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A Vermont state employee drove 6,000 miles in six weeks to prove that the cellular coverage maps from the US government suck – and was wildly successful.
In fact not only did he prove conclusively that reports delivered to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) by mobile operators aren't worth the paper they're printed on but also swung a spotlight on just how bad bureaucracy can get when it comes to Washington DC.
Corey Chase, a telecommunications infrastructure specialist who works for the Vermont Department of Public Service (PSD), undertook the monster road trip with some specialized equipment: six phones, each connected to a different mobile nework, and a custom piece of software, G-NetTrack, that carried out constant measurements of download speeds.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by shortscreen on Friday January 18 2019, @11:18AM (8 children)
What if Vermont created one of those doohickies, you know, I think the kids call it an "app." People all over Vermont could run an app, it could check whether connection data pertaining to their location and service provider was needed for the survey, and it could run a test and then submit the result automatically. If everyone is running around with a tracking device anyway, then why not?
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Friday January 18 2019, @12:26PM (3 children)
Depends on if you're more worried about corporate interests using your info for marketing or what your government might do with constant, real-time location information on most every citizen I guess.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 18 2019, @03:01PM (2 children)
The phone company's cell system already has real time location and available bandwidth knowledge.
They have the information to know the quality of their maps.
But this may be a game of how to extract funds without doing work.
If so, then using what they know would be counter productive.
Vermont likely well understands the game and just wants a bigger share.
Nicely played.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Friday January 18 2019, @06:08PM (1 child)
"Our measurements according to procedure #528b_159 v1.3.2 state that we provide the coverage advertised. We would be happy to discuss your measurements according to procedure #528b_159 v1.3.2, (which as a reminder uses profession equipment and high-grade antennas) rather than some custom hackjob using consumer-grade phones inside a car with an electric motor. Yours truly. The Cell carriers"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 18 2019, @10:53PM
Our measurements according to procedure #528b_159 v1.3.2...
Actually the FCC FAQ looks pretty simple.
https://transition.fcc.gov/form477/477faqs.pdf [fcc.gov]
(Page 27)
Q: Are there predefined coverage levels for the shapefiles?
A: There is no predefined dBm level associated with the mobile coverage maps. Instead, the coverage areas
should reflect where customers can expect to receive service at the reported speeds/bandwidths for the
particular technology and spectrum band.
Q: Should holes in wireless coverage areas that result from terrain blocking a signal be included in the
deployment data?
A: The polygons representing mobile broadband or mobile voice network coverage should not include areas
where terrain blocks a signal or other factors prevent service from being provided in that area.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by esperto123 on Friday January 18 2019, @03:48PM (2 children)
I know you were being sarcastic, but there is an app called opensignal (at least in android) that collects data on cell quality and location to create a map of coverage, and you can manually do speed tests that I think are considered also.
It gives you a heat map that you can select by type of network and network provider, can be very useful.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by DavePolaschek on Friday January 18 2019, @04:47PM (1 child)
Yeah, OpenSignal exists on iOS too. But according to the reviews, it will only show you data for "All Carriers" rather than letting you see data per-carrier. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/opensignal-speed-test-maps/id598298030?mt=8 [apple.com]
It might do a great job of collecting data, but if it doesn't give me some benefit in return, I'm not going to install it.
(Score: 2) by datapharmer on Saturday January 19 2019, @10:18AM
You can actually toggle to a specific carrier or even technology. The maps are limited or inaccurate in some areas due to lack of use but you can fill them in pretty quickly. I posted results to twitter vs a Verizon map and a new tower was installed within 6 months or so after complaining to Verizon for years and being told essentially that they didn’t care. Could be a coincidence but it felt like vindication (corporate account so couldn’t just switch providers at the time). Running the speed test Andy posting results gets attention because even if the signal is technically fine there are still minimum bandwidth requirement (which in this case was the issue - 4 bars of amplified garbage but couldn’t send a text or load a website)
(Score: 3, Touché) by DeathMonkey on Friday January 18 2019, @06:42PM
And then SN can run a story about it and we can all scream about what a privacy nightmare it is! I like it!