Colin Reilly: How the BEAD Tracker Speeds Up Broadband Insights
A dashboard for the digital highway from the national non-profit Connected Nation.
To say Connected Nation’s BEAD Tracker is attracting a lot of attention would be an understatement. Since its national launch on September 8, we’ve gotten input, questions, and views from state leaders, broadband industry insiders, journalists, the general public and others from across the country, including U.S. territories.
In my role as the vice president of data strategy and technical services, I lead the team that developed, updates, and maintains this tool, which monitors states’ progress in the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program. My team includes experts in research, data analysis, and broadband infrastructure.
So, why is the BEAD Tracker getting so much attention? In my opinion, it’s the approach we’re taking by using a dashboard – making it more accessible to the public, journalists, and others, while also making it very valuable to state broadband offices, federal officials, and others within the broadband industry.
Why a dashboard? Originally used in transportation, a dashboard is a set of controls that provide information on a vehicle. It could include speed, distance, mileage, and temperature, but the purpose is to inform the driver.
Applied to data, a dashboard is a set of charts, graphs, tables, and maps that attempt to transform complex and/or disaggregated data into a consolidated visual for easier comprehension, thus enabling insights or conveying progress to a less technical audience.
Much has been written about the effectiveness of dashboards, as well as some deserved criticism. Clearly understanding the purpose and the audience is critical to a dashboard’s success.
Keeping data refreshed and current is another essential component
Keeping the data refreshed and current is another essential component to a successful dashboard. It should not be “set and forget” unless the data does not change, and it is only meant to represent a moment in time.
Dashboards should not try to be everything to everyone. Customization to the audience is paramount. For detailed insights, using advanced statistical methods and artificial intelligence, coupled with and employed by qualified individuals, is the best recipe for success.
How the BEAD Tracker helps states and othersFor the CN BEAD Tracker, the target audience is interested parties including journalists, broadband offices, and concerned citizens.
Essentially, a dashboard can be effective in conveying lengthy and complex processes that may not seem so to the public. Using BEAD as an example, there were numerous steps and processes along the way that may get lost in the final numbers if that was the only thing the public took away from the process.
Public opinion and sentiment can be shaped by these impressions; therefore, it can be beneficial to a state to provide more insight into the process — a dashboard is uniquely equipped for this.
While the BEAD Tracker compiles data nationally, it can also provide state- or territory-specific analysis. Deeper insights at the local level can help states better communicate their efforts and progress in the BEAD program.
To learn more about the BEAD Tracker and see the latest data as it comes in, head to connectednation.org/beadtracker. If you are interested in a customized dashboard or more detailed analysis of your data, reach out.
Colin Reilly is vice president of data strategy and technical services for Connected Nation. In this role, he provides leadership, operational oversight, and support for CN’s full portfolio of data strategy and technical service offerings. Reilly also provides cross-vertical support relating proposals and RFP responses, and well as development and planning for new service offerings and solutions packages, which are instrumental to the success of the organization.
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