FCC to measure mobile broadband performance

The FCC announced a new initiative to measure the performance of the nation's mobile broadband networks. The effort will help consumers evaluate claims by providers such as Verizon Wireless (NYSE:VZ), AT&T Mobility (NYSE:T) and others about the speeds of their respective networks.

The agency has scheduled an open meeting for Sept. 21 to discuss the various ways to measure mobile broadband performance and has said that the goal of the program is to find comparisons and analyses that are "valuable to the consumer and spur competition among service providers."

The FCC has a similar program for home broadband service that measures the broadband speeds of Internet and cable providers.

The agency also released a "State of the Union" report on broadband last month. In that report it found that U.S. wireline, cable and wireless companies have invested more than a trillion dollars since 1996 and $66 billion just in 2011.

It also found that 98 percent of Americans have access to either fixed or mobile broadband at 4 Mbps down and 1 Mbps up, and 90 percent have access to both wired and wireless providers.  

For more:
- see this FCC document
- see this CNET article

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