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Measuring Broadband America: A Retrospective on Origins, Achievements, and Challenges

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Published:19 July 2023Publication History
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Abstract

The "Measuring Broadband America" program, run by the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC), continually measures and releases data on the performance of consumer broadband access networks in the US. This paper presents a retrospective on the program, from its beginnings in 2010 to the present. It also reviews the underlying measurement approaches, philosophies, distinguishing features, and lessons learned over the program's duration thus far. We focus on fixed broadband access since it is the program component with the longest history. We also discuss future directions and challenges.

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        cover image ACM SIGCOMM Computer Communication Review
        ACM SIGCOMM Computer Communication Review  Volume 53, Issue 2
        April 2023
        45 pages
        ISSN:0146-4833
        DOI:10.1145/3610381
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