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Bill Would Make Carriers Publish 4G Data Speeds

Posted by samzenpus on from the show-me-the-numbers dept.

GovTechGuy writes "A new bill from Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) would force wireless carriers to provide consumers with information on the minimum data speeds for their 4G networks at both the point of sale as well as on all billing materials. The bill would also task the FCC with compiling a Consumer Reports-style comparison of the 4G data speeds at the top ten wireless carriers so customers can view a side-by-side comparison."

5 of 99 comments (clear)

  1. What about latency? by MrEricSir · · Score: 5, Insightful

    With AT&T's 3G, the latency is so bad that it feels far slower than the speed would imply. I think just publishing the speed is only a small part of the overall picture.

    --
    There's no -1 for "I don't get it."
    1. Re:What about latency? by rcpitt · · Score: 3, Interesting
      While you're talking about latency - take a look at Bufferbloat and the stuff pertaining to wireless networks in general and cell-data in particular.

      Much of today's cell tower equipment is installed with no queue management turned on - and 100% retry "forever" (or at least a long period of time, longer than the 2 seconds it takes TCP/IP sessions to decide a packet didn't get there and resend, causing cascading congestion) and loads of buffer space to the point where latency is measured in 10s of seconds in some cases.

      A carrier that actually takes advantage of the queue management built into the edge equipment can make their network faster and "feel" faster, and cut down on the actual amount of data they carry - but many (most?) don't have a clue.

      For those interested in diving deeper - take a look at the Bufferbloat mail list and for want of a better one, this post by Jonathan Morton that speaks of 3G

      --
      Been there, done that, paid for the T-shirt
      and didn't get it
  2. Re:Area? by i_b_don · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So fucking what?

    Do we also pay for listing the octane quantity on the sides of gas stations? Do we also pay for the calorie labels on the sides of food? The reporting of fuel economy of cars before you buy them? I'll take that cost any-day.

    I can't believe anyone would bitch and moan about this. This is an awesome idea. This is what regulation should be, forcing clear and equal reporting of information about a product so the customer can make the best informed decision possible.

    The only sad thing about this bill is that brilliance like this doesn't occur more often in politics.

    This is a great idea!

    d

    --
    all language nazi's will burne in heil!
  3. Are there 10 carriers left? by krishkrish · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Are there 10 carriers left in a given market?

    If they would have not allowed the mega mergers no body would need such list. Competition would have made sure that they beat each other,

  4. Re:Easy Peasy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Anna Eshoo is probably more technically competent than you are legally competent.

    If you actually look at the proposed legislation, it defines minimum speed at follows:

    "The guaranteed minimum transmit and receive data rates for Internet protocol packets to and from on-network hosts for the service, expressed in megabits per second. For purposes of the preceding sentence, a minimum data rate is not guaranteed unless it is available for a percentage of the time in a calendar month to be established by the Commission."

    As you can see, the bill is only talking about rates for hosts on the network. If you are in a dead spot, you are not connected to the network and do not figure into the calculations.