Internet Test Reveals Many Americans Not Getting the Speeds They Paid For

[Commentary] For too long Internet users had to take it on faith that our Internet access providers were making good on their promises to give us what we pay for. But even those who pay a premium for top speeds have found that certain sites and services sputter out at the pace of dial-up. And calling your Internet service provider’s customer-service department to find out what’s going on can be a torturous exercise  --  requiring you to endure an endless loop of hold music as you pray for a sentient being to pick up the line. Now you can do something about it.

In May, BattlefortheNet.com launched the Internet Health Test to collect data on the speeds offered by the likes of AT&T, Comcast and Verizon. The test is an interactive tool that lets users run speed measurements across multiple “interconnection points” and gather information on whether and where ISPs are degrading speeds. The good news: Since its launch, more than 300,000 Internet users have run the Internet Health Test, resulting in over 2.5 million data points. Now here’s the bad: The evidence collected points to slowdowns for users on the networks of five of the largest Internet access providers  -- AT&T, CenturyLink, Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Verizon  --  which represent 75 percent of all US wireline households. And the ugly: Since the test results were made public a number of paid cable industry operatives have tried to tear down these findings, suggesting without actually looking at the data that they are faulty and somehow corrupted. This is one of your best chances to hold your ISP accountable. The information the test collects is critical to protecting your online rights. The data provide more evidence to justify Net Neutrality protections  -- and ensure that Internet users get the open and fast Internet that they deserve and are paying for.

[Tim Karr advocates for universal access to open networks at Free Press]