August 10j 2011
The Honorable Julius Genachowskij Chairman
Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Streetj S,W'
j
Room 8-B201
Washingtonj D.C. 20554
Dear Chairman Genachowskij
l read with great interest the FCCIs recent report on consumer wireline broadband
performance in the United States. The results speak to the importance of providing
consumers with accurate information about the network performance of lntemet
service providersj particularly during peak usage periods. l commend the FCC for
publishing this dataj and l also encourage the Commission to expand the report to
include consumer wireless broadband speedj reliability and coverage.
Earlier this yearj l introduced H.R. 2281j the Next Generation Wireless Disclosure
Act
j
to ensure consumers know exactly what they're getting for their money when
they sign up for a wireless broadband plan. As Americans increasingly adopt wireless
broadband service and commit to multi-year service contractsj iris essential that the
FCC evaluate the performance of these services and make this information readily
available to all consumers. By including wireless broadband speedj reliability and
coverage in future FCC reportsj consumers will be able to make a more informed
decision before committing to a service contract.
l applaud the Commission for beglnning this process by issuing a Public Notice
seeking information on how best to measure wlreless broadband performance and
coveragej as well as a subsequent IIRequest for lnformation.
1I
lIm also pleased by the
release of the FCCls Mobile Broadband Consumer Test app to enable consumers to
test the quality of their wireless broadband connection and determine if theyre
receiving the advertised speeds. These are important stepSj but more must be done.
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Greater openness arid transparency in the communications market will benefit all
consumers. As the FCC moves forward in carrying out its Datalnnovation
initiative/ l eagerly await your findings.