Notice: As of August 1, 2023, the FCC no longer partners with SamKnows on fixed broadband performance data collection, and SamKnows is no longer authorized to collect MBA data or provide fixed broadband performance analysis on the FCC’s behalf. The FCC will continue its Measuring Broadband America program work internally as it assesses Agency requirements for future potential procurement action related to the measurement of fixed broadband performance.
To stop unauthorized MBA data collection by SamKnows, a user should remove the Whitebox from their network after sending a Termination Notice to community@samknows.com stating that they would like to terminate SamKnows’ Measurement Services. If the Termination Notice is emailed before 5:00 pm Eastern Time on a business day, the user should remove the Whitebox from their network on the same day after they email SamKnows the Termination Notice. Otherwise, the user should remove the Whitebox from their network on the next following business day. Questions can be directed to Mr. Rajender Razdan at rajender.razdan@fcc.gov.
The Measuring Broadband America program brings together the FCC, interested stakeholders from broadband providers, manufacturers, academia, public interest and other diverse groups, and FCC contractor SamKnows in a transparent, collaborative process to develop open methodologies for the collection, processing and reporting of consumer broadband performance.
The FCC is committed to test and report broadband information transparently, in collaboration with key stakeholders in its mobile broadband performance effort.
All major stakeholders have signed the Code of Conduct, and the FCC welcomes other interested parties to sign the Code of Conduct and participate as stakeholders together in the effort.
2013 FCC BROADBAND TESTING AND MEASUREMENT PROGRAM
MOBILE STAKEHOLDERS CODE OF CONDUCT
September 11, 2013
WHEREAS the Federal Communications Commission of the United States of America (FCC) is conducting a Broadband Testing and Measurement Program, with support from its contractor SamKnows, the purpose of which is to establish a mobile technical platform for Measuring Broadband America and further to use that platform to collect data;
WHEREAS the FCC has recruited subscriber volunteers who have agreed to provide mobile broadband performance information measured on their handsets to support the collection of broadband performance data;and
WHEREAS the FCC takes steps to protect the privacy of subscriber volunteers to the program’s effort to measure mobile broadband performance;
WE, THE UNDERSIGNED, as participants and stakeholders in that Measuring Broadband America Program's Mobile Broadband Testing and Measurement Effort, do hereby agree to be bound by and conduct ourselves in accordance with the following principles and shall:
1. At all times act in good faith;
2. Not act, nor fail to act, if the intended consequence of such act or omission is inconsistent with the privacy policies of the program;
3. Not act, nor fail to act, if the intended consequence of such act or omission is to enhance, degrade, or tamper with the results of any test for any individual subscriber volunteer panelist or broadband provider, except that:
3.1. It shall not be a violation of this principle for broadband providers to:
3.1.1. Operate and manage their business, including modifying or improving services delivered to any class of subscribers that may or may not include subscriber volunteers panelists among them, provided that such actions are consistent with normal business practices, and
3.1.2. Address service issues for any individual subscriber volunteer panelists at the request of the subscriber volunteer panelist or based on information not derived from the trial;
3.2. It shall not be a violation of this principle for academic and research purposes to simulate or observe tests and components of the testing architecture, provided that no impact to FCC data or the Internet Service of the subscriber volunteer panelists occurs; and
4. Not publish any data generated by the tests, nor make any public statement based on such data, until such time as the FCC releases data or makes a public statement regarding any results of the tests, or except where expressly permitted by the FCC; and
5. Not publish or make use of any test data or testing infrastructure in a manner that would significantly reduce the anonymity of collected data, compromise subscriber volunteers privacy, or compromise the FCC policy to collect and analyze data prior to release except that:
5.1. It shall not be a violation of this principle for stakeholder signatories under the direction of the FCC to:
5.1.1. Make use of use of test data or testing infrastructure to support the writing of FCC Measuring Broadband America Reports on Mobile Performance;
5.1.2. Make use of use of test data or testing infrastructure to support various aspects of the testing and architecture for the program including to facilitate data processing or analysis;
5.1.3. Make use of use of test data or testing infrastructure to support the analysis of collected data or testing infrastructure for privacy risks or concerns, and plan for future measurement efforts;
6. Ensure that their employees, agents, and representatives, as appropriate, act in accordance with this Code of Conduct.