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Ajit Pai Isn't Saying Whether ISPs Deliver the Broadband Speeds You Pay For (arstechnica.com)
An anonymous reader shares a report from Ars Technica, written by Jon Brodkin: Nearly two years have passed since the Federal Communications Commission reported on whether broadband customers are getting the Internet speeds they pay for. In 2011, the Obama-era FCC began measuring broadband speeds in nearly 7,000 consumer homes as part of the then-new Measuring Broadband America program. Each year from 2011 to 2016, the FCC released an annual report comparing the actual speeds customers received to the advertised speeds customers were promised by Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Verizon, AT&T, and other large ISPs. But the FCC hasn't released any new Measuring Broadband America reports since Republican Ajit Pai became the commission chairman in January 2017. Pai's first year as chair was the first time the FCC failed to issue a new Measuring Broadband America report since the program started -- though the FCC could release a new report before his second year as chair is complete.
For more than three months, Ars has been trying to find out whether the FCC is still analyzing Measuring Broadband America data and whether the FCC plans to release any more measurement reports. SamKnows, the measurement company used by the FCC for this program, told Ars that Measuring Broadband America is still active and that a new report is forthcoming, hopefully next month. But whether the report is released is up to the FCC, and Chairman Pai's public relations office has ignored our questions about the program. Because of Pai's office's silence, we filed a Freedom of Information Act (FoIA) request on August 13 for internal emails about the Measuring Broadband America program and for broadband speed measurement data since January 2017. By law, the FCC and other federal agencies have 20 business days to respond to public records requests. The FCC has denied Ars' request for "expedited processing," which "was warranted because the broadband measuring data is out of data, depriving American consumers of crucial information when they purchase broadband access," writes Brodkin. The FCC said, "we are not persuaded that the records you request are so urgent that our normal process will not provide them in a timely manner."
For more than three months, Ars has been trying to find out whether the FCC is still analyzing Measuring Broadband America data and whether the FCC plans to release any more measurement reports. SamKnows, the measurement company used by the FCC for this program, told Ars that Measuring Broadband America is still active and that a new report is forthcoming, hopefully next month. But whether the report is released is up to the FCC, and Chairman Pai's public relations office has ignored our questions about the program. Because of Pai's office's silence, we filed a Freedom of Information Act (FoIA) request on August 13 for internal emails about the Measuring Broadband America program and for broadband speed measurement data since January 2017. By law, the FCC and other federal agencies have 20 business days to respond to public records requests. The FCC has denied Ars' request for "expedited processing," which "was warranted because the broadband measuring data is out of data, depriving American consumers of crucial information when they purchase broadband access," writes Brodkin. The FCC said, "we are not persuaded that the records you request are so urgent that our normal process will not provide them in a timely manner."
They're happy with the under the table funding from the ISPs, no sense in stirring up trouble.
Besides, we all know that we're getting between a third to a tenth of what we pay for. Only municipal Internet does better in America, which is why the private companies keep trying to ban it.
It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
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I am like Bono - NUMBER 2!
I don't know why America has allowed the Indians to take over all of their tech. But they sure as hell gave it all away. You guys must LOVE awful products and service.
Google
Microsoft
FCC
LOL!
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The FCC is sending a big FU to American citizens. This administration gets more awful all the day. When are we going to hit bottom barrell?
To be fair, it's not Ajit Pai's job to say whether or not ISPs deliver the broadband speed you pay for. His job is to pimp for the biggest telecoms and be the guy who delivers for corporate interests. The services those telecoms provide are entirely outside his purview. The sooner you learn this, the better off we'll all be. He's basically a fluffer for Comcast. I'll bet he has nice soft lips, too.
You are welcome on my lawn.
we are not persuaded that the records you request are so urgent that our normal process will not provide them in a timely manner
Pray he doesn't alter it any further.
The Daddy casts sleep on the Baby. The Baby resists!
This curry munching corrupt fucktard needs his head cut off.. bring out the guillotines.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Zup G?
White men consuming the total bandwidth of the ISPs prevents the minorities from accessing the internet to connect to schools, etc. That's why I'm against Net Neutrality.
And besides the somewhat controversial debate of Net Neutrality, I think Ajit has been great in all other files.
Go AP!!!
The networks can be free to innovate and grow all over the USA with less federal NN rules.
Lets add more rules and laws.
Let the cities, states and towns work out how they want to internet in their own community and cities.
The past federal regulations left a lot of slow networks in place as they passed NN rules.
Staying equally slow to meet federal NN rules is all over the USA is not network innovation.
Got a slow network?
Request the existing telco to pay more to build out their new network.
Ask your community to build their own new network.
Try and see what a city, state will pay for.
Federal gov networking?
That network can only get faster when people using a network pay for the costs of a new network.
Different parts of the USA can afford to pay for upgrades as they pay for their internet.
What is testing going to show?
Great internet. The network is in profit as the wealthy can pay.
Some network is slow and never had much investment as the people can't/won't pay more for internet services.
More federal NN rules and more "testing" is not the investment needed.
Want great internet?
1. Build it as community broadband and invite every ISP on.
2. Pay for it as a private network from one telco.
3. Pay more tax and have the federal gov network the entire USA.
Measuring an existing network is not going to build a needed new network.
Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
I can't live without watching funny cat videos in any format less than that. It is a misery to live life stuck in only HD resolution and in the restrictive gamut that only three primary colors provide.
What I get out of this is very different than the nazi-flag flying America haters here on Slashdot.
Basically, the FCC said "It's coming out eventually". So what will you all say when the report is delivered? Probably slink back in your holes you slither out of at the slightest whiff of anti-America (hence Anti-Trump) news.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
In Australia, NBN provider speeds are reported to the public.
https://www.accc.gov.au/media-...
Sure, the NBN rollout has not been without its problems and controversy but reports on how the various providers are scoring gets reported.
If they were, he (the FCC) would tell us - to make the ISPs look good - duh.
It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
This is where FOIA comes in handy. FCC can't release the report if it doesn't exit but the raw data have to released.
you can make more money at a helpdesk call center than doing this bullshit astro-turfing
I would point out the same thing to you.
I'm just working away at real work, shaking my head at you idiot activists trying as hard as you can to meet the quota your Russian masters have set for you. Man, I do not envy you the issues with failure you must have, so I understand how hard you push!
Me, the worst I have to worry about is a bad code review, but luckily I'm awesome so it never comes to that.
If you need me to contact the CIA for you to help you get free just blink twice!!
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Amen my fucking brother
This is invaluable info that customers should be more aware of - and the US should follow.
Why would anyone engrave "Elbereth"?
Every ISP oversubscribes their uplinks. This has been the case since day one. The economics would not work otherwise. There is no place on earth that will dedicate 50-100 Mbps for every user all the way through.
Not surprising. even employees of the fcc should not burn bridges to their future job prospects. most of the top fcc officials usually end up in the industry when they leave government service.
He's a pie of jism, alright. A jism pie.
I bet they are for commercial grade connections with a contracted committed information rate (CIR). This is the solution to the net neutrality nonsense.
"Tempers are wearing thin. Let's just hope some robot doesn't kill everybody." --Bender
My speeds are 250 / 10 and, with rare exceptions, I actually do see these speeds.
I would say, 99% of the time I typically see the speeds I'm supposed to see. ( Xfinity, surprisingly )
When I don't, there is usually an outage of some sort that is impacting the area. :| )
( Last one some idiot in a truck wiped out a gas line, which caught fire, which melted the pole carrying the fiber
Though, my example is probably the exception and certainly not the norm for most.
I don't think I understand.
When I installed internet where I am, a technician came and did measurements to check the max possible bandwidth, which depends on the line + distance to nearest terminal. And this would be fed in some database.
Next the ISP gave me access, and then I could test it myself with any available bandwidth tester website.
Why is there a need for some third party to go on and test bandwidth around?
Since there either the technician measurements, or regular user that can check if they get what they pay for?
It's not just Pai. It's been every FCC along the way. Partisan hack report as always ....
I have Spectrum and am finding that my speeds for streaming are going up dramatically (triple or more) when I stream through a VPN. This is while always measuring the 100 MB speed I pay for or a touch more when running any speed checking service. So we have entered an age where it is useless to say you have a 100 MB connection without saying what data type you're getting that speed with.
I know we like to make fun of these things, but perhaps it is time to start being bluntly honest about this kind of news.
FCC is currently a corrupt organisation, being run by the very corporations it was designed to watch. It is corruption, plain and simple.
Then hit me with a data cap thatâ(TM)s the same as those paying for 1/10th the speed. At least Iâ(TM)ll hit my cap sooner than they will, though! Suckers!
The best thing Ajit Pai could do is fall down a long flight of concrete steps.
Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
Under oath he has said that the FCC cannot control ISP throttling of speed under the Internet's current classification. He has also claimed under oath that they can control it by not allowing individual states to impose their own rules.
Ajit Pai has committed Perjury. Though with the shambles the US court system is in, I doubt the court will do anything about his lying.
Microsoft, Apple, Google, Amazon what's the difference? All steal money from devs and control with walled gardens.