Mobile Broadband PerformanceMeasuring Broadband America
Measuring Broadband America• FCC National Broadband Plan• Released 3/10• Advocated FCC undertake measurement of Broadband America in
collaboration with industry• FCC fixed broadband measurement program• Reports released 8/11, 7/12, 2/13• Ongoing: yearly reports• Generally perceived as most accurate measurements of
consumer broadband performance• Result of transparency of process and collaboration with industry
and other parties
mobile Measuring Broadband America
• On 9/21/13 FCC announced extension of program to mobile services• Collaborative effort with AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, CTIA and
others• Data collection effort to start later this year with initial public
results expected early 2014
What we are doing• Smartphone app runs in background on volunteers phone• Runs automatically at random times performing measurements• App provides only network related data and results annonymized
• Data uploaded to cloud for presentation in maps and other analysis
What We Are Collecting• Network Performance Data, e.g.:• Upload/Download Speed• Packet Loss• Latency
• Network Structure Data, e.g.:• Service Coverage Data• Tower ID/Signal Strength• Bearer Channel
What is Unique About the Program• Core foundation: consumer privacy• Collaboration with key industry players• Transparency in process• Statistically valid data collection• Open, reproducible and extendable methodologies
Consumer Privacy• Central to FCC’s policies and concerns• Mobile data raises special issues
• Extensive discussions with representatives from Federal Trade Commission, FCC, service providers, academics and others to develop formal privacy policy
• Mechanisms in place to ensure data is anonymized and processed in manner to ensure anonymity
Industry Collaboration• Key tenant of National Broadband Program to work
collaboratively with major stakeholders• Increases accuracy and success of program• Provides potential for industry standardization
• Working with four major wireless carriers, CTIA and others in open process• Industry beta testing client software
Transparency• Open meetings to discuss program milestones• Publication of testing procedures, statistical scripts,
measurement methods, etc.• Client software provided as open source• FCC plans to provide GIS database displaying key metrics• Underlying data freely available (subject to consumer privacy
policies)• Future goals include making available thru FTP and through API
interfaces on FCC database
Statistically Based Data Collection• Android client software runs autonomously in background• Tests performed regularly on randomized basis• User bias minimized/eliminated
• Avoids user testing to determine ‘what’s broken’
• Collaboration with industry permits more targeted and more successful volunteer solicitations
Long Term Objectives• Continue to explore further utility of data• We’ve focused on ‘low hanging fruit’• Ongoing discussions with parties as to potential uses
• Continue to provide accurate data on evolution of broadband• Promote standard metrics and cost efficient data collection
mechanisms• Continue successful collaborative model