Dustin Loup is the Marconi Society’s new Program Manager, who will oversee our collaborative National Broadband Mapping Coalition. Loup resides in Washington state and is an expert in Internet governance and community engagement.

1. Tell us a little about yourself. What is your background, and what will you be doing at the Marconi Society?

I am thrilled to be taking on the role of National Broadband Mapping Coalition Program Manager for the Marconi Society. I have been in Internet governance and policy space for nearly six years. During this time, I have served in a variety of roles including ICANNWiki, the Internet Governance Forum USA, DiploFoundation, the usTLD Stakeholder Council, and the Internet Society, including the Greater Washington, D.C. Chapter. In all of these roles, I have focused on building community and facilitating discussions about policies that impact the Internet, including a significant focus on digital inclusion. 

I am looking forward to applying my experience to facilitating the work of the National Broadband Mapping Coalition, with the ultimate goal of contributing to a national broadband ecosystem that is equipped with more reliable data and better information. 

2. What does digital inclusion mean to you? How do you see the field progressing in 2022 and beyond?

Digital inclusion has been a central focus of my work for a while now. Of course, it means the opportunity for everyone to be equipped with digital literacy, devices, and the affordable, reliable broadband access necessary to participate in the digital ecosystem that is powered by the Internet. However, I believe that true digital inclusion needs to empower communities and individuals to take an active role in ensuring that the Internet—and all it has to offer—meets their unique needs. This can mean everything from a community developing locally relevant digital services to determining the needs and identifying the priorities for broadband initiatives in their local region. 

3. The National Broadband Mapping Coalition is the first of its kind. What are the Coalition’s goals, and how do you hope it develops?

The goals of the Coalition all build on the cornerstone belief that broadband mapping and measurement should be based on transparent, open-source, and openly verifiable methodologies and standards. Operating on this belief, the Coalition aims to equip communities, governments, and individuals with the tools needed to make well-informed decisions on the policies, planning, funding, and deployment of broadband and digital inclusion initiatives. 

I believe that this Coalition will play an important role in the development of resources and best practices to improve the broadband mapping ecosystem. Currently, the field is in desperate need of reliable, standardized data at this critical time in which decisions are being made that will impact digital inclusion in communities across the country on a larger scale than ever before. In accomplishing this, it will be essential for the Coalition to raise awareness and demonstrate the importance of transparent and open broadband analytics. 

4. Who is currently in the Coalition, and who do you hope joins?

The current members of the Coalition include Google, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, the Marconi Society, M-Lab, and X-Lab, as well as various individual members that contribute to the work of the group. 

I expect to see this Coalition continue to grow in 2022 to become a diverse, cross-disciplinary group of experts nationwide that can operate at the intersection of technology and policy to have a positive impact on broadband mapping and analytics in the U.S. We look forward to welcoming a wide range of new participants and members from various backgrounds that are committed to supporting openness and transparency in the broadband mapping ecosystem. 

5. Why is mapping broadband difficult? Why is it important?

It is no secret that current national broadband maps provide an inaccurate and incomplete account of which households and communities are served. Unfortunately, this flawed data is hindering the ability of U.S. communities to prove their eligibility for federal and state funding to address their local broadband access needs.  States and localities have developed their own solutions to map and analyze broadband availability in order to address the gaps in current mapping efforts. While I’m encouraged to see communities taking an active role in shaping local broadband initiatives, this trend means that there are a wide range of tools and methodologies being utilized, with limited coordination and no agreement on what standards should be used for effective measurement. This issue is complicated by the fact that some of these initiatives rely on data that are not transparent, limiting the ability to independently verify the data’s soundness or accuracy. 

Reliable and open broadband data is absolutely critical right now, as unprecedented resources are being allocated to broadband access in the U.S. If decisions are made based on poor data, we run the risk of leaving communities and households behind, despite spending billions of dollars. If this happens, it could be years before there is another round of funding available for those remaining on the wrong side of the digital divide. 

6. How has the U.S. changed during your professional career in Internet policy? What are you optimistic about? What worries you?

We are finally reaching public consensus in the U.S. that everyone needs access to affordable, reliable broadband. This development has accelerated over the past few years, and the overdue acknowledgment has been a major boost to digital inclusion efforts that are years in the making. For me, this is a major cause for optimism. But as we celebrate this shift in public opinion and federal priorities, we must find solutions that not only address current needs, but limit the reemergence of divides in the future. 

We have the opportunity to fundamentally change the landscape of connectivity over the next few years. Through the work of the National Broadband Mapping Coalition, we aim to strengthen the many mapping efforts across the U.S. and ensure that this window of opportunity delivers on our collective goals for digital equity.