According to the FCC doc [1], the measurements may be conducted "between two defined
points on a network, such as between a user’s interface device and the ISP’s network core or between the user
interface device and the nearest internet exchange point where the ISP exchanges traffic with other networks". They require these measurements to be an average. I think this makes sense - it at least guarantees your speeds within the service provider's network.[1] https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-22-86A1.pdf
snvzz|2 years ago
It is useful that the remote end is the ISP exchange with the other ISPs.
It is way less useful to talk about averages. The averages could be great and it won't mean much when all of a sudden it can be slow, or not work at all.
The important information (and missing there) is what the guaranteed speed is, and what the guaranteed response times are for incidents.
e.g.: Outside the US, many countries have mandated minimums for guaranteed bandwidth, set as a percent of the advertised speeds. Similarly, they enforce certain maximum response times for incidents. There's of course different minimums for residential vs business, and ISPs will offer better tiers with better guaranteed bandwidth.
The FCC has the power to fix the insanity that is US broadband, but appears to be not motivated to.