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FCC Asks You To Test Your Broadband Speeds
AnotherUsername writes "The Federal Communications Commission is asking the nation's broadband and smartphone users to use its broadband testing tools to help the feds and consumers know what speeds are actually available, not just promised by the nation's telecoms. At http://www.broadband.gov/, users enter their address and test their broadband download speed, upload speed, latency, and jitter using one of two tests (users can choose to test with the other after one test is complete). The FCC is requiring the street address, as it 'may use this data to analyze broadband quality and availability on a geographic basis' (they promise not to release location data except in the aggregate). The agency is also asking those who live in a broadband 'dead zone' to fill out a report online, call, fax, email, or even send a letter. The announcement comes just six days before the FCC presents the first ever national broadband plan to Congress. Java is necessary to run the test." Lauren Weinstein points out some of the limitations in the FCC's testing methodology.
Users are randomly assigned the Ookla or M-Lab application.
Note: the M-Lab application currently does not work with Safari, Chrome, and Opera web browsers.
Really? So the 3 most standards compliant browsers arent supported?
"His name was James Damore."
This is a waste of time, and simply another one in the current Democratic FCC's array of disappointments. This kind of voluntary speed test information gathering is worthless, since there's no way to vet the contributors' address claims. It's really just for show, just like the rest of the FCC's attempts to regulate.
The problem right now is the FCC's policies, and from what I've heard its upcoming National Broadband Plan, are wimpy, non-confrontational, and will do nothing to change the status quo in the current duopoly broadband industry. Genachowski, the head of the FCC, early in the NBP creation process took government intervention off the table, essentially maiming any hope the agency had of accomplishing anything. They have no anti-trust powers or backing from Congress. The agency itself is just too weak to accomplish anything.
The worst example of this is the FCC commissioned a study to be conducted by Harvard's Berkman center to determine why US internet had lagged behind. In the conclusion of the study, the foremost recommendation was the reinstitution of line-sharing, which had proved to be hugely successful in expanding broadband in European countries. Yet despite its own commissioned report, the FCC's head of NBP creation, Blair Levin, refuted the usefulness of line-sharing, fearing the FCC would simply be tied up in court over it for years and years, just as Comcast did when it was punished by the FCC for secretly throttling people's P2P traffic.
Until the FCC is given some real power there's no hope for changing things. Unfortunately due to Congress being gridlocked over more important things like healthcare, we won't see this until at the earliest 2012, and only if Democrats maintain a majority in both House and Senate.