Formatting Instructions -
Census Blocks
Format of Data
The required format for the entries in each column/field is indicated in the instructions for each sheet.  
All data should be submitted in a .csv (comma-delimited) format.  The sheets in the workbook provide a 
template for how the tables should be designed.
Block-DA Instructions
"Census Block to Distribution Areas" Table
Column Variable Name Format Possible Entries/Example Entries Description
A block Text 110010062021037 15-digit FIPS code for the census block 
using the 2010 identifier from the 2010 
TIGER/Line Block State-based Shapefile or 
Block County-based Shapefile
B cllida Text PDMTALMA2301 The CLLI distribution area code that 
corresponds to the Census block
C locations Integer 43 Total number of Customer locations 
where the Company offers service in the 
distribution area that are contained in the 
stated Census block
Notes by Column:
For each census block in which the Company makes any MVPD Service, Internet Access Service, or telephone service, available to any 
customer location in the census block, state the distribution area that the census block belongs to in the table below.
In general, this table is intended to provide a correspondence between distribution areas and the Census blocks that are contained 
within each distribution area.
A: The block identifier is a concatenation of Census 2010 state FIPS code, Census 2010 county FIPS code, Census 2010 census tract code 
and Census 2010 tabulation block number.
Please see the 2010 TIGER/Line Shapefiles Technical Documentation, Chapter 5, Part 5.2 at http://www.census.gov/geo/maps-
data/data/pdfs/tiger/tgrshp2010/TGRSHP10SF1CH5.pdf.
B: If multiple distribution areas serve customer locations in a census block, multiple observations should be created for the Census block, 
with each Census block/Distribution Area combination as a separate entry.
Block-DA Template
block cllida locations
110010062021037 PDMTALMA2301 43
0