Fiber Opportunity Map

Identifies census tracts across 10 states (VA, KY, MD, PA, OH, NY, WV, MI, NJ, DE) that are strong candidates for new fiber broadband builds.

Key Terms

BSL (Broadband Serviceable Location) — An FCC-designated address (home or small business) where fixed broadband can be installed. The unit of measurement for broadband availability.

Unserved — No provider offers at least 25/3 Mbps.

Underserved — Service available between 25/3 and 100/20 Mbps, but below the modern standard.

RUCC — USDA Rural-Urban Continuum Code (1=large metro, 9=very rural).

Opportunity Score (0–100)

Composite of four weighted components:

Supply Gap — 40%
Few/no fiber providers, high % of BSLs without fiber, heavy copper/DSL dependency, unserved + underserved concentration.

Demand Signal — 30%
Median household income, household density (BSL count), cellular-only rate (want service but can't get wired), adoption gap, population.

Funding Tailwind — 15%
Count and concentration of BEAD-eligible unserved and underserved BSLs — federal funding potential.

Build Feasibility — 15%
RUCC-based rural/suburban sweet spot scoring, BSL density (not too sparse, not too urban), low existing competition.

Color Scale

Low (20) → High (80)

Data Sources

FCC Broadband Data Collection (June 2024) • Census ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 • USDA Rural-Urban Continuum Codes 2023