FCC plan for collecting information on BB performance

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Gerry Faulhaber <gerry-faulhaber () mchsi com>
> Date: March 12, 2010 12:16:56 PM EST
> To: dave () farber net
> Cc: peter.bowen () fcc gov
> Subject: FCC plan for collecting information on BB performance

> Dave [for IP]--
>
> After the FCC released its much-criticized broadband speed test the  
> other day, they have come back today with a real winner.  The FCC  
> has just posted an RFQ to third parties to propose detailed sample  
> measurements of BB performance, hitting all the right criteria (in  
> my view).  Kudos to Peter Bowen at the FCC who has been spearheading  
> the Transparency effort of the National Broadband Plan for getting  
> it right.
>
> The RFQ is at https://www.fbo.gov/utils/view?id=cb712eb3ef384ebe25bfbf6b0a5dfa16 
>  .  Here's the short intro; check out the actual RFQ for the full  
> details.
>
> Background and Request for Quotation
>
> Accurate and clear information is crucial to a well-functioning  
> market. Today,
> broadband consumers in the United States (US) have little  
> information about the actual
> speed and performance of the broadband services available to them.  
> Consumers lack
> clarity on:
>
> • The actual speed and performance of the services they are receivi 
> ng
>
> • The gap between actual and advertised speeds and the implications  
> of that difference
>
> • The speeds and performance of alternative providers in their areas
>
> The FCC seeks to contract with a third party measurement company to  
> measure the speeds and
> performance of a representative, cost-effective, statistically  
> relevant sample of US fixed
> broadband households across geographies, technologies and providers.  
> This measurement will
> occur on an opt-in, voluntary basis and could be similar to the  
> approach taken by OfCom in
> their partnership with a third-party provider of network measurement  
> services.1 This
> representative sample will be used to create a baseline level of  
> performance and
> measurements for the FCC. The third party measurement contractor  
> will deploy testing devices
> to begin measurement, and these results will then be used to inform  
> measurement standards
> for performance of broadband services, in support of the FCC-led  
> National Broadband Plan.
>
> The key characteristics to be measured include:
>
> • Actual speeds and performance over the broadband service provider' 
> s network (points 2-5
> in Figure 0001) and across the end-to-end consumer's experience  
> (points 1-6) to various
> endpoints;
>
> • Actual speeds and performance at peak use hours;
>
> • Actual speeds and performance over a set time period (e.g. a 1-hou 
> r period) that is
>
> generally achieved (e.g., 95% of the time); and
>
> • Actual speeds and performance tested against a given set of standa 
> rd applications and protocols.
>
>                     [Figure 0001 inserted here; see RFQ link to view]
>
> DEFINITIONS (to go with figure)
>
> 1-Public internet content: public internet content that is hosted by  
> multiple service providers, content providers and other
> entities in a geographically diverse (worldwide) manner
> 2-Internet gateway: closest peering point between broadband provider  
> and public internet for a given consumer connection
> 3-Link between 2° Mile and Middle mile: broadband provider managed i 
> nterconnection between middle and last mile
> 4-Aggregation node: First aggregation point for broadband provider  
> (e.g. DSLAM, cable node, satellite, etc.)
> 5-Modem: CPE (customer premise equipment) typically managed by a  
> broadband provider as the last connection point to themanaged  
> network (e.g. DSL modem, cable modem, satellite modem, ONT, etc.)
> 6-Consumer device: consumer device connected to modem through  
> internal wire or Wifi (home networking), including
> hardware and software used to access the internet and process  
> content (customer managed)
>
> The FCC will use the data collected in this survey to inform the  
> general public of US Broadband
> Performance. FCC will have the right to make public all results.
>
> 1 For more on this, please access the Digital Britain at: 
> http://www.culture.gov.uk/images/publications/digitalbritain-finalreport-junog.pclf
>
> Professsor Emeritus Gerald Faulhaber
> Wharton School, Law School, University of Pennsylvania



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