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Today, Google announced that it will give users the means necessary to determine whether internet service providers are interfering with their broadband connections by blocking (also called “throttling”) certain apps.

In a maneuver that will certainly stir a debate around network neutrality, "Big G" has entered into a partnership with the New America Foundation and Planet Labs to further develop Measurement Labs, an open-source platform that researchers can now utilize to research info on broadband connections.

Google is also giving researchers 36 servers in twelve locations in the United States and in Europe to develop tools that will permit users to measure the velocity of their connections and determine whether or not their ISP is blocking certain applications, according to Vint Cerf, the “Father of the internet” and Google’s Internet Evangelist, in a blog post today.

“No matter your views on net neutrality and ISP network management practices, everyone can agree that Internet users deserve to be well-informed about what they’re getting when they sign up for broadband, and good data is the bedrock of sound policy,” Cerf wrote. “Transparency has always been crucial to the success of the Internet, and, by advancing network research in this area, M-Lab aims to help sustain a healthy, innovative Internet.”

Google has already laid out several tools for users to measure their internet connections on the Measurement Labs site.

It will be interesting to see how the various ISPs respond to this move.

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