Federal Project Grant Award Summary

Michigan State University received a $245,618 CAREER Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Division of Information and Intelligent Systems (CFDA 47.070: Computer and Information Science and Engineering) effective October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2027. Funded in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, this award supports the development of methods to design and evaluate Information and Communication Technology (ICT) measurement efforts that hold broadband deployment initiatives accountable to the communities they serve.

The project addresses critical gaps in assessing mobile broadband infrastructure coverage by developing crowdsourced ICT measurement platforms and methodologies. The research responds to documented inadequacies in provider-generated coverage maps, which substantially overstate broadband penetration using radio propagation models. Deliverables will include: (1) evidence-based approaches to measure ICT infrastructure accessibility at scale to illuminate existing inequities, particularly in persistently underserved communities; and (2) design frameworks for crowdsourced measurement platforms that generate representative data while accounting for demographic and geographic disparities. As ICT infrastructure becomes essential for education, healthcare, banking, and civic participation, the project's outcomes will provide policymakers and deployment officials with accurate assessment tools to verify that federal broadband investment efforts achieve intended coverage and equity objectives.