CRTC to launch voluntary broadband measurement program: Menzies

TORONTO—The CRTC will launch next spring a “national broadband measurement project” that will analyze the performance of Canadian Internet connections from the subscriber’s end, said Peter Menzies, the CRTC's vice-chair of telecom. In a speech Tuesday at the Canadian ISP Summit, Menzies said the project—participation in which will be voluntary for both providers and customers—will use “hardware-based testing” to measure Internet subscribers' connection speeds, availability, and other performance factors. The project, which will start by measuring the broadband Internet services of subscribers to major Internet service providers in urban areas, will give consumers, the commission and Internet service providers (ISPs) greater insight into how those Internet connections are performing, Menzies said. “In subsequent phases, it will expand to include all technologies in all parts of the country,” he said. “A project of this size and complexity will require everyone's participation.” The initiative will be similar to a pilot program the commission conducted last year, which measured broadband speeds from the customer's end of the connection. Menzies said the commission approached major ISPs last spring to discuss its plan to launch a network performance project and received a “positive reaction” from the providers, which said they could benefit from having greater insight into their networks. He said ISPs will be able to use the data collected through the project to enhance their networks, to better serve customers, and to help promote their products. The testing, he said, will also help inform future CRTC policies and decisions, and will help build trust between consumers, providers, and the commission. The CRTC said in a 2011 decision that it expects all Canadians to have access to broadband download speeds of 5 Mbps and upload speeds of 1 Mbps by 2015. As part of that decision, Menzies noted, the commission said it would look at ways to improve its data-gathering capabilities to better monitor the progress of those targets. Both the pilot project last year, which Menzies said the commission completed with Telus Corp.'s assistance, and the new project to launch next year, were designed to serve that objective, he said. “Given the proliferation of this technology, it's vital for the CRTC to collect empirical data about broadband availability and performance across the country,” Menzies said, noting Canadians' increasing demand for Internet capacity. Menzies said the commission will provide some funding to launch the project and ISPs will also be expected to chip in financially. “I can assure you that the amount you will be asked to contribute will be more than reasonable, and we look forward to having those discussions with you,” he said. Menzies said the commission will hold meetings with ISPs for the rest of this year to further outline its proposal, and will hold workshops with interested ISPs next year in advance of the project's spring launch. —With reporting by Nicholas Kyonka at nkyonka@thewirereport.ca and editing by Anja Karadeglija at akarad@thewirereport.ca.

CRTC to launch voluntary broadband measurement program: Menzies

News | November 13, 2013

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CRTC to launch voluntary broadband measurement program: Menzies

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