Federated Broadband Performance Measurement: The Key to America’s Continued Global Internet Leadership

Key Points and Executive Summary

• America’s broadband network is as vital to our nation’s infrastructure as our airways,
  railways, highways, and the electric grid, specifically impacting all American citizens’
  prosperity and security. Significant public funds have been appropriated to enhance
  equitable broadband access. Timely and accurate measurements and analysis of
  broadband services’ actual quality can ensure these funds achieve their goals.
• Present broadband performance measurement, however, is based on infrequently
  collected data that is often inaccurate or incomplete. Further this data may come from
  biased sources, both intentional and systemic. Indeed, there are currently no consistent
  standards for broadband performance data’s definition, collection, and presentation. The
  present environment is incapable of an accurate and unbiased broadband performance
  assessment.
• Collection and analysis of pervasive, accurate, statistically valid, and anonymized data
  stored in federated databases addresses these shortcomings. These data and their
  corresponding analysis are key to sound broadband policy decisions, thereby enabling
  broadband networks to serve all American stakeholders’ interests.
• Systems can be deployed today that meet these requirements. Much data is already
  available and, in many cases, also already collected by Internet Service Providers (ISPs),
  carriers, and others in their ongoing network management. With appropriate policies
  standardizing collection interfaces, cost effective systems can be deployed that will vastly
  improve broadband networks’ oversight.
• Four federal policy initiatives can accelerate the benefits of pervasive, continuous,
  accurate, and anonymized broadband data collection and analysis using federated
  databases.
  1. Enact appropriate regulations that ensure standardized Application Programing
     Interfaces (APIs), data definitions, and procedures for the collection and exchange
     of broadband performance information. These API’s enable the analysis and
     presentation federated databases’ data.
  2. Allocate up to 1% of federal funds already appropriated for broadband
     infrastructure to support the development and deployment of broadband data
     analysis and presentation systems based on these federated databases.
  3. As a condition for receiving federal broadband funding require all entities that
     receive subsidies to provide data using the APIs to the federated databases.
  4. Encourage timely financial support from entities such as the National Science
     Foundation (NSF) and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
     to fund research and development of the most efficient and cost-effective
     methods for collecting, analyzing, and presenting salient broadband data.

• Comments on FCC’s Empowering Broadband Consumers Through Transparency
• Comments on FCC’s Advancing Understanding of Non-Federal Spectrum Usage
• Comments on NTIA’s Broadband Programs in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
• Adaptive Spectrum and Signal Alignment, Incorporated (ASSIA®) and the Wireless Institute of the University of Notre Dame’s joint response to RFI-OET2022-MBA, Request for Information: Fixed Broadband Measurement Measuring Broadband America (MBA) Program.
• Comments on FCC’s Request for Comments on the Interagency Broadband Coordination Agreement