS subheading 5503.20.0025. Although
the HTSUS subheadings are provided for
convenience and customs purposes, the
written description of the scope of this
investigation is dispositive.
Commerce intends to disclose to
interested parties its calculations and
analysis performed in this final
determination within five days of any
public announcement or, if there is no
public announcement, within five days
of the date of publication of this notice
in accordance with 19 CFR 351.224(b).
International Trade Commission
Notification
In accordance with section 735(d) of
the Act, Commerce will notify the
International Trade Commission (ITC) of
its final affirmative determination.
Because the final determination in this
proceeding is affirmative, in accordance
with section 735(b)(2)(B) of the Act, the
ITC will make its final determination as
to whether the domestic industry in the
United States is materially injured, or
threatened with material injury, by
reason of imports of fine denier PSF
from Taiwan no later than 45 days after
Commerce’s final determination. If the
ITC determines that material injury or
threat of material injury does not exist,
the proceeding will be terminated and
all securities posted will be refunded or
canceled. If the ITC determines that
such injury does exist, Commerce will
issue an antidumping duty order
directing CBP to assess, upon further
instruction by Commerce, antidumping
duties on appropriate imports of the
subject merchandise entered, or
withdrawn from warehouse, for
consumption on or after the effective
date of the suspension of liquidation.
Notification to Interested Parties
This notice serves as a reminder to
parties subject to an administrative
protective order (APO) of their
responsibility concerning the
disposition of proprietary information
disclosed under APO in accordance
with 19 CFR 351.305(a)(3). Timely
notification of the return or destruction
of APO materials, or conversion to
judicial protective order, is hereby
requested. Failure to comply with the
regulations and the terms of an APO is
a violation subject to sanction.
This determination and this notice are
issued and published pursuant to
sections 735(d) and 777(i)(1) of the Act
and 19 CFR 351.210(c).
PO 00000
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Appendix I—Scope of the Investigation
Appendix II—List of Topics Discussed
in the Issues and Decision
Memorandum
I. Summary
II. List of Issues
III. Background
IV. Scope of the Investigation
V. Discussion of the Issues
Comment 1: Reported Costs for a Certain
Product Control Number (CONNUM)
Comment 1(a): Direct Material Costs
Comment 1(b): Allocation of Labor and
Overhead
Comment 1(c): Market Price Methodology
for Grades B and C PSF
Comment 1(d): Scrap Offset Calculation
Comment 2: Factoring Agreement
Comment 3: Packing Cost
Comment 4: Application of Partial Facts
Available
VI. Recommendation
[FR Doc. 2018–11712 Filed 5–29–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–DS–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Telecommunications and
Information Administration
[Docket No. 180427421–8421–01]
RIN 0660–XC042
Improving the Quality and Accuracy of
Broadband Availability Data
National Telecommunications
and Information Administration, U.S.
Department of Commerce
AGENCY:
E:\FR\FM\30MYN1.SGM
30MYN1
24748
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 104 / Wednesday, May 30, 2018 / Notices
Notice and request for
comments.
ACTION:
The National
Telecommunications and Information
Administration (NTIA), on behalf of the
Department of Commerce (Department),
is requesting comment on actions that
can be taken to improve the quality and
accuracy of broadband availability data,
particularly in rural areas, as part of the
activities directed by Congress in the
Consolidated Appropriations Act of
2018. Through this Request for
Comments (RFC), NTIA seeks input
from a broad range of interested
stakeholders—including private
industry; academia; federal, state, and
local government; not-for-profits; and
other stakeholders with an interest in
broadband availability—on ways to
improve the nation’s ability to analyze
broadband availability, with the
intention of identifying gaps in
broadband availability that can be used
to improve policymaking and inform
public investments.
DATES: Comments are due on or before
5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on July 16,
2018.
ADDRESSES: Written comments may be
submitted by email to mappingrfc@
ntia.doc.gov. Written comments may
also be submitted by mail to the
National Telecommunications and
Information Administration, U.S.
Department of Commerce, 1401
Constitution Avenue NW, Room 4887,
Attn: Douglas Kinkoph, Associate
Administrator, Washington, DC 20230.
For more instructions about submitting
comments, see the ‘‘Instructions for
Commenters’’ section of SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Andy Spurgeon, tel.: (720) 389–4900,
email: aspurgeon@ntia.doc.gov, or Tim
Moyer, tel.: (202) 482–6423, email:
tmoyer@ntia.doc.gov, National
Telecommunications and Information
Administration, U.S. Department of
Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue
NW, Room 4725, Washington, DC
20230. Please direct media inquiries to
NTIA’s Office of Public Affairs, (202)
482–7002, or at press@ntia.doc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background: Broadband connectivity
is essential to the nation’s economic
growth and social advancement. It is the
conduit for economic and social
opportunities for U.S. households and a
gateway to increased productivity,
growth and market access for businesses
of all sizes, yet many American
businesses, households and critical
anchor institutions lack sufficient
broadband availability. Using its current
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
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Jkt 244001
definition of broadband (25 Mbps
downstream/3 Mbps upstream), Federal
Communications Commission (FCC)
data show that approximately 8 percent
of Americans lived in places where
fixed terrestrial broadband service was
unavailable by the end of 2016. This
data also demonstrates that there
continued to be a significant disparity
across America, with more than 30
percent of rural Americans and
approximately 35 percent of those living
on Tribal lands lacking broadband
availability, compared to 2 percent of
Americans living in urban areas.1 Many
businesses, schools and libraries in rural
and Tribal areas are insufficiently
served or cannot afford the network
transmission speed required to support
multiple users of bandwidth-intensive
applications. Knowing where the
persistent gaps in broadband exist is
crucial to enabling more efficient and
effective investments in broadband
infrastructure from both the public and
private sectors.
NTIA, in collaboration with the FCC,
pioneered the collection of extensive
broadband deployment data when it
launched the State Broadband Initiative
(SBI) in 2009. Through this program,
NTIA worked with every state, territory,
and the District of Columbia to collect
fixed and mobile broadband availability
data for over 11 million Census blocks
every six months for five years. To make
these data accessible to a broad
audience, NTIA launched the National
Broadband Map (NBM) in 2011.
Although the SBI program ended in
2015, NTIA continues its extensive
work to collect, analyze, and
disseminate data relevant to broadband
availability and adoption.
Presently, the only source of
nationwide broadband availability data
is that collected from broadband service
provider responses to the FCC Form 477
Fixed Broadband Deployment data
process. Form 477 data are submitted by
voice and broadband
telecommunications service providers
semi-annually and include information
on services each provider offers, at the
Census block level.2 While the Census
block system provides a very high level
of geographic granularity overall—the
United States is divided into over 11
million blocks, 95 percent of which do
1 Federal Communications Commission 2018
Broadband Progress Report. See https://
apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-1810A1.pdf.
2 ‘‘All facilities-based broadband providers are
required to file data with the FCC twice a year
(Form 477) on where they offer internet access
service at speeds exceeding 200 kbps in at least one
direction.’’ See https://www.fcc.gov/general/
broadband-deployment-data-fcc-form-477.
PO 00000
Frm 00032
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
not exceed 1 square mile in land area—
it is possible that broadband availability
may vary within a single block,
particularly if it is geographically larger
(which is most common in rural areas).
A provider offering service to any
homes or businesses in a Census block
is instructed to report that block as
served in its Form 477 filing, even
though it may not offer broadband
services in most of the block. This can
lead to overstatements in the level of
broadband availability, especially in
rural areas where Census blocks are
large.
Moreover, there is no independent
validation or verification process for
Form 477 data service providers to
submit to the FCC. While NTIA believes
that the Form 477 data program is
impressively large and useful, and
benefits broadband policy research and
decision-making, as well as the FCC’s
internal needs, NTIA also believes that
the Form 477 data collection program
suffers from issues with data accuracy.
Recognizing the deficiencies of the
current broadband data collection
process, Congress directed NTIA to
update the national broadband
availability map in coordination with
the FCC and use partnerships
previously developed with the states.
Unlike the SBI program, in which NTIA
worked with the states to collect and
validate broadband availability data
independent from the FCC’s Form 477
data collection process, this is not a new
program to fund the primary collection
of broadband availability or
subscription data, nor to fund specific
data collection activities by states or
third parties. Rather, Congress directed
NTIA to acquire and display available
third-party data sets to the extent it is
able to negotiate inclusion to augment
data from the FCC, other federal
government agencies, state government,
and the private sector. The objective of
these updates is to identify regions of
the country with insufficient broadband
capacity, particularly in rural areas.
NTIA is well-suited to perform this
task. It has extensive experience
collecting data on broadband adoption
and usage in the United States, creating
decades of datasets that complement the
Form 477 data collections on broadband
deployment and subscription. Since
1994, NTIA has partnered with the
Census Bureau (Census) to survey
approximately 53,000 U.S. households
on their internet and computer use.
NTIA’s questionnaire, administered as a
supplement to Census’s Current
Population Survey (CPS), includes more
than 50 questions to gather a wealth of
information on household and
individual internet use and
E:\FR\FM\30MYN1.SGM
30MYN1
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 104 / Wednesday, May 30, 2018 / Notices
demographics, including the locations,
technologies, and devices that people
use to go online, their online activities,
and the reasons why some Americans
still do not utilize these technologies.
Whereas Form 477 focuses on
broadband availability and subscription
data gathered from service providers,
NTIA’s CPS Supplements provide
detailed information on adoption and
usage of the internet, as reported by
households across the country. The
NTIA surveys, together with the FCC’s
Form 477 and three household
broadband adoption questions on the
American Community Survey, comprise
a valuable, holistic set of federal data
sources related to broadband.
NTIA issues this RFC to solicit
informed recommendations and
feedback on sources of broadband
availability data, mechanisms to
validate broadband availability data
using multiple data sources or new
techniques, and approaches to leverage
such data and techniques to inform
broadband planning at the state and
national levels by promoting the most
efficient use of state or federal funding
to areas that are insufficiently served by
broadband.
Request for Comments: NTIA invites
comment on the full range of issues that
may be presented by this inquiry,
including issues that are not specifically
raised in the questions below.
Commenters are encouraged to address
any or all of the questions below.
Comments that contain references to
studies, research, and other empirical
data that are not widely published
should include copies of the referenced
materials with the submitted comments.
1. Identifying additional broadband
availability data:
a. What additional data on broadband
availability are available from federal,
state, not-for-profit, academic, or
private-sector sources to augment the
FCC Form 477 data set?
b. What obstacles—such as concerns
about the quality, scope, or format of the
data, as well as contractual,
confidentiality, or data privacy
concerns—might prevent the
collaborative use of such data?
2. Technology type, service areas, and
bandwidth: Please consider providing a
table or spreadsheet attachment when
responding to question 2, if needed.
a. For each broadband availability
data source, please define the specific
broadband technologies (e.g., wireline,
cable, fixed wireless, satellite, multiple
sources, etc.) included in the data set.
Please explain the service areas or
geographic scope of the data set (e.g.,
Census block, county, cable franchises,
publicly funded service areas, etc.) and
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:04 May 29, 2018
Jkt 244001
describe how records from the data set
could be matched with records from
Form 477 data.
b. Describe how frequently the data
set is updated and the methodology
used for collection and what measures
are employed to validate or otherwise
ensure the data is accurate. Please
explain whether the data set
differentiates between subscribed
bandwidth and maximum available
speeds.
c. For each data set, please provide
the name(s) and type(s) of entity that
collects the data.
d. Finally, please specify the format of
the data (e.g., CSV, specific database,
specific Geographic Information System
(GIS) format, etc.)
3. New approaches: Are there new
approaches, tools, technologies, or
methodologies that could be used to
capture broadband availability data,
particularly in rural areas?
4. Validating broadband availability
data:
a. What methodologies, policies,
standards, or technologies can be
implemented to validate and compare
various broadband availability data
sources and identify and address
conflicts between them?
b. Do examples or studies of such
validation exist?
c. What thresholds or benchmarks
should be taken into account when
validating broadband availability, such
as bandwidth, latency, geographic
coverage, technology type, etc.? How
can conformance to such standards be
used to evaluate the accuracy of
broadband data sets? How could those
standards be used to improve
policymaking, program management, or
research in broadband-related fields?
5. Identifying gaps in broadband
availability:
a. What data improvements can the
government implement to better identify
areas with insufficient broadband
capacity?
b. What other inputs should NTIA
seek to inform data-driven broadband
policy- and decision-making?
Instructions for Commenters:
Comments submitted by email should
be machine-readable and should not be
copy-protected. Comments submitted by
mail may be in hard copy (paper) or
electronic (on CD–ROM or disk).
Responders should include the name of
the person or organization filing the
comment, as well as a page number on
each page of their submissions. All
comments received are a part of the
public record and will generally be
posted on the NTIA website, https://
www.ntia.doc.gov, without change. All
personal identifying information (for
PO 00000
Frm 00033
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
24749
example, name, address) voluntarily
submitted by the commenter may be
publicly accessible. Do not submit
confidential business information or
otherwise sensitive or protected
information. NTIA will accept
anonymous comments.
Dated: May 23, 2018.
David J. Redl,
Assistant Secretary for Communications and
Information.
[FR Doc. 2018–11483 Filed 5–29–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–60–P
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army
[Docket ID: USA–2018–HQ–0005]
Submission for OMB Review;
Comment Request
Department of the Army, DoD.
30-Day information collection
AGENCY:
ACTION:
notice.
The Department of Defense
has submitted to OMB for clearance the
following proposal for collection of
information under the provisions of the
Paperwork Reduction Act.
DATES: Consideration will be given to all
comments received by June 29, 2018.
ADDRESSES: Comments and
recommendations on the proposed
information collection should be
emailed to Ms. Jasmeet Seehra, DoD
Desk Officer, at oira_submission@
omb.eop.gov. Please identify the
proposed information collection by DoD
Desk Officer, Docket ID number, and
title of the information collection.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Fred
Licari, 571–372–0493, or whs.mcalex.esd.mbx.dd-dod-informationcollections@mail.mil.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title; Associated Form; and OMB
Number: Evaluation of Health Status of
an Infantry Battalion Following
Deployment in Support of Operation
Iraqi Freedom in 2004–2005; OMB
Control Number 0702–XXXX.
Type of Request: New.
Number of Respondents: 3,500.
Responses per Respondent: 1.
Annual Responses: 3,500.
Average Burden per Response: 1
Hour.
Annual Burden Hours: 3,500.
Needs and Uses: The information
collection requirement is necessary to
assess and evaluate the self-reported
post-deployment health status of
selected soldiers who operated in the
vicinity of Mosul, Iraq in 2004 (e.g.,
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\30MYN1.SGM
30MYN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 104 (Wednesday, May 30, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24747-24749]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-11483]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Telecommunications and Information Administration
[Docket No. 180427421-8421-01]
RIN 0660-XC042
Improving the Quality and Accuracy of Broadband Availability Data
AGENCY: National Telecommunications and Information Administration,
U.S. Department of Commerce
[[Page 24748]]
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The National Telecommunications and Information Administration
(NTIA), on behalf of the Department of Commerce (Department), is
requesting comment on actions that can be taken to improve the quality
and accuracy of broadband availability data, particularly in rural
areas, as part of the activities directed by Congress in the
Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018. Through this Request for
Comments (RFC), NTIA seeks input from a broad range of interested
stakeholders--including private industry; academia; federal, state, and
local government; not-for-profits; and other stakeholders with an
interest in broadband availability--on ways to improve the nation's
ability to analyze broadband availability, with the intention of
identifying gaps in broadband availability that can be used to improve
policymaking and inform public investments.
DATES: Comments are due on or before 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on
July 16, 2018.
ADDRESSES: Written comments may be submitted by email to
[email protected]. Written comments may also be submitted by mail
to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, U.S.
Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Room 4887, Attn:
Douglas Kinkoph, Associate Administrator, Washington, DC 20230. For
more instructions about submitting comments, see the ``Instructions for
Commenters'' section of SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Andy Spurgeon, tel.: (720) 389-4900,
email: [email protected], or Tim Moyer, tel.: (202) 482-6423,
email: [email protected], National Telecommunications and Information
Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue
NW, Room 4725, Washington, DC 20230. Please direct media inquiries to
NTIA's Office of Public Affairs, (202) 482-7002, or at
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background: Broadband connectivity is essential to the nation's
economic growth and social advancement. It is the conduit for economic
and social opportunities for U.S. households and a gateway to increased
productivity, growth and market access for businesses of all sizes, yet
many American businesses, households and critical anchor institutions
lack sufficient broadband availability. Using its current definition of
broadband (25 Mbps downstream/3 Mbps upstream), Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) data show that approximately 8 percent of Americans
lived in places where fixed terrestrial broadband service was
unavailable by the end of 2016. This data also demonstrates that there
continued to be a significant disparity across America, with more than
30 percent of rural Americans and approximately 35 percent of those
living on Tribal lands lacking broadband availability, compared to 2
percent of Americans living in urban areas.\1\ Many businesses, schools
and libraries in rural and Tribal areas are insufficiently served or
cannot afford the network transmission speed required to support
multiple users of bandwidth-intensive applications. Knowing where the
persistent gaps in broadband exist is crucial to enabling more
efficient and effective investments in broadband infrastructure from
both the public and private sectors.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Federal Communications Commission 2018 Broadband Progress
Report. See https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-18-10A1.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
NTIA, in collaboration with the FCC, pioneered the collection of
extensive broadband deployment data when it launched the State
Broadband Initiative (SBI) in 2009. Through this program, NTIA worked
with every state, territory, and the District of Columbia to collect
fixed and mobile broadband availability data for over 11 million Census
blocks every six months for five years. To make these data accessible
to a broad audience, NTIA launched the National Broadband Map (NBM) in
2011. Although the SBI program ended in 2015, NTIA continues its
extensive work to collect, analyze, and disseminate data relevant to
broadband availability and adoption.
Presently, the only source of nationwide broadband availability
data is that collected from broadband service provider responses to the
FCC Form 477 Fixed Broadband Deployment data process. Form 477 data are
submitted by voice and broadband telecommunications service providers
semi-annually and include information on services each provider offers,
at the Census block level.\2\ While the Census block system provides a
very high level of geographic granularity overall--the United States is
divided into over 11 million blocks, 95 percent of which do not exceed
1 square mile in land area--it is possible that broadband availability
may vary within a single block, particularly if it is geographically
larger (which is most common in rural areas). A provider offering
service to any homes or businesses in a Census block is instructed to
report that block as served in its Form 477 filing, even though it may
not offer broadband services in most of the block. This can lead to
overstatements in the level of broadband availability, especially in
rural areas where Census blocks are large.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ ``All facilities-based broadband providers are required to
file data with the FCC twice a year (Form 477) on where they offer
internet access service at speeds exceeding 200 kbps in at least one
direction.'' See https://www.fcc.gov/general/broadband-deployment-data-fcc-form-477.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Moreover, there is no independent validation or verification
process for Form 477 data service providers to submit to the FCC. While
NTIA believes that the Form 477 data program is impressively large and
useful, and benefits broadband policy research and decision-making, as
well as the FCC's internal needs, NTIA also believes that the Form 477
data collection program suffers from issues with data accuracy.
Recognizing the deficiencies of the current broadband data
collection process, Congress directed NTIA to update the national
broadband availability map in coordination with the FCC and use
partnerships previously developed with the states. Unlike the SBI
program, in which NTIA worked with the states to collect and validate
broadband availability data independent from the FCC's Form 477 data
collection process, this is not a new program to fund the primary
collection of broadband availability or subscription data, nor to fund
specific data collection activities by states or third parties. Rather,
Congress directed NTIA to acquire and display available third-party
data sets to the extent it is able to negotiate inclusion to augment
data from the FCC, other federal government agencies, state government,
and the private sector. The objective of these updates is to identify
regions of the country with insufficient broadband capacity,
particularly in rural areas.
NTIA is well-suited to perform this task. It has extensive
experience collecting data on broadband adoption and usage in the
United States, creating decades of datasets that complement the Form
477 data collections on broadband deployment and subscription. Since
1994, NTIA has partnered with the Census Bureau (Census) to survey
approximately 53,000 U.S. households on their internet and computer
use. NTIA's questionnaire, administered as a supplement to Census's
Current Population Survey (CPS), includes more than 50 questions to
gather a wealth of information on household and individual internet use
and
[[Page 24749]]
demographics, including the locations, technologies, and devices that
people use to go online, their online activities, and the reasons why
some Americans still do not utilize these technologies. Whereas Form
477 focuses on broadband availability and subscription data gathered
from service providers, NTIA's CPS Supplements provide detailed
information on adoption and usage of the internet, as reported by
households across the country. The NTIA surveys, together with the
FCC's Form 477 and three household broadband adoption questions on the
American Community Survey, comprise a valuable, holistic set of federal
data sources related to broadband.
NTIA issues this RFC to solicit informed recommendations and
feedback on sources of broadband availability data, mechanisms to
validate broadband availability data using multiple data sources or new
techniques, and approaches to leverage such data and techniques to
inform broadband planning at the state and national levels by promoting
the most efficient use of state or federal funding to areas that are
insufficiently served by broadband.
Request for Comments: NTIA invites comment on the full range of
issues that may be presented by this inquiry, including issues that are
not specifically raised in the questions below. Commenters are
encouraged to address any or all of the questions below. Comments that
contain references to studies, research, and other empirical data that
are not widely published should include copies of the referenced
materials with the submitted comments.
1. Identifying additional broadband availability data:
a. What additional data on broadband availability are available
from federal, state, not-for-profit, academic, or private-sector
sources to augment the FCC Form 477 data set?
b. What obstacles--such as concerns about the quality, scope, or
format of the data, as well as contractual, confidentiality, or data
privacy concerns--might prevent the collaborative use of such data?
2. Technology type, service areas, and bandwidth: Please consider
providing a table or spreadsheet attachment when responding to question
2, if needed.
a. For each broadband availability data source, please define the
specific broadband technologies (e.g., wireline, cable, fixed wireless,
satellite, multiple sources, etc.) included in the data set. Please
explain the service areas or geographic scope of the data set (e.g.,
Census block, county, cable franchises, publicly funded service areas,
etc.) and describe how records from the data set could be matched with
records from Form 477 data.
b. Describe how frequently the data set is updated and the
methodology used for collection and what measures are employed to
validate or otherwise ensure the data is accurate. Please explain
whether the data set differentiates between subscribed bandwidth and
maximum available speeds.
c. For each data set, please provide the name(s) and type(s) of
entity that collects the data.
d. Finally, please specify the format of the data (e.g., CSV,
specific database, specific Geographic Information System (GIS) format,
etc.)
3. New approaches: Are there new approaches, tools, technologies,
or methodologies that could be used to capture broadband availability
data, particularly in rural areas?
4. Validating broadband availability data:
a. What methodologies, policies, standards, or technologies can be
implemented to validate and compare various broadband availability data
sources and identify and address conflicts between them?
b. Do examples or studies of such validation exist?
c. What thresholds or benchmarks should be taken into account when
validating broadband availability, such as bandwidth, latency,
geographic coverage, technology type, etc.? How can conformance to such
standards be used to evaluate the accuracy of broadband data sets? How
could those standards be used to improve policymaking, program
management, or research in broadband-related fields?
5. Identifying gaps in broadband availability:
a. What data improvements can the government implement to better
identify areas with insufficient broadband capacity?
b. What other inputs should NTIA seek to inform data-driven
broadband policy- and decision-making?
Instructions for Commenters: Comments submitted by email should be
machine-readable and should not be copy-protected. Comments submitted
by mail may be in hard copy (paper) or electronic (on CD-ROM or disk).
Responders should include the name of the person or organization filing
the comment, as well as a page number on each page of their
submissions. All comments received are a part of the public record and
will generally be posted on the NTIA website, https://www.ntia.doc.gov,
without change. All personal identifying information (for example,
name, address) voluntarily submitted by the commenter may be publicly
accessible. Do not submit confidential business information or
otherwise sensitive or protected information. NTIA will accept
anonymous comments.
Dated: May 23, 2018.
David J. Redl,
Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information.
[FR Doc. 2018-11483 Filed 5-29-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-60-P
