TPRC 2024: The 52nd Research Conference on Communications, Information and Inter

Link to paper

Abstract:
New legislation has prompted US regulators to develop processes by which crowdsourced Internet measurements can be used as part of a formal process to fix the National Broadband Map--the official record of where Internet access is (and is not). Currently, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Broadband Data Challenge (BDC) process assumes that the people who experience Internet inequities are willing and able to participate in this civic data work. However, there is a body of evidence that demonstrates that the demographics most likely to experience digital inequities are also unlikely to contribute to crowdsourced data collection efforts. Thus, it is critical to understand how the framing and design of this civic crowdsourcing work may prevent marginalized stakeholders from participating in efforts to rectify the National Broadband Map.

In this paper, we make three contributions. First we used the Theory of Planned Behavior to deductively examine six of the most common crowdsourced Internet measurement platforms to characterize how they may encourage (or hinder) people from marginalized groups from participating in a measurement-based challenge process. We focus particularly on the FCC Speed Test app, which is the official mechanism by which citizens can participate in the FCC BDC. Second, we conducted a case study to examine the incentives and barriers that influence citizen participation in the FCC BDC in a community in the Southwest (pop. 70,000). This involved conducting exploratory interviews with eight residents living in the more rural outskirts of the community and the development of a survey, which was completed by 36 residents living in the area. While the data is small, it provides useful insight into how different groups of people within a single community perceive of the challenge process with different priorities and concerns based on location, race, and ethnicity. Specifically, it reveals how non-white and Hispanic participants are much more likely to be concerned about issues of privacy when participating in crowdsourced data work. Finally, we conducted a measurement focus group in the same small metropolitan area, involving nine participants in a one-hour data collection walk around the neighborhood using the FCC Speed Test app. Through this activity, we found that the official tool for making challenges is relatively unappealing to citizens who are generally interested in participating in civic action, and needs to be substantially re-evaluated to be more engaging for a broader civic audience.


Through our analysis, we find that there are straightforward but important ways that crowdsourced measurement platforms could be designed in the future to support broader participation and the collection of more representative crowdsourced data sets. Moreover, we identify specific critiques with the current FCC BDC that will likely prevent participation by everyday citizens. Ultimately, for crowdsourced Internet measurement data to be meaningful and representative, regulators need to attend more critically and carefully to the design and deployment of crowdsourced measurement tools.