NTIA creates first interactive map to help public see the digital divide across the US

The US Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NITA) published an online map to outline the gaps in broadband including download speeds, access to devices, demographics, and locations. The interactive map is the first initiative to help users explore different datasets vis-à-vis the interplay between poverty and the lack of broadband including the location of high-poverty communities and how that relates to internet usage patterns and to the lack of computers and related equipment. ‘Any effort to close the digital divide starts with solid data, and the NTIA continues to help policymakers make more informed decisions on expanding broadband access. Now, the public can benefit from our platform to see which areas of the country still don’t have broadband at speeds needed to participate in the modern economy,’ noted NTIA Administrator Evelyn Remaley.