Much of the funding and policy that determines broadband deployment in the United States is determined using the National Broadband Map. However, a number of investigations revealed that the map overstated Internet availability and performance--particularly in rural and tribal communities. This faulty map has prevented millions of Americans from getting access to broadband Internet. 

In 2021, the Federal Communication Commission launched the FCC Speed Test App that would allow citizens to use their smartphones to measure Internet performance and challenge the map by submitting their data. Unfortunately, the FCC Speed Test App is kind of...boring. And it does not directly incentivize people  to participate. The goal of our research was to understand how we could build in interesting incentive schemes that would get people engaged in collecting Internet measurements as part of the challenge process. 

Games and play are fun--something that is inherently motivating and engaging. When we started researching to understand what would motivate people to go out and measure the Internet, people from around Flagstaff said that if there was a game component built into the process--like Pokemon Go--they would be more interested in participating. 

Since NetGauge takes a crowdsourcing approach to creating games for the platform, it allows communities to tailor playful experiences to their interests, values, and locations. As NetGauge matures, we hope to see a wide variety of games that encompass the many expressions of curiosity, connection, and joy that play can bring.