In October 2023, the FLOTO project, in collaboration with the Illinois Office of Broadband (IL Broadband) and the Internet Equity Initiative (IEI), assessed home Internet performance in rural Marion County, Illinois. IL Broadband, which oversees major state broadband initiatives for local capacity building, community planning, and digital equity, connected the IEI and FLOTO with an ISP (Protek) to deploy FLOTO devices and measure network performance in county residents’ homes across multiple access technologies, including cable, satellite, and fixed wireless.
Protek, which supplies cable internet to residents, needed solid data to support its grant application to build new fiber infrastructure in accordance with federal law dictating that grant approval for Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) funding turn on demonstrating a need for the proposed infrastructure. Residential areas with internet service generally available at or above federal broadband minimums – above 100 megabits per second (Mbps) download / 20 Mbps upload – are considered “served” and ineligible for funding; households below are “unserved” (less than 25/3 Mbps) or “underserved” (within the two thresholds).
Illinois’ official broadband map of residencies and service availability. Red houses are marked as “served” and ineligible for funding. Green and yellow houses are marked as “unserved”/”underserved” and eligible. The area shown in the figure is the same area where we deployed FLOTO devices (see map figure below).
Classifying households is difficult due to a lack of reliable data. The current federal classification of residencies across the United States is widely regarded as inaccurate and unverified. The IEI’s analysis aimed to determine whether residents in Marion County had actual performance above or below the federal definitions for broadband service across a spectrum of network performance indicators.
Read the full report from the Internet Equity team.
Device Deployment
To assess broadband needs, the project distributed 19 devices to households in the area. Residents hosting devices subscribed to services from various ISPs in the region. Protek strategically distributed these devices to sample different access technologies (cable, satellite, and fixed wireless technologies), aiming to understand the diverse conditions and the need for more fiber infrastructure in the area.
Over the three-week deployment period, from September 20th through October 13th, 2023, each device collected approximately 586,636 measurements, capturing fluctuations in bandwidth, latency, and other performance metrics. This data provided a comprehensive picture of the quality of residents’ internet connections, illustrating the varying performance across different infrastructure conditions.
A map, included below, shows the approximate locations where the devices were deployed during the study (green circles are clusters of devices). Protek clustered devices in a focused residential zone in the region, with a large number of devices deployed in a small, relatively dense neighborhood close to the lake.
Device locations are approximate and do not show precise locations. Some device locations are clustered with other devices (the large green circles contain multiple device locations). Source: https://portal.floto.science.
After the data collection period, Protek retrieved the devices from the residents and returned them to the FLOTO team. These devices will be available for future use, demonstrating the sustainability and efficiency of the FLOTO project.
Data Analysis and Report Findings
The comprehensive analysis conducted using data from the deployed devices revealed significant insights into internet performance in Marion County. Here are the key findings:
Bandwidth Performance
The Netrics application on the devices ran two speed tests, Ookla’s Speedtest software and Measurement Lab’s NDT7 software. The graphs show the distribution of measurements for each device and where they fall relative to federal broadband minimums.
Approximately 32% of the households sampled reported bandwidth speeds below the federal threshold of 25/3 Mbps, classifying them as underserved. A higher 53% fell below the 100/20 Mbps mark, indicating a broad lack of adequate internet service.
The data highlighted not only the inadequacy in bandwidth but also significant fluctuations over the 3-week deployment period (Sept. 20 to Oct. 13, 2023) time, which can adversely affect user experience, particularly in applications requiring stable internet connections.
Latency Metrics
Showing the distribution of latency measurements across all devices. The three devices on the far right are satellite connections. Latency this high could seriously degrade application performance.
Latency analysis showed that three devices, particularly those with satellite connections, consistently exhibited poor last-mile latency (above 100ms). This level of latency significantly impacts the user experience, especially in real-time applications such as video conferencing.
Round-trips Per Minute (RPM) Score
RPM is a relatively new measurement that aims to collect more robust data on the connection performance. The lower the number, the worse the connection. Note: Not all devices could run the RPM test; this inability itself could indicate poor network performance.
The RPM score, which measures the responsiveness of an internet connection, indicated that many households experienced low responsiveness. Particularly, devices with satellite connections were unable to produce reliable RPM results due to their high packet-per-second rate, which does not align well with satellite technology.
Comparative Analysis with Chicago Data
When compared with data from devices in Chicago, the devices in Marion County showed generally lower and less consistent upload and download speeds. This comparative analysis helps to contextualize the performance issues in Marion County within a broader geographic and technological landscape.
These findings are critical in understanding the current state of internet infrastructure in Marion County and underscore the urgent need for upgrades and improvements in internet service provision.
Outcomes and Impact
The data analysis provided by the FLOTO project in Marion County has been pivotal for a Protek and the IL Broadband Office’s efforts to secure federal funding aimed at building more extensive broadband infrastructure. By demonstrating the specific areas where internet performance was critically poor, they were able to make a compelling case for the necessity of upgraded infrastructure. This is especially crucial as local decision-makers face significant pressure to allocate limited funding where it will have the most substantial impact.
The availability of robust data from the FLOTO project has eased the burden for broadband researchers and policymakers who often struggle to obtain accurate information on internet connectivity. By supplying detailed and reliable data, FLOTO has enhanced the decision-making process, ensuring that investments in infrastructure are both strategic and evidence-based.
This targeted use of data exemplifies how FLOTO’s infrastructure supports and facilitates significant advancements in community services by enabling precise assessments and informed policymaking.