Internet delivery accountability becomes critical as more traditional infrastructure gets moved to the Internet. Consumers and businesses find themselves not only dependent on their ISP but can also experience risk and losses if the provider is not highly reliable.
Remote employees can get into trouble if they miss critical deadlines or suffer too much Internet downtime. VoIP phones, media devices, and other Internet-based communications prevent most of us from getting needed information during emergencies that include widespread Internet outages.
People may find themselves unable to make calls, and Internet-based panic buttons, security, monitoring, and countless other devices may be rendered useless in such situations. Some outages even affect cellular services and 911 emergency services.
As the Internet becomes increasingly integral to our daily lives, accountability among providers and network operators becomes highly needed.
Those who are responsible for maintaining and facilitating the operation of the Internet must be held to high standards of reliability and transparency. This isn’t just a money-making opportunity anymore. The question may even become, can profit-oriented companies be trusted to provide these services?
What defines an unreliable Internet provider?
ISPs can be unreliable due to several reasons.
Infrastructure control means that ISPs decide for themselves when and where to upgrade or repair, with limited transparency. Profit considerations likely take precedence. Maintenance and updates, necessary for performance and security, may be slow to get rolled out.
Oversold resources and/or any of the above can lead to malfunctions, overloaded servers, and routers, leading to slow speeds or outages. Practices like throttling content access can undermine consumers as well.
Addressing these issues is vital for ISPs to offer reliable service to their customers. While ISPs play a crucial role in connecting individuals and businesses to the Internet, they are self-governed, non-transparent, and for-profit entities that may not always have the consumer’s best interest in mind.
Because these services affect everyone, monitoring them on any level is becoming much more important.
Why is accountability needed?
It is important for ISPs to become more accountable for outages and to take steps to minimize their occurrence and duration.
Customers pay for Internet service and expect to have access to a reliable connection at all times. By holding ISPs accountable for outages, customers can be assured that their service provider is taking steps to minimize disruptions and ensure reliable service.
When ISPs are held accountable for outages, they are incentivized to invest in infrastructure and technology that is less prone to outages. This can help to reduce the frequency and duration of outages, which can be beneficial to both customers and ISPs.
When outages occur, customers often want to know what caused the issue and how long it will take to resolve it. By being transparent about the cause and resolution of outages, ISPs can help to build trust and confidence with their customers.
A field technician disconnecting a cable for a few minutes, because it was the most convenient way to deal with a problem, is no longer a solution.
Where to start?
ISP Tracker is purpose-built to monitor Internet services and the providers serving them. Use it to monitor any number of locations and ISPs, city-wide, state-wide, and globally.
ISP Tracker works independently and does not require information from any network being monitored. You’ll be gathering your own data which could be used to compare against additional data later. Monitoring will show weak points and problem areas.
By providing near real-time updates and alerts, ISP Tracker helps officials and/or organizations to stay informed about potential issues relating to Internet infrastructure. By publicly documenting outages and disruptions, ISPs and network operators are more likely to be held accountable for any issues that arise, encouraging them to be more responsive and proactive in addressing problems. This transparency works for everyone.
Please reach out to us for more information.