With the objective of enabling broadband users to compare their actual speeds with those advertised by their providers, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Thursday launched a broadband test service that would essentially help consumers to clock the speed of their Internet.

The launch of the Internet speed test tool, which can be accessed from the www. broadband. gov site, comes in the wake of the revelation by FCC officials in a September meeting that that actual broadband speeds showed a lag up to 50 percent during busy hours.

About the newly-launched test tool - which has been announced days before the FCC presents its National Broadband Plan to Congress next week - FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said in a statement: "The FCC's new digital tools will arm users with real-time information about their broadband connection and the agency with useful data about service across the country."

With the FCC also collecting information about areas that lack broadband availability, Genachowski has already proposed that broadcasters should be asked to relinquish 500 MHz of spectrum, worth $50 billion at auction.

Genachowski is of the opinion that mobile broadband in particular carries the potential to be an long-term engine for "advancing a healthier, sustainable way of life" by the way of creating jobs, expanding economy, spreading knowledge and enhancing civic commitment.