OTTAWA–GATINEAU – The CRTC is calling for volunteers to help it measure the performance of Internet services provided by major Internet service providers (ISPs) across the country.
The Measuring Broadband Canada program, announced Thursday, will see the Commission work in collaboration with ISPs and broadband testing firm SamKnows to measure broadband performance and test parameters associated with the broadband Internet connection, including download and upload speeds.
The CRTC is recruiting up to 6,200 Canadians who will receive a device known as a 'Whitebox' that they will connect to their modem or router. The Whitebox will periodically run measurement tests when users are not actively using their Internet connection, but will not collect any information on online activities.
The results of the project will provide data that will be used by the CRTC to improve its broadband policy-making, as well as offer Canadians a better understanding of whether certain Internet services from participating ISPs are delivering speeds as advertised. Using these results as a baseline, the CRTC said that it will publish a report on the findings, and that it will continue to gather data beyond the initial year to form part of its data collection and monitoring activities.
Canadians wishing to volunteer with this project can review the criteria for eligibility and apply by completing an online form.
Rogers, which uses SamKnows for its own Internet testing, called the program “great news for consumers”, and noted that the methodology has also been used by national regulators in Brazil, Brunei, the European Commission, Mongolia, Singapore, the U.K., and the U.S.
"We urged our competitors to join us when we began independent testing three years ago so we're thrilled the CRTC is taking this step forward today”, said Robert Goodman, Rogers’ senior director of Internet, in a company statement. “Canadians deserve the Internet speeds they pay for and more transparency means they can make more informed choices."
