The FCC has announced the launch of a new Mobile Speed Test app with the intention to make the process of challenging provider-reported coverage maps easier
This story was originally published on Total Telecom’s sister site Broadband Communities
Last week, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced the launch of a Mobile Speed Test app, replacing the FCC’s Speed Test app to help improve the accuracy of the FCC’s National Broadband Map.
The new app features repeated testing capabilities, which can be accomplished without the need to certify information before each individual test, according to the FCC’s recent announcement.
According to the FCC’s July 23 release, the app will now allow for users to conduct hands-free coverage tests while driving.
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel elaborated on the app’s capabilities in comments included with the FCC’s announcement.
“Our new app makes it easier to share real-world experience with connectivity, empowering consumers and making it possible for up-to-date and crowdsourced information to inform our mapping,” Rosenworcel said.
The app also features an “in-app map overlay displaying the area where a test was taken,” the agency’s announcement stated.
“Consumers deserve to know where they have mobile coverage and at what speeds and the FCC wants to include their experiences in our effort to create a more precise map of available coverage,” Rosenworcel said.
The challenge process, a critical component of the Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment Program, can help determine if locations are inaccurately marked as covered on the FCC’s National Broadband Map.
Previously, advocacy groups like The Accurate Broadband Data Alliance, which involves dozens of telecommunication companies, claimed that overreported internet service availability calls into question the accuracy of the National Broadband Map released by the FCC.
The Accurate Broadband Data Alliance has been on record stating that “significant errors exist throughout the National Broadband Map.”
The FCC’s updated app, now available on the Google Play Store for Android devices and the Apple App Store for iOS devices, provides the ability for users to log into the National Broadband Map and to review their speed test results and see them on a map, the FCC’s release explained.
According to the FCC’s announcement, “the original FCC Speed Test app is no longer allowing users to run speed tests.”
Users of the old app have received in-app notifications encouraging users to upgrade to the FCC’s Mobile Speed Test app.
Source: https://totaltele.com/fcc-releases-new-app-to-help-track-national-broadband-coverage/