Is your broadband service really as fast as advertised? In the United States, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), equivalent to our industry regulator the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), has a new tool that allows users to test the download and upload speeds of their broadband connections, which is then reported back to the FCC.
This is for both landline-based broadband connections and those with smartphones, the iPhone and Androids. A week after FCC announced the new gadget, about 150,000 people in the United States had stories to tell how their connections were doing. The purpose of the tool and the project to consolidate the information was to educate consumers about whether they are getting the service they are paying for, and hopefully to highlight areas where advertised speeds may fall short, the FCC said.
This is a process of transparency and a move to eliminate confusion, and since it is real time information, it is a channel for the regulator to track the services across the country.
