“TestIt” app to improve county’s data speed
Yuma County is urging the community to contribute to the improvement of internet speeds around the state.
This comes on the heels of President Donald Trump stating that 5G network speeds are a race America must win.
In other words, faster internet is a step closer to reality.
“TestIt”, is an easy-to-use app that aims to encourage phone companies to change the way they advertise the data speeds they offer.
These are the type of speeds that could allow you to send a text or tweet much faster.
The “TestIt” app helps the county identify areas with low or no connectivity, ensuring adequate funding for broadband speeds across the country.
Yuma County Administrator, Susan Thorpe, said, “Unfortunately here in Yuma County, a lot of our areas are below the national standard. So unfortunately again, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has different ratings for what they think those download and upload speeds are in our area and in a lot of rural areas.”
Sending in speed reports creates accountability for phone companies to advertise their speeds fairly.
“The providers tell us what their speeds are but they’re really not accurate so the marketing materials that they give to us are really not what’s actually happening,” said Thorpe.
The data collected through this app will help identify areas where broadband service is overstated and underfunded.
“Ultimately the goal is to show what our actual speeds are or to pressure the providers to get better access and better speeds to our area ,” said Thorpe.
“TestIt” is easy to use. Simply download the app from your App Store, and click “test speed here”. Once your upload and download speed is calculated, off it goes to Washington.
For Apple, click here. For Android, click here.
The president recently commented on new steps he said will take to ensure America will win the race to 5G speeds.
“Secure 5G networks will absolutely be a vital link to America’s prosperity and national security in the 21st century, The race to 5G is a race America must win,” said President Trump.
The president also had the support of the FCC.
5G speeds will be auctioned to phone companies in December, creating a 20-billion dollar fund to expand high-speed broadband in rural areas like Yuma.
“From precision agriculture to smart transportation networks to telemedicine and more, we want Americans to be the first to benefit from this new digital revolution,” said Ajit Pai, FCC Commissioner.
The White House said 5G will give our technology speeds up to 100 times faster than current 4G networks.
