The Broadband Mapping Issue - and its Teachable Moment

If the stimulus bill’s $35 million to map existing U.S. broadband sounds like a lot, read Saul Hansell’s blog post at the New York Times. And the money will go to some other related efforts, too. (Frank at Very Spatial alluded to the situation this week in the podcast, so this will help clarify for those who were left scratching their heads.) The article also does a nice job highlighting some things I know I forget to mention when speaking about mapping the U.S.:

- It’s not usually as simple as you’d think.
- Not everyone wants to help.
- It can be expensive.
- The resulting data may or may not fully public.
- Everyone has an angle.
- Maps and accountability go together and make some people nervous.