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