The Federal Communications Commission, under new Chairman Tom Wheeler, will preview an Android app called the "FCC Speed Test" that can measure average mobile broadband speeds through crowdsourcing.
Hoping to compile its first nationwide study of mobile broadband service across different carriers , the app hopes to make sure consumers are getting what they're paying for as data collected will be measured against advertised speeds. Wheeler's top priority is ensuring the broadband and wireless marketplace has adequate competition. It would raise questions about the need for intervention from federal regulators if any of the major carriers were to seriously underperform. However, it could bolster the case of those who argue the wireless market is sufficiently competitive and speeds perform as advertised.
Sprint, AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile, along with The Wireless Association, have already agreed to participate in the program and allow the app, which will come free of charge, to test the broadband speed. Though the exact release date for the launch is unknown, the app has been in the works for quite a while now since the FCC first announced its intention to conduct a study last year. 2010 saw the FCC release an iOS and Android app which measured download speeds, upstream speeds and latency for Wi-Fi and cellular connections for personal use through the free Consumer Broadband Test. Former FCC chairman Julius Genachowski, who understood how big mobile broadband plays in society, said, "By informing consumers about their broadband service quality, these tools help eliminate confusion and make the market work more effectively."
FCC Speed Test will only be available for Android and not iPhone due to the Google's OS being offered in lower-priced packages. Versions for Apple's iOS along with Windows Phone and BlackBerry are apparently next in the pipeline.
"Smartphone sales outpace laptop sales and a significant portion of Americans (particularly minorities and low-income households) rely on a smartphone as their primary connection to the internet," read an FCC report.
This isn't the first time the FCC has conducted a speed test. The government agency completed a similar project for land-based broadband internet connections in 2011 and discovered that carriers performed at, above or only slightly lower than advertised speeds.
