Increasingly, broadband Internet service is viewed as a critical component of a nation or state’s physical infrastructure and a key driver of economic growth in the world’s most economically developed counties. Ensuring that the infrastructure necessary to provide broadband service is universally available and that all citizens who wish to subscribe are able to do so are policy goals of many governments. Universal availability is, for example, a policy goal set forth in the National Broadband Plan, issued in March 2010 in response to a congressional mandate.
The project will help identify critical unserved and underserved areas and populations. This information will help in the development of a statewide plan to expand affordable, reliable broadband services to every citizen of the state.