Image
Fast, affordable Internet access for all.
30 Maps About the Internet
By
on
At their core, maps are about using data to tell a story. And we may be biased, but we love a good map about the Internet around here. Hexes, polygons, availability maps: they're all equally good. Whether in service to educating the public, or making a policy point, or helping local leaders make more informed choices as they work for the collective good, maps can be a powerful tool.
Every year since 2018, mapping gurus from the United States and around the world have come together to have some fun by putting together 30 maps in 30 days. Different types of maps and conceptual frameworks invite both builders and viewers to look at the world in new ways, and have some fun along the way.
Image
ILSR is joining in this year, and throughout the month of November we'll be releasing a new map every day showing featuring Internet infrastructure and digital equity in news ways. See the categories above.
Every day we'll publish a new map about the Internet, and post them to our StoryMaps page. The first is already live: showing mobile wireless towers in and around Phoenix, Arizona, that have been disguised to look like something else.
Got an idea for a map we should make? Email is at [email protected].
P.S. Maps about the Internet are nothing new: Vox collected 40 Maps About the Internet all the way back in 2014 (my favorites are numbers 8, 18, and 32).
Related Stories
New Resource Alert: ILSR Unveils Community Networks Predictive Map
In September we released our updated map pinpointing the location of the 400 municipally owned Internet service providers now serving almost 800 communities across the United States. Today, we unveil our predictive map that provides a multi-layered look into the near future of community broadband networks.
Communications in Costume
For many in the broadband and digital equity space, keeping up with “the maps” has been a long and arduous topic. Especially with the commencement of the BEAD program and state-level map challenges, we think it’s safe to say many feel frustrated or even horrified at what they find lurking within maps of Internet access. With Halloween upon us, we thought we'd take a short break from dwelling on such a tricky topic and instead offer you a treat.
New Resource: Our New Community Network Map Shows the Explosion of Publicly Owned Networks
Today we release a complete redesign of our longstanding Community Networks Map. It shows where municipal networks are located across the United States and how they are bringing new, more affordable service and competition to communities around the country, including networks operated by over 400 municipally owned Internet service providers covering more than 700 communities. A third of those networks provide high-speed Internet access to nearly every address in the communities where they are located.
Blueprints for BEAD: Use the FCC Map to Spot Trouble Areas for BEAD Challenges
One refrain we’ve heard over and over from those in states that have already completed the BEAD challenge process: despite NTIA’s best efforts, it's complicated and hard. The FCC map can step in to help out.
Blueprints for BEAD: Stakeholders May Use Rebuttal Power to Prevent New Errors in BEAD Maps
By mid June, we will have blown past the halfway mark in the BEAD challenge process - with more than thirty states having completed their “challenge windows” and another handful set to close imminently. But the “challenge window” is only part of the overall challenge process, and there are reasons for communities to stay engaged with the process even after that window closes. Communities - don’t sleep on the rebuttal window!
Connect Humanity, Microsoft Join Forces to Fund Appalachia Broadband
The nonprofit digital equity organization Connect Humanity has struck a new partnership with Microsoft to fund the deployment of affordable broadband access to long neglected residents of Appalachia. Connect Humanity unveiled the IDEA fund last year, stating the $25 million effort would collaborate with Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) to “create opportunities for local capital to invest in broadband infrastructure” across 13 Appalachia states.