Re: FCC releases Internet speed test tool
--- tme@americafree.tv wrote: From: Marshall Eubanks <tme@americafree.tv> This might be useful to some. Article : http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62B08720100312 site :http://www.broadband.gov/ It requires giving your address. ----------------------------------------------- Nah, no real address needed. Just use 123 elm street abbeville alabama 36310. That's the first zip code I found on a site... ;-) At least they're using NDT: Host: ndt.iupui.donar.measurement-lab.org:7123 scott
On Mar 12, 2010, at 1:57 PM, Scott Weeks wrote:
--- tme@americafree.tv wrote: From: Marshall Eubanks <tme@americafree.tv>
This might be useful to some. Article : http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62B08720100312
site :http://www.broadband.gov/
It requires giving your address. -----------------------------------------------
Nah, no real address needed. Just use 123 elm street abbeville alabama 36310. That's the first zip code I found on a site... ;-)
What they really need is something more or less like an accurate zip code, I suspect. They want to find out what real "broadband" speeds are in different parts of the country. Putting in a fake address renders your data useless. One can ask why they aren't using IP geolocation; I suspect it's because it's not accurate enough. Your address? They may be interested in how many cable-feet you are from a CO, for DSL linkes. Now -- under the Privacy Act, if they're collecting addresses I believe they had to do a Privacy Impact Assessment. Since I can't imagine why it would be classified, it should be publicly available. I don't see it, but I don't have time today to look for it. --Steve Bellovin, http://www.cs.columbia.edu/~smb
On 3/12/2010 13:22, Steven Bellovin wrote:
On Mar 12, 2010, at 1:57 PM, Scott Weeks wrote:
--- tme@americafree.tv wrote: From: Marshall Eubanks <tme@americafree.tv>
This might be useful to some. Article : http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62B08720100312
site :http://www.broadband.gov/
It requires giving your address. -----------------------------------------------
Nah, no real address needed. Just use 123 elm street abbeville alabama 36310. That's the first zip code I found on a site... ;-)
What they really need is something more or less like an accurate zip code, I suspect. They want to find out what real "broadband" speeds are in different parts of the country. Putting in a fake address renders your data useless. One can ask why they aren't using IP geolocation; I suspect it's because it's not accurate enough. Your address? They may be interested in how many cable-feet you are from a CO, for DSL linkes.
Now -- under the Privacy Act, if they're collecting addresses I believe they had to do a Privacy Impact Assessment. Since I can't imagine why it would be classified, it should be publicly available. I don't see it, but I don't have time today to look for it.
They are supposed to pay their income taxes too. Color me paranoid if you like, but I worry that if you play their game and DON'T answer the questions accurately and honestly, you have set yourself up for a bad ride for lying to an Official Government Agency. -- "Government big enough to supply everything you need is big enough to take everything you have." Remember: The Ark was built by amateurs, the Titanic by professionals. Requiescas in pace o email Ex turpi causa non oritur actio Eppure si rinfresca ICBM Targeting Information: http://tinyurl.com/4sqczs http://tinyurl.com/7tp8ml
On Fri, 12 Mar 2010, Steven Bellovin wrote:
What they really need is something more or less like an accurate zip code, I suspect. They want to find out what real "broadband" speeds are in different parts of the country. Putting in a fake address renders your data useless.
The FCC used to collect the data by zip code; but a few years ago Congress told the FCC that measuring broadband availability by zip code wasn't good enough. ZIP code boundaries tend to vary in size, and cross political jurisdictions. Cable system and Central Office wire areas also tend to vary in size and cross political jurisdictions, so things won't match up exactly. Now I believe FCC tries to collect broadband data by census tract. The problem is most people don't know what census tract they are in. So they are probably trying to figure out the census tract based on the postal address entered. The Federal Register notice was published at http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/E9-31009.htm
participants (4)
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Larry Sheldon -
Scott Weeks -
Sean Donelan -
Steven Bellovin