CTC delivers independent, data-driven analysis to guide our clients’ decision-making. Our GIS and analytics teams identify relevant public data and develop their own data to create maps and dashboards—and to provide inputs to our custom analytical tools.
Geospatial mapping
Expert mapping capabilities underpin many of CTC’s engagements, including market analyses, feasibility studies, strategic plans, residential surveys, grant program administration, fiber network designs, and wireless network planning.
Our team of geographic information system (GIS) specialists incorporate FCC geospatial data, census data, and other public databases, as well as client data and data collected by CTC’s outside plant team, to develop custom maps to support our analyses and illustrate our findings.
Geospatial analysis
CTC’s engineers, analysts, and grant specialists conduct geospatial analysis to develop strategic recommendations on fiber network routes, fixed wireless antenna siting, grant-funded project area boundaries, and public-private partnership planning.
We use the FCC’s geospatial data on ISP coverage along with other layered data sources to analyze coverage and competitiveness, build financial models for projects that would connect unserved areas, and measure key performance indicators.
We have supported more than a dozen state broadband offices (SBO) in executing their Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program Challenge Processes. As those state move into the next phases of their BEAD Program implementations, we are applying our geospatial analysis capabilities in evaluating many states’ BEAD subgrantee applications—and will analyze proposed projects’ intersections with known historic sites for analysis and risk assessment related to Environmental and Historic Preservation (EHP) compliance.
Network cost and financial modeling
CTC’s proprietary Grant Optimization Solution (CTC GOeS) incorporates economic, financial, topographical, and engineering data to produce highly accurate network cost estimates.
The CTC GOeS model’s algorithms design the most efficient networks to connect target locations—such as unserved or underserved address points—to existing infrastructure, including fiber, hybrid fiber-coax, and fixed wireless networks.
Our solution comprises an engineering-based cost-optimization model that combines engineering inputs (including desk surveys, field data, and regional geomorphic data), various cost components (considering capital and operational expenses), and revenue forecasting.
CTC GOeS produces engineering and financial models that consider multiple scenarios for broadband infrastructure deployment. These models can be used to assess the viability of different technologies and business cases to serve individual project areas, or they can be used across multiple project areas to evaluate the optimal mix of technologies for distributing public funding.
CTC uses the GOeS tool to evaluate private investment scenarios, local network designs, and state-level planning for state broadband office (SBO) clients’ BEAD and ARPA CPF funding. The tool enables us to evaluate the most suitable type of infrastructure (fiber versus fixed wireless or satellite), subsidy level (to project how much match an investor may be willing to provide for access to funds in a given area), and ubiquity of coverage (to enable consideration of how far available funds will go based on scenarios in which the highest-cost, most remote locations are included or not).
Data analysis and visualization
CTC builds quantitative and geospatial modelling tools, integrated with business and financial models, to identify optimal designs that connect unserved and underserved locations with efficient broadband networks that maximize available grant funding.
As consultants to more than a dozen state broadband offices (SBO) on their Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program subgrantee selection processes, we have developed statewide dashboards that provide information as to the selection status and the next steps needed to resolve all proposals.
These customizable dashboards support the application review, negotiation, and award phases. This enables real-time visualization of the evaluation process, supports the prioritization of application reviews, allows clients to track available funds as projects are awarded, and enables proactive management of negotiations and deconfliction of overlapping applications.
Network speed tests
CTC hosts custom internet speed tests on behalf of dozens of clients. Paired with statistically valid surveys that enable residents to identify service quality problems—or lack of service availability—these speed test portals enable clients to gather baseline and ongoing metrics.