About Us
In 1999, our founders left the corporate telecom world to set out on their own – the aim was simple: to untangle complex client problems with great integrity and precision. Over the last 23 years, we found our footing in broadband telecommunications economics, mapping, network modeling, planning, valuations, appraisals, government advisory, and geospatial data. CostQuest has a team of leading broadband telecommunications economic, engineering, regulatory, data science, and application development experts and ASA Appraisers on staff, with years of experience in their fields.
We are proud to have valued over $1T in assets, created the model used by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to distribute over $3B annually for high-cost areas, provided cost models to the National Telecommunications Information Administration (NTIA) to support the distribution of the $42.5B to State, Territories, and Washington D.C. for the IIJA’s Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, helped providers and governments more granularly map broadband service, and much more. We were awarded the FCC’s Broadband Serviceable Location Fabric contract to solve location accuracy issues and deliver the foundational geospatial data to support the FCC’s Broadband Data Collection process and their National Broadband Map. This Broadband Serviceable Location Fabric is pivotal for initiatives to help close the Digital Divide across the U.S.
While these achievements are noteworthy, it’s our passion for developing solutions to complex problems that make us who we are.
To that end, bring us your most complex problems, and we will bring some savvy earned over the years to help untangle them.
We look forward to working with you.
Our Mission
Our mission is to provide the broadband industry, policymakers, and regulators with the confidence and assurance to make effective broadband and utilities decisions.
The love of the challenge and our commitment to precision is who we are. We work to get it right.
Who we work with
Who we are
CostQuest’s culture is best described as a quiet confidence, grounded by humility and a commitment to precision. A “CostQuester” takes pride in navigating the weeds but understands the importance of making information approachable.
Our team is passionate about supporting the broadband industry in the grand effort of closing the Digital Divide. We are devoted to tackling complex broadband problems to help teams expand broadband access to all.
Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, we’ve grown to have a team in Seattle, Washington, a presence in Washington, D.C., and a network of experts across the United States.
Our values
Precision: We’re committed to precision; we work to get it right.
Integrity: We’re committed to always doing the right thing.
Excellence: We create excellent, effective, actionable solutions.
Respect: We’re respectful, supportive, and neutral.
What We Do
CostQuest Associates (CQA) is a broadband consulting firm specializing in economic cost modeling, broadband planning, mapping, government advisory, network valuation, appraisal services, and developing GIS (Geographic Information System) data for the broadband ecosystem. Through deep analytical approaches and a wealth of expertise on hand, CostQuest blends real-world engineering principles, regulatory knowledge, economics, and data science, to solve complex broadband challenges and create effective solutions that enable broadband professionals and governments to reach their goals and succeed.
CostQuest is contracted by the FCC to deliver a Broadband Serviceable Location Fabric (FCC Fabric) dataset, to provide the foundational location data to support the FCC’s Broadband Data Collection process and National Broadband Map.
Two ways to work with us:
Data: We build broadband-specific GIS (Geographic Information System) data for service providers, government entities, engineers, consultants, and other organizations to effectively guide broadband deployment, business planning, and policy decisions. By first pinpointing all Broadband Serviceable Locations in the U.S., we then tie it with other insightful broadband attributes per location, such as service (technology) availability, available funding, cost to serve, demographics, and more, to support teams through the lifecycle of their broadband initiatives.
Consulting Services: Core to our roots, our consulting services team builds custom cost, business case, valuation, and appraisal models to detail the economics of broadband utilities infrastructure for service providers, engineers, governments, and more. CostQuest provides the modeling, input, training, maintenance, testimony, and witnessing that is required to support our services and data used in tax, advocacy, or public hearings. With technology-specific experts in fiber, fixed wireless, and mobility, as well as ASA appraisers on staff, we offer end-to-end solutions that stand up to the highest levels of scrutiny.
We offer government broadband advisory services, which include funding program design, cost models, broadband maps, and other custom solutions for federal, state, and local governments. We’ve worked with various government officials across the U.S. to develop strategies that connect communities lacking reliable broadband service. CostQuest also has trusted experts who have operated at the global scale, testified to Congress, built wireline cost models for U.S. subsidy programs, informed legislation, and worked with multiple international federal governments.