The FCC wants you to test your internet connection so they can get an accurate picture of national broadband coverage…
Whether or not you have broadband internet access, I urge you to visit Broadband.gov to find out more about this initiative, and to take the speed test. If you have multiple computers, I also urge you to run the test from each of your computers, as this will help them to get a better average connection for each location.
If you don’t have broadband internet access, you can report it to the FCC which will help them to build data about unserved and underserved areas.
By taking this test, you will help the FCC learn about the state of broadband in the U.S. Data from this test is sent to the FCC and will be combined with other results to help build a map of broadband availability. Because measuring broadband speeds with software tools is not an exact science, we are providing two popular consumer broadband testing tools in this Beta version: Ookla and M-Lab. You were randomly assigned to one of these, and can take the other by clicking above. Each test is likely to provide a different result, and the differences may be significant in some cases. While the tests will give consumers some information on relative speeds, the FCC does not endorse either one as being a definitive testing method.
Note: the M-Lab application currently does not work with Safari, Chrome, and Opera web browsers.
This application will test the following broadband qualities:
•Download Speed: The speed at which data is sent from the testing server to your computer.
•Upload Speed: The speed at which data is sent from your computer to the testing server.
•Latency: The time it takes for data to be sent from your computer to the testing server and back (the “round trip time”).
•Jitter: The variability in the delay between your computer and the testing server.
The FCC requires the street address from where you are connecting to the internet because it may use this data to analyze broadband availability on a geographic basis. The FCC is collecting and storing street addresses, IP addresses, and broadband performance information through these speed tests. (The FCC is not collecting email addresses through these speed tests.) The street addresses will not be released, disclosed to the public, or shared with any outside entities.
For more information see the FCC Consumer Broadband Test page.