Measurement Labs, a new Google tool, enables users to check the quality of their broadband connections, pushing the issue of net neutrality into the open.
The casually-dubbed M-Labs was developed in partnership with the New America Foundation and Planet Labs. It is an open-source platform that researchers can use to find out information about broadband connections. Its experimental site offers Network Diagnostic Tools, Glasnost, Network Path, and Application Diagnosis, DiffProbe, and NANO - the last two are labeled "coming soon."
Using the site, web surfers can detect whether their ISP "throttles" broadband use by blocking certain applications (filesharing ones, for instance) or prioritizing some sites less than others.
In the past year, many ISPs fell under fire for implementing such practices. AT&T, Comcast, Time Warner, and Verizon all dealt with the issue in 2008. Early in the year Verizon took a stand and said that instead of throttling traffic, it would work to improve its network so large files can travel faster and more efficiently.
Comcast, however, fought the issue vigorously until the FCC ruled that throttling was unlawful. Even then, Comcast tried challenging the decision.
This week cable company and internet provider Cox Communications announced the development of a traffic management system, which gives priority to time-sensitive traffic and delays less time-sensitive data, like file uploads.
Internet users should know what they're paying for when they register for broadband with a given ISP, declared Google internet guru Vint Cerf in a blog post. And transparency is the bedrock of sound policy: "[It] 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," Cerf was quoted as saying.
In addition to the new tools, Google is supporting academic research at 36 servers in 12 locations in the US and Europe, enabling researchers to develop new methods to measure the speed of connections to gauge whether ISPs are blocking certain applications.
