FCC urges public to test broadband speeds for mapping effort

Taking another step to develop maps that accurately reflect the state of broadband in the US, the FCC on Monday issued a statement calling on the public to download and use their Speed Test app to measure their broadband speeds.

"To close the gap between digital haves and have nots, we are working to build a comprehensive, user-friendly dataset on broadband availability. Expanding the base of consumers who use the FCC Speed Test app will enable us to provide improved coverage information to the public and add to the measurement tools we're developing to show where broadband is truly available throughout the United States," FCC Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement.

Available for download on iOS and Android mobile devices, FCC Speed Test was developed by Internet performance monitoring company SamKnows, and it measures mobile broadband performance in five categories: download speed, upload speed, latency, packet loss and jitter. The app also measures "passive metrics" including signal strength and device manufacturer and model.

FCC Speed Test app

This editor's home network (a.k.a, why my Zoom calls keep dropping).

In a press release, the FCC said that the app shares test results with the agency "while protecting the privacy and confidentiality of program volunteers." It adds that the data will be used to "inform the FCC's efforts to collect more accurate and granular broadband deployment data" and to allow consumers to be able to challenge provider-submitted maps later on.

The call for Speed Testers is part of the FCC's broader effort to collect accurate data on consumer broadband, which also includes a request for people to share first-hand accounts of their broadband woes.

Responding on Twitter to Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel's announcement of the Speed Test effort, Dane Jasper, co-founder of California-based fiber provider Sonic, pointed out that the test data "isn't reflective of actual ISP performance for any services that are faster than WiFi."

But the country's digital divide doesn't stem from a dearth of data on those enjoying gigabit speeds. Indeed, market research company Parks Associates reports today that 40% of US broadband households experience Wi-Fi home network problems, with coverage gaps, slow speeds and connectivity issues emerging as the top three issues.

Rosenworcel believes that collecting data from consumers is the way to begin addressing that. "Opening communication with consumers early in this process is so important because the best broadband map won't be built in Washington, it will be built by all of us, with input from everyone, everywhere," she wrote last month in an FCC Note entitled "A Running Start on New Broadband Maps."

Also mentioned in the note are other steps the FCC has taken, including hiring an "expert data architect and design firm" to support the agency's data collection work and issuing a Request for Information to start creating the Broadband Serviceable Location Fabric, or a common US dataset of all locations where fixed broadband can be installed.

Related posts:

• The FCC wants to know how bad your broadband is
• FCC takes first step toward fixing broadband mapping
• Podcast – The Divide: Blair Levin and Clint Odom on digital equity and inclusion

— Nicole Ferraro, contributing editor and host of "The Divide" and "What's the Story?" Light Reading