4 out of 5 Do Not Know Their Broadband Speeds
Posted by Jesse Ward on Tuesday, June 1, 2010 · 
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Approximately 80% of broadband users in the United States do not know the speed of their broadband connection, this according to an FCC survey released today on the consumer broadband experience.
When you break the question out by gender, 71% of men and 90% of women have no idea what their broadband speed is. Interestingly, 91% of respondents said they were either “very” or “somewhat” satisfied with their broadband service; the figure drops to 71% for mobile broadband users.
In related news, the agency is looking for 10,000 volunteers to participate in a scientific study designed to provide the commission with quantitative data on broadband speed. Specialized hardware will be installed in the homes of volunteers to measure the performance of the nation’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 conducted a similar test in the United Kingdom. To sign up to volunteer, visit www.TestMyISP.com. The FAQ section on the website provides this tidbit:
We’ll be deploying our rather lovely SamKnows “White boxes,” an asset to any home, filled with some clever technology to volunteers all around the country. Once connected to your home network the unit will perform a series of tests at regular intervals during the day, every day of the year, with little to no involvement from you, simple! The results of these tests are then fed up to our reporting engine and combined with the results of others on the same ISP to form a national view of how that ISP is performing. We’re even working towards future deployments that will allow us to drill down to regional and/or product performance.
The study will culminate in a “State of Broadband” report to be released later this year. Ultimately, the FCC hopes to develop tests that enable each individual consumer in the U.S. to determine his or her own broadband speed. The commission took a first step back in March by providing two speed tests that consumers can use at home or on their wireless phones.
“Better information can help all consumers choose the broadband services that best meet their needs,” said Joel Gurin, Chief of the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau of the FCC. “Today, most people just know that their home broadband speed is supposed to be ‘blazing fast.’ They need more meaningful information to know exactly what speed they need for the applications they want to run, and what provider and plan is their best choice. The difference between an inexpensive low-speed plan and an expensive, high-speed plan can be hundreds of dollars a year. Consumers need to be able to choose wisely.”
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