The FCC reports on the decommissioning of their old broadband maps – on Dec 21, 2018…

Since 2011, the National Broadband Map has been a vital tool for consumers, businesses, policy makers, and researchers by providing an easy- to-use and searchable way to find out who is offering broadband, what types of broadband they are offering, and where they are offering it.  But the mapping platform has become dated, as has the coverage data, which was collected through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) State Broadband Initiative (SBI); the last published SBI data set was current as of June 30, 2014.  Based on the age of the data, and the underlying technology, the National Broadband Map and its Application Program Interface (API), will be decommissioned on December 21, 2018.

Recognizing the value of broadband data visualizations, the Federal Communications Commission released a new Fixed Broadband Deployment map in February 2018 to display new data collected by the FCC from carriers on FCC Form 477, which is updated twice annually. Like the old map, the new map provides key information about broadband deployment for consumers, policymakers, researchers, economists, and others.

Looking at the new maps was a reminder to me that they were last updated in 2017. We are lucky in Minnesota to have updates more often.