States can improve rural broadband disparity by fixing FCC maps like Georgia did, says report from governors' group

"States can begin to address inequitable access to broadband by improving coverage maps that detail where connections aren't available or are too slow, similar to a pilot program implemented in Georgia, the National Governors Association said in a white paper released this month," Route Fifty reports.

Rural areas have had little access to reliable, affordable broadband for years, but the coronavirus pandemic has highlighted that disparity as people were forced to work and learn from home during shutdowns. 

The Federal Communications Commission bases broadband funding on self-reported data from telecommunications companies. That data often overestimates how many rural areas have broadband access. Another problem is that major telecoms often nab rural broadband grants and loans, but cut corners by installing slower DSL broadband instead of fiber-optic cable lines.

Even the FCC maps estimate that more than 18 million Americans lacked access to broadband in 2018. "The vast majority—14 million—of those unconnected people live in rural areas, with an additional 1 million residing on tribal lands," Kate Queram reports for Route Fifty. "Multiple studies have found that federal data undercounts those populations, the report adds, so the number of people affected by lack of reliable connectivity may be as high as 42 million."