BroadBand Scout℠

The objective of the $7.2 billion Federal Broadband Stimulus package is to greatly increase availability of high speed internet access to underserved areas in the United States. As part of the grant application process, applicants must be able to demonstrate the current internet connectivity options and usage statistics for the particular geographic area that they are applying to serve.

Aside from the Stimulus Package, carriers and municipalities are in need of this information for planning and strategy purposes. Many times, carriers and communities do not have access to internet usage characteristics for a particular geographic area, such as county.

BroadBand Scout℠ was developed to meet the market demand for internet connectivity and usage statistics for every geographic region in the United States. This data has been combined with mapping technology and overlayed with geodemographic attributes that allow planners to gain unbiased insight, seeing the true potential for broadband in any neighborhood in the United States.

BroadBand Scout - Stimulus

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 offers $7.2 billion in broadband stimulus grants, with the second round of applications due in March of 2010. To be eligible for grant money, broadband and wireless carriers, counties and states must present third-party (or independently) verified data – right down to the census block number – showing that a geographical area they’re considering for deployment is underserved.

BroadBand Scout - Stimulus provides the block-level data carriers need when applying for federal stimulus money. It uses proprietary analytic modeling, demographic data and Internet order data – which include physical and IP addresses – to learn the percentage of households with:

• Cable
• DSL
• Broadband (generic)
• Dial-up access
• Wireless access
• Satellite access
• T1 access
• Plus, select census demographics (e.g. income, population density)

Reporting is provided on a county-by-county basis.

BroadBand Scout - Stimulus Benefits:

• Allows carriers to confidently assess whether an area is underserved
• Provides the necessary verification required for Broadband Stimulus grant applications
• Census block-level data comes from an impartial provider
• Faster, easier and more cost-effective than resident surveys

BroadBand Scout - Strategy

Broadband and wireless carriers typically grab market share through expansion to new markets or by product differentiation, such as offering faster upload and download speeds. Too often, investment decisions such as these have been made based on insufficient information because industry data is difficult to obtain.

BroadBand Scout - Strategy provides impartial industry data for strategic decision-making. It uses proprietary analytic modeling, demographic data, speed test information, and Internet orders data – which include physical and IP addresses – to learn:

• The top 15 carriers operating in the area
• The carriers’ projected market share and number of households
• The Internet connectivity types used by percentage
• Census demographics for comparison to other competitors
• Overall Internet usage by census tract
• Median upload speed by census tract
• Median download speed by census tract

A comprehensive county-level report is provided, along with tract-level raw data in an Excel spreadsheet.

BroadBand Scout - Strategy Benefits

• Gain accurate competitive data from an impartial resource
• Confidently evaluate opportunities for expansion/differentiation
• Faster and more cost-effective than manual competitive research methods

BroadBand Scout - Wireless

Wireless carriers fill a needed service to areas that do not have fixed cable access, dial-up or satellite. When looking for strategic places to plant new wireless towers, they conduct door-to-door surveys and manually pour through census data and maps.

BroadBand Scout - Wireless provides impartial data about tower placement opportunities. As an add-on to BroadBand Scout - Strategy, it uses proprietary analytic modeling, demographic data, speed test information, and Internet orders data – which include physical and IP addresses – to pinpoint high income, high-concentration neighborhoods not served by broadband connectivity.

Reporting is on a county-by-county basis with neighborhood opportunities flagged.

BroadBand Scout - Wireless Benefits:

• Ensure that towers are placed in high-impact areas
• Increase the opportunity for profit and market share
• Faster, easier, and more cost-effective way to conduct research

To learn more call 651-291-3557 or email us at