Mapping Broadband Health in America is a novel, interactive mapping platform created by the Connect2HealthFCC Task Force to provide compelling insights into opportunities and gaps in the connected health space. By using the mapping platform as a foundation for understanding the intersection of broadband and health, policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and other platform users can chart a concrete path to a more connected and healthier future for all Americans.
Maternal Health, Chronic Disease, and Opioids
From its initial launch and through various updates and expansions, the platform remains a critical resource that enables users to visualize, intersect and analyze broadband and maternal health, chronic disease and opioid mortality data at the national, state and county levels. Starting in June 2023, and in response to the Data Mapping to Save Moms’ Lives Act (leaves FCC.gov, opens PDF file in new browser window), the platform added key maternal health data, including maternal mortality, severe maternal morbidity, maternal care deserts, mental health providers, and maternal age. To drive even more meaningful insights, the platform has now been expanded to include additional broadband and maternal health variables, SDOH indicators, and demographic data, along with its more traditional focus on chronic disease outcomes and data responsive to the opioid crisis.
Innovative Visualization Framework
Mapping Broadband Health in America reflects a groundbreaking visualization framework that allows users to ask three fundamental questions about how broadband and health data intersect and where broadband can be leveraged to help improve health and health outcomes. These questions are linked to three distinct ways of viewing and manipulating the data to create custom visualizations: the OVERVIEW, BROADBAND, and HEALTH views.
Where do broadband and health needs coincide? You can explore this in OVERVIEW where we categorize geographic areas (states or counties) into one of four categories keyed to their level of broadband connectivity and population health outcomes: Double Burden, Opportunity, Single Burden, Milestone.
What is the broadband picture across different levels of health need? Using filtering, the BROADBAND view visualizes the broadband picture based on selected health metrics. You can then compare the broadband picture across different levels of health need.
What is the health picture in higher or lower connectivity areas? Similarly, the HEALTH view visualizes the picture of health based on your selected broadband metrics (e.g., broadband access, rural access, Internet adoption).