FCC: 4 out of 5 Americans Don't Know Their Broadband Speeds

The Federal Communications Commission released the results of a survey on the consumer broadband experience. The survey found that 80 percent of broadband users in the United States do not know the speed of their broadband connection.

The survey is part of the agency's overall broadband speed initiative, which involves several bureaus and offices and is being coordinated by the FCC's Consumer Task Force. Through the initiative, the agency will also measure the actual speeds that consumers receive and compare them to the speeds that broadband providers advertise.

The Consumer Task Force announced two initiatives that will help the FCC determine the broadband speeds consumers are getting in their homes and on their mobile devices, a key recommendation in the National Broadband Plan. In the first of these initiatives, the FCC is asking today for 10,000 volunteers to participate in a scientific study to measure home broadband speed in the U.S. Specialized hardware will be installed in the homes of volunteers to measure the performance of all the country's major Internet service providers across geographic regions and service tiers. The FCC is partnering with SamKnows Limited in this effort, the same firm that successfully conducted a similar test in the United Kingdom. A Public Notice asking for comment on the test plan was released in April 2010. This study will culminate in a "State of Broadband" report to be released later this year.

Next, the FCC's Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau is issuing a Public Notice today to look at ways to measure mobile broadband speed. More and more consumers are using mobile wireless devices to access the Web, sometimes as a primary Internet connection. The Public Notice asks for input on the best ways to measure mobile broadband speeds, the ways that speed measurements can be used to help improve service, and the information consumers should have about the speed of mobile broadband coverage. The FCC welcomes comments from all interested parties and the general public on this Public Notice. Comments can be filed through the agency's Electronic Comment Filing System.

Ultimately, the FCC hopes to develop tests that help each individual consumer in the U.S. determine his or her own broadband speed.