SamKnows Code of Conduct

Welcoming stakeholder participation
in each of our global projects.

SamKnows is an active participant in the worldwide broadband measurement community. We welcome the participation of any stakeholders in each of our projects around the world. Our view is that a standard methodology for measuring broadband performance will benefit everyone, from consumers through to governments. We are happy to make broadband performance data available and welcome input from organisations around the world.

Since 2008, SamKnows has been working with regulators around the world to develop a testing platform and methodology that can be used by ISPs, application developers, governments, academics and consumers alike. In order to define the parameters for involvement in this project, SamKnows has developed a Code of Conduct, which all project participants are asked to sign. This was introduced by the Federal Communications Commission in 2010 and has since been accepted by a large (and growing) number of project participants and stakeholders:

WE, THE UNDERSIGNED...

as participants and stakeholders in the [FCC, Ofcom, European Commission] Broadband Testing and Measurement Program, do hereby agree to be bound by and conduct ourselves in accordance with the following principles and shall:

  1. 1. at all times act in good faith;
  2. 2. not act, nor fail to act, if the intended consequence of such act or omission is to enhance, degrade, or tamper with the results of any test for any individual panellist or broadband provider, except that it not be a violation of this principle for broadband providers to:
    1. a. operate and manage their business, including modifying or improving services delivered to any class of subscribers that may or may not include panellists among them, provided that such actions are consistent with normal business practices, and
    2. b. address service issues for individual panellists at the request of the panellist or based on information not derived from the trial;
  3. 3. not publish any data generated by the tests, nor make any public statement based on such data, until such time as the regulator (FCC, Ofcom, European Commission) releases data or makes a public statement regarding any results of the tests; and
  4. 4. ensure that our employees, agents, representatives, as appropriate, act in accordance with this Code of Conduct.
    5. Signatories: