Background

Jeff Cohen is the Software Engineering Manager at BroadbandNow, where he leads the engineering team responsible for the provider plans and coverage databases at the core of the site. Every availability check, speed comparison and coverage map on BroadbandNow runs on data infrastructure Jeff builds and maintains, including the dataset that powers millions of address-level pages helping consumers see exactly which providers serve their home.

Twice a year, when the FCC releases its Broadband Data Collection filings, Jeff manages the processing of more than 900 million records covering over 2,000 internet providers across all 50 states and Washington, D.C. — validating, normalizing and reconciling the raw federal data into the standardized database that BroadbandNow’s editorial and research teams rely on. He also processes coverage data for roughly two dozen data partners each year, making him the go-to authority for data questions both inside and outside the organization.

That data foundation is what makes BroadbandNow’s independent research possible. Jeff builds and maintains the datasets behind the annual Best and Worst States for Internet Coverage, Prices and Speeds rankings and the ongoing FCC overreporting analysis — the audit series that revealed how far official availability figures diverge from reality. He also prepares the underlying data for PCMag’s annual Best ISPs rankings, produced in partnership with BroadbandNow.

Jeff’s datasets travel well beyond BroadbandNow. He has curated broadband data for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), The Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times and EducationSuperHighway, and his engineering work delivers provider availability data displayed on hundreds of millions of Redfin home listing pages and dozens of city-level internet guides on U.S. News. When journalists, policymakers or partners need reliable, address-level broadband data, Jeff is the person who builds it.

Professional Background & Education

Jeff’s path to broadband data runs through both analysis and engineering. He began his career as a business research analyst at IBISWorld, collecting and interpreting pricing and financial data across manufacturing and service industries and discussing market trends with journalists from publications including Bloomberg, TIME, Forbes and The Economist. Along the way he developed a passion for coding, enrolled in a web development bootcamp in 2015, and returned to IBISWorld as a developer — building web applications and a custom content management system used by the firm’s research clients.

He joined the BroadbandNow engineering team in 2019, where he built and optimized the .NET Core APIs serving millions of users and helped re-architect the platform into a modern microservices stack. As he took on the provider plans and coverage databases, his analyst’s instincts and engineering skills converged into his current role: the authority on BroadbandNow’s data, responsible for turning hundreds of millions of raw federal records into information consumers can actually use.

Jeff holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Economics from UCLA.

Previously Published

Jeff builds and maintains the datasets behind some of BroadbandNow’s most cited research:

Personal

Jeff lives in Simi Valley, California with his wife and daughter, and spends most of his free time with them at the zoo, the park, or anywhere else outdoors. He’s an avid reader and a runner, currently training toward his first half marathon.