CRTC seeks the participation of Canadians to test home broadband Internet speeds

OTTAWA and GATINEAU, QC, May 9, 2019 /CNW/ - The CRTC and participating Internet service providers (ISPs) are seeking participants for the Measuring Broadband Canada project, which tests the speeds of home wireline broadband Internet services.

Participants will receive a device, called a "Whitebox," that they will connect directly to their modem or router. The Whitebox will periodically measure broadband performance, testing a number of parameters, including download and upload speeds. The measurement tests will run when users are not actively using their Internet connection.

The results will give Canadians, the CRTC and ISPs a better understanding of whether consumers of broadband services from participating ISPs are getting the advertised speeds they expect. Moreover, it will provide additional insight into network performance, including actual connection speeds. Using these results as a baseline, the CRTC will publish a comprehensive report highlighting the findings.

Canadians who wish to participate can apply by completing an online form.

Quote

"The data collected through this project will help consumers see whether they are getting the Internet speeds that were advertised by Internet Service Providers and will also help the CRTC to better understand the performance of connection speeds in Canada. We encourage those who are interested to fill out the online form today."

- Scott Hutton, CRTC Chief, Consumer, Research and Communications

Quick facts                                                                                    

• The CRTC launched the Measuring Broadband Canada project in 2015 and released reports in March 2016 and September 2016.
• The CRTC is collaborating with Internet service providers and SamKnows, a company specializing in monitoring broadband services, to carry out this project.
• The privacy of Canadians will be assured. No information concerning online activities will be collected.
• Previous reports indicated that most participating Internet service providers met or exceeded advertised speeds, with some exceptions.
• The CRTC works to ensure Canadians have access to reliable, affordable and high-quality communications services in both urban and rural areas across Canada.
• Participants from the first phase will be contacted to indicate their interest in being considered for participation in this new phase.
• At this stage, the participating Internet service providers's include Bell Canada, Bell Aliant, Bell MTS, Cogeco, Northwestel, Rogers, Shaw, TELUS, and Videotron.
• While some providers do offer advertised speeds of 1Gbps or faster, services above 940Mbps cannot be measured with a conventional speed test. As such, speed tiers of 1Gbps or faster are excluded from the 2019 Measuring Broadband Canada project. Consumers should visit each of the participating Internet service providers's websites for details about the availability of higher or lower speed tiers.

Related links

Broadband Measurement Project 
Learn about Internet Speed and Performance 
Measuring Broadband Canada 
CRTC initiates review of basic telecommunications services for all Canadians 
Communications Monitoring Report 2018

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SOURCE Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

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