One of the most common refrains in telecom companies' filings about Net Neutrality is this: how do you even test for Net Neutrality violations as a regulator in a reliable way? In its filing, the Internet Freedom Foundation said that there were sufficient tools to test if Internet providers' traffic management practices (TMPs) are violating Net Neutrality. "[I]nternational organisations like Measurement Lab and Glasnost have developed network measurement tools which remain available in the public domain. Such tools go beyond merely speed towards wider technical characteristics. These tools can help with publication of data, and would allow external stakeholders and government authorities to audit service provider activities," the filing said. “Academic researchers and national regulatory authorities have been actively engaged in measuring traffic management practices for well over a decade to considerable success,” M-Lab has told TRAI in 2017. “The adoption of TMP measurement tools by TRAI would build on a rich history of research and implementation, and align with the current agenda of BEREC and other regulators.” Act fast, encourage transparency Time is of the essence: "While TRAI and DoT consider a wider framework to identify reasonable TMPs, there is need to avoid the pitfalls of a “wait and watch” approach," IFF said, noting that almost two years have passed since the DoT made Net Neutrality part of telcos' license conditions. "Yet, the degree to which these provisions are indeed being enforced or have been enforced at all remains unclear. Such a vacuum aids IAS [Internet Access Service] providers who can continue…
