FCC contract on measuring BB performance

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Faulhaber, Gerald" <faulhabe () wharton upenn edu>
Date: April 21, 2010 11:41:22 AM EDT
To: David Farber <dave () farber net>
Subject: FCC contract on measuring BB performance

Dave [for IP]—
 
FCC has just signed a deal with SamKnows, a British outfit that is a leader in measuring Internet/broadband performance 
and has worked extensively with OfCom.  The Public Notice is here: 
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-10-670A1.pdf .
 
This is excellent news indeed for us transparency buffs; further, they seem to have got it absolutely right.  Kudos 
(for once;-) to the FCC guys, especially to Peter Bowen (recently left) and his successor Dave Vorhaus who toiled 
diligently on the transparency issue (with a little help from moi).
 
Professor Emeritus Gerald Faulhaber
Business and Public Policy Dept.
Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Professor Emeritus of Law
University of Pennsylvania

and from another IPer

"FCC Data Testing to Stimulate British Economy?
> By Amy Schatz
>
> The Federal Communications Commission announced plans Friday to install sensors in the homes of volunteers around the 
> U.S. to monitor their Internet speed, part of a broader effort by the agency to gather more data on U.S. broadband 
> speeds.
>
> To take on the task, the FCC awarded nearly $600,000 in stimulus funds to SamKnows Ltd, a London-based firm which has 
> done similar work for Ofcom, the U.K.’s equivalent of the FCC.
>
> Last year, Congress appropriated $787 billion in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to help stimulate the 
> economy and create U.S. jobs. Congress included a provision in the legislation requiring goods used in stimulus 
> projects to be made in the U.S., but some exceptions are allowed.
>
> “Our priority is conducting the most thorough study that will offer the greatest benefit to the American public and 
> increase transparency in our broadband marketplace,” said a FCC spokeswoman in a statement. “The FCC determined that 
> the proposal from SamKnows represented the best value. Moreover, SamKnows has conducted a similar project for Ofcom 
> in the United Kingdom which has been very well received.”
>
> The company is expected to open an office in the U.S. and create five to 10 U.S. jobs.
>
> It’s not clear how many companies bid on the FCC contract, although five companies with U.S. addresses were listed on 
> an “interested vendor” list published on the FCC’s contracting website. Among them was a unit of ratings and research 
> giant Nielsen Co. A company spokesman confirmed the company bid for the contract.
>
> On its Web site, the British company said it will install a special “white box” in volunteers’ homes that would allow 
> the company and the volunteers to monitor connection speeds. The FCC said it will begin accepting applications for 
> volunteers shortly. It’s expecting to put the devices in about 10,000 homes.
>
> “We’re delighted to be building on the success of the work we’ve undertaken in the UK over the past three years where 
> we’ve uncovered a clear discrepancy between what the ISP’s are saying and what the consumer is actually receiving,” 
> said SamKnows CEO Alex Salter, in a statement. 
>
> The FCC’s National Broadband Plan included several recommendations aimed at providing consumers with more information 
> about the Internet speeds they receive at home. There’s often a difference between the advertised speed that Internet 
> providers say they’ll provide and the actual speed that consumers get.
>
> Recently, the FCC released a broadband speed test on its Web site (and via an iPhone app), to make it easier for 
> consumers to get a general sense of what speed they’re getting. 
>
> “We are tremendously excited about this announcement, the next step in the process of increasing transparency and 
> competition in the broadband market and better informing consumers about their broadband service,” wrote Dave 
> Vorhaus, an FCC advisor in a blog post Friday.
>
> “The measurements will give us results across a broad swath of providers, service tiers and geographic areas,” he 
> said.
" 




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