Pew Charitable Trusts Announces New Broadband Research Effort

WASHINGTON, June 11, 2018 – The Pew Charitable Trusts recently announced a new broadband research effort amid concerns that government’s past data collection methods are not enough to inform policy makers on the nation’s broadband access gap.

In a May 30 webinar event on this new broadband research initiative focused on improving data collection methods and connecting data research to public policy, researchers focused on how to better serve less-connected parts of the country.

Anne Stauffer, director of broadband research at the Pew Charitable Trusts, explained that the goal of the project is to provide data and analysis to policy makers looking to expand broadband access to the millions of Americans who lack reliable and high-speed internet services. The event was hosted by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.

As part of the research, the Pew Charitable Trusts plan to convene stakeholders, in-state policymakers, industry, and other interest groups working within the broadband access issue. Stauffer expressed that looking at this method of looking at issues of access may help inform research and state practices.

Stauffer said that one of the challenges surrounding the access issue is that some of the available data is either not sufficiently accurate or fails to provide policymakers with what they need to make decisions about where the gaps in broadband access are located, and how it can be fixed.

Link to Pew Charitable Trusts webcast: