News summary produced by Claude AI
The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission concluded its Measuring Broadband Australia program last month, which involved distributing specialized routers to thousands of volunteers to measure and report on broadband performance across the country. The program, which began in 2020, utilized whitebox devices supplied by SamKnows to test internet speeds and performance on Australia’s National Broadband Network and other access networks. Volunteers received notification in mid-June that the routers would be disabled effective June 30, along with deletion of associated measurement and registration data.
Following the program’s end, SamKnows disabled the devices and advised volunteers to dispose of them through e-waste recycling services available at local councils or major retailers. According to program documents, the ACCC initially expected to distribute approximately 4,000 routers, with over 2,600 devices distributed by December 2020. The exact number of routers disabled was not disclosed by the ACCC.
Vounteers and technology observers have raised concerns about the decision, noting that the routers remain functional and could be repurposed. The devices run a custom version of OpenWRT, an open-source Linux-based operating system, making them capable of being reconfigured as standard Wi-Fi routers. Some volunteers have already successfully reflashed their devices for continued use, suggesting an alternative path existed to prevent the hardware from becoming electronic waste.
Neither SamKnows, which was acquired by Cisco in 2023, nor the ACCC provided detailed explanations for why the routers were disabled rather than updated with final firmware to allow user access. Cisco deferred inquiries to the ACCC, while the ACCC’s statement focused on program completion without addressing the e-waste concerns or technical alternatives. The decision stands in contrast to the potential for the devices to continue functioning in alternative capacities.