Google announced today that it will give end users the tools to figure out whether internet service providers are interfering with their broadband connections by blocking or “throttling” certain applications.
In a move that will undoubtedly ignite the issue of network neutrality, the company has partnered with the New America Foundation and Planet Labs to further develop Measurement Labs, an open-source platform that researchers can use to find out information about broadband connections.
Google is also providing academic researchers with 36 servers in 12 locations in the U.S. and Europe to develop tools that will allow users to measure the speed of their connections and figure out if their ISPs are blocking certain applications, according to Vint Cerf, the “Father of the internet” and Google’s Internet Evangelist, in a blog post today.
“No matter your views on net neutrality and ISP network management practices, everyone can agree that Internet users deserve to be well-informed about what they’re getting when they sign up for broadband, and good data is the bedrock of sound policy,” Cerf wrote. “Transparency has always been crucial to the success of the Internet, and, by advancing network research in this area, M-Lab aims to help sustain a healthy, innovative Internet.”
Google has already provided several tools for users to measure their internet connections on the Measurement Labs site.
The question is: how will internet service providers react to this?
Just this week, cable company and internet provider Cox Communications made a move away from net neutrality by announcing the roll out of a traffic management system that would give priority to time-sensitive traffic and delay less time-sensitive data, such as file uploads.
One of the tools Google plans to provide users on its M-Lab site is called DiffProbe. It will help users detect whether an internet service provider is giving some traffic a lower priority than other traffic.
These are wonderful posts! Welcome to Techcrunch Leena!
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Nicely written article. Nuetral, informative, and interesting.
Net neutrality is really and incredibly interesting subject when you really dig down into the basics of what the internet really is vs how mainstream culture (ie uninformed) view their internet service.
Thanks for comming forward to represent the uninformed. It is great that you are taking this first step, but don’t be discouraged if you become confused. We are rooting for you.
Great thing that Google counts in Europe as well.
It’s normal that ISP’s manage congestion because there are some activities (from people who use network) that use a large amount of bandwith. This help that customers continue to have a good internet navigation experiencie.
It’s cool that Google provides new and useful tools like DiffProbe that help internet customers to detect all these things.
that tools will help ISP’s consumers a lot, nice !
that’s great that google partnered up. I hope we can maintain NN.
I think that Google has always focused on information, like Google Knol, and the obvious one: Search. I think by allowing people more knowledge about their ISPs, it would be truly beneficial because it could cause people to complain, and even switch.
Good one!!!!!!
I submitted this to Digg everyone.
http://digg.com..._Net_Neutrality
Google is surely trying to spread its wings in the ISPs too.
So, what if Google becomes an ISP too in the near future? Would G share with us the unconventional bandwidth?
Hmmm, these are the answers that we would get to know in some years to come. Thanks a lot Leena for this post.
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Good stuff there google.
Java is so last century!
Love it! This is a great idea and hopefully will help shine a giant spotlight on the cockroaches which are the ISP companies.
Along with the recent interim appointment of Michael Copps as FCC chairman, this is really good news for Internet users. Remember, the commercial Internet was created by the Federal Government with the High Speed Computing and Communications Act of 1991. The commercial Internet was owned and operated by the Federal Government under the auspices of the National Science Foundation. In 1993 the NSF turned over the Internet to the telcos with the proviso that it be operated for the common good. If the telcos are reneging on this deal, then the time is right for the US Govt to take back control of the Internet and operate it as a public utility for the common good.
Good one! GOogle has corrected a wrong. Way to go!
If Cox Communications does what they say they will do, they are only moving away from net neutrality in the very strictest sense. It is a mistake to conflate network management for latency-sensitive protocols with pay-for-QoS or tiered service. If they only make a latency trade-off and not bandwidth trade-offs, they are actually furthering the cause of net neutrality by providing the best service to their customers in the fairest way possible.
Please, please, please don’t confuse the net neutrality debate any more by slamming a company for running their network well (hopefully).
You make a very good point that I think a lot of people missed here. The issue is will Cox actually do *exactly* like they describe in their statement?
Next in the news: ISPs block Google’s IP addresses forever.
Next in the news: Overall internet usage of subscribers fall. ISP revenues go down the sewage pipe.
thanks very good
The Net should remain neutral. If things change, I think I may turn to renegade hacking
This is so cool… I … I don’t have the words.
I am so glad you posted this. I will definitely be utilizing some of those tools in the future, thanks!
As long as Google don’t use fixed IP addresses or the savvy ISP’s will avoid shaping traffic to google’s test servers and shape everything else …
None of the tools open for me.
This is good stuff. We don’t need government interfering with the decisions of private individuals and companies. Informed decisions by consumers will entice companies to provide what is in demand.
Very insightful. Well done Google.