Giving the Broadband Census

My impression is that the "census" on the Broadband Census site is primarily an expression of Drew Clark's frustration with Telcos' stonewalling, obfuscation, and outright refusal to release a full data set--abetted by pusillanimous,* timid lawmakers & regulators who will not use their power to force its release.

The "broadband census," which requires high-speed Internet access & flash to complete, is not a census. Neither is it valid, reliable research. A census requires that data be collected from everyone, not just people who can respond because they already have broadband access. In a true census, each person "votes" once, whereas in the broadbandcensus.com speed test, it is possible for one person to "vote" many times over. Valid & reliable non-census research requires a large, representative sample of the population. There is literally no way one can establish whether this has been achieved (which is a ridiculously long shot) based on the information his site collects.

Keep in mind, however, that Drew is a journalist, and an excellent one at that. He is the person who (unsuccessfully, & not due to any false moves on his part) filed a lawsuit under the FOIA to get information from the Telcos about the true parameters of coverage, upload & download speed, pricing, profit margins, & etc.

If I had my druthers, Drew would add qualifying language to the "take the census" part of his site, making clear what it is and what it is not--or remove it entirely, because it is both inaccurate and misleading. Instead, he should focus on the Telcos' dishonesty as well as on the egregious betrayal of the public trust by lawmakers who feed @ the Telco trough, then do their "master's" bidding in Congress. Simultaneously, he could feature the more reliable data he has, like the information he displays concerning the gap between the number of providers officially present in a locality VS the number that are actually there. This would be much more credible and achieve a similar end.

Drew should get out of the research business and stick to what he knows. We should thank him for taking the initiative to bring this critical issue to public attention. His coverage of the availability-transparency issue is incisive, fair and accurate. He has done many good things and shows no signs of stopping, thank heavens. Rather than claiming to do something he cannot do (nobody can do everything), he should reach out to those who can and ask for help. My hunch is that everyone would be happier and the chances of the People prevailing over the kleptocracy would be vastly improved.

*Lacking courage and resolution; marked by contemptible timidity; puny; spineless.