Are you using an ADSL line to connect your home to the internet, what about VDSL? Do you have a DOCIS modem, if so then is it DOCIS 1.0, 2.0, or 3.0? You probably don’t know the answer to that question since for you the broadband that gets delivered to your home is simply a dumb pipe. In most cases, if you pay more per month you get a faster connection. Similarly, why should consumers have to care that T-Mobile is using HSPA+ for their 4G network, Sprint is using WiMAX, and both Verizon and AT&T are using LTE? All they want to know is what kinds of speed will they be able to achieve on their mobile device in the places they live and work. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Al Franken (D-MN) have introduced a bill that if passed will force operators to disclose the following information:
01: Guaranteed minimum data speed
02: Network reliability
03: Coverage area maps
04: Pricing
05: Technology used to provide 4G service
06: Network conditions that can impact the speed of applications and services used on the network
Knowing how much money operators throw at lobbying, we have no hopes of this bill passing, especially since it would require “the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to evaluate the speed and price of 4G wireless data service provided by the top ten U.S. wireless carriers.” Can you hear the moans and groans from people who are absolutely terrified of socialism coming to America?
What we’d like to see is someone, possibly Google, offer a free application that anyone can download on their Android device that’ll periodically run speed tests and even build a coverage map. Said information should then be free for anyone to view. The BBC recently did this in the UK, first to shame the operators who claim they have outstanding 3G coverage, but then to help people decide which operator they should give their hard earned money to.
