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TestMyISP figures prompt FCC call for clearer adverts
19 Aug 2010 | 17.27 Europe/London
Figures from the TestMyISP service, set up through SamKnows.com, have led the FCC to reiterate its call for a common standard to measure the speeds American broadband users receive so adverts can be made clearer.
The latest figures show that, on average, the 8Mbp/s services marketed to the American public are delivering mean speeds of 4Mbp/s (and a median of 3Mbp/s).
The FCC believes American broadband users would be best served by adverts featuring a measure which reflects the speed surfers are likely to achieve and that headline ‘up to’ figures may be confusing.
Hardware testing approach
The FCC has partnered with the TestMyISP service since June. The service uses volunteers across the USA to monitor the level of service they receive from their ISP through a specially designed router. This hardware approach monitors the service arriving at the premises and so, unlike software methodologies, is not skewed by the power of the computer in use or by several people sharing a connection.
The same approach in the UK has led to similar results and calls from the industry regulator, Ofcom, for advertising regulators to consider requiring ISPs to include the typical speed a user might enjoy, rather than an ‘up to’ headline figure.
The latest figures show that, on average, the 8Mbp/s services marketed to the American public are delivering mean speeds of 4Mbp/s (and a median of 3Mbp/s).
The FCC believes American broadband users would be best served by adverts featuring a measure which reflects the speed surfers are likely to achieve and that headline ‘up to’ figures may be confusing.
Hardware testing approach
The FCC has partnered with the TestMyISP service since June. The service uses volunteers across the USA to monitor the level of service they receive from their ISP through a specially designed router. This hardware approach monitors the service arriving at the premises and so, unlike software methodologies, is not skewed by the power of the computer in use or by several people sharing a connection.
The same approach in the UK has led to similar results and calls from the industry regulator, Ofcom, for advertising regulators to consider requiring ISPs to include the typical speed a user might enjoy, rather than an ‘up to’ headline figure.