This week the House of Representatives passed legislation authored by Representative Edward J. Markey (D-MA) to map the extent of current broadband deployment. The legislation, H.R. 3919, calls for the creation of a national, searchable broadband availability map that will allow consumers to find which service providers are available in their areas and authorizes funds for grants to local planning entities to increase broadband deployment and usage on the local level.

(Read the whole story from Rep Markey.)

I think this is a good step towards figuring out which areas need our greatest attention. I don’t think there will be any big surprises – with pockets of exceptions we need attention in the rural areas – but it will be good to have.

I’m also wondering how they will be gathering the info. It seems like a no-brainer but in library school that going to the source and simply asking the vendor about the services they provide doesn’t always lead to the best info. The Who’s Who books always asked people to provide their own details and there were always a lot of colorful or hopeful answers. It will also be interesting to see how the FCC reacts.