In conjunction with the Federal Broadband Data Improvement Act (passed October 2008)

Last fall, the U.S. Congress passed Senate Bill 1492, the Broadband Data Improvement Act. The Act directs regional technology planning groups (Sec 106 e 4 & 5) to conduct broadband surveys to gather information about their areas and Section 103 C defines what should be measured--particularly in unserved or underserved areas. The Alaska Internet Speed Test Week scheduled for March 30 thru April 5 is an initial attempt to begin the process of gathering the information specified by Congress and making it available to Alaska leaders and planners.

Please help us conduct a baseline survey of Internet connections across all Alaska. Your participation in the Alaska Internet Speed Test week takes only a few moments and can make a huge difference toward improving Internet service, especially in rural Alaska. The results of the test will be made public.

Speed Test Quick Instructions
Speed Test Printable Instructions

Purpose of the Speed Test

The primary purpose of the Alaska Internet Speed Test data collection effort is to better understand various aspects of Internet access methods available in Alaska. The Virginia Tech eCorridors online tool was chosen to collect data for this effort because the institution-designed application has successfully proven to collect the kind of data that would serve our purpose. Based on the self-reported data from users like you, the eCorridors site will generate a map of currently available broadband offerings in our region between March 30 and April 5, 2009. The eCorridors application utilizes the familiar Google Maps product (http://maps.google.com) as its mapping engine.

The data collected from eCorridors for this effort originates solely from the state of Alaska and will be used “by us in support of teaching, research and outreach.”(see http://www.ecorridors.vt.edu/maps/instructions.htm)

Security

We keep the amount of personally identifiable information we collect to a minimum. The only "required" fields are latitude/longitude (entered by clicking on the map), and download/upload speed (generated by our NDT speed testing application); beyond that, the amount of information you wish to provide is entirely at your discretion. The location name field is optional, but is really there for your convenience - so you, and subsequent users of the map, will be able to associate a map marker with a "real" location. ZIP code is optional as well.

Uses of the data

The Community Broadband Map was developed as a research tool. Data submitted by users of the site is collected and maintained by Virginia Tech and may be used by them in support of teaching, research and outreach. Through the interface of the map, a representation of the data is made available to the public.