Last week, thousands of functional broadband test routers were deliberately disabled after the completion of a government-run internet monitoring program in Australia. The devices, known as whiteboxes, were distributed to volunteers in 2020 as part of the Measuring Broadband Australia (MBA) program managed by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). The program aimed to assess the real-world performance of fixed-line broadband services, particularly those delivered over the National Broadband Network (NBN).

Background of the Program

The ACCC launched the MBA program to provide consumers with transparent and accurate data on the speeds and reliability of retail broadband plans. Volunteers across Australia received hardware from SamKnows, a network measurement company acquired by Cisco in 2023. The whiteboxes were installed in participants' homes and ran continuous tests to measure metrics like download and upload speeds, latency, and streaming quality. The data collected was used to produce quarterly reports that compared the performance of various internet service providers.

According to the ACCC's final report released in December 2020, the program initially expected to deploy about 4,000 whiteboxes. By December 2020, over 2,600 units had been distributed, with plans to expand coverage to include emerging retail service providers and new speed tiers. The program continued for over three years, with the last performance report published in early 2024.

The Bricking Decision

In mid-June, volunteers received an email from the SamKnows team informing them that the program would end on June 30, 2024. The email stated: "Service Termination: Your whitebox will be disabled, and your SamKnows One account will be closed." After that date, the devices stopped collecting data, and measurement and registration data were deleted in accordance with data retention obligations under the end-user license agreement.

However, as one volunteer pointed out to technology media, the routers remained fully functional from a hardware perspective. The whiteboxes run a custom version of OpenWRT, an open-source, Linux-based operating system commonly used for embedded devices. This means the devices can be reflashed with standard OpenWRT firmware and used as Wi-Fi routers with decent performance. The volunteer successfully reflashed his own device using a soldering iron to access the serial interface and reported that it now works perfectly as a home router.

The volunteer expressed frustration that the ACCC and SamKnows did not issue a final firmware update to unlock the devices for continued use. "It seems a shame to me that these perfectly good devices should all be disabled simply because the company can’t be bothered to send out a final firmware update that opens the devices up to end users," they said.

E-Waste Concerns

The bricking of thousands of functional routers has sparked anger among environmental advocates. Electronic waste, or e-waste, is one of the fastest-growing waste streams globally, and disposing of working devices prematurely adds to the problem. The ACCC's email to volunteers encouraged disposal through free e-waste recycling services at local councils or retailers like Officeworks, JB Hi-Fi, and Harvey Norman. However, the volunteer noted that recycling still consumes energy and resources, and reusing the devices would be far more environmentally friendly.

Similar concerns have been raised in other countries. In the United States, a comparable study called the Measuring Broadband America program, also run by the Federal Communications Commission in collaboration with SamKnows, distributed about 9,000 routers to volunteers in 2011. The fate of those devices remains unclear, as neither the FCC nor SamKnows has publicly disclosed what happened to them. The Australian incident highlights a pattern of wasted hardware when government programs conclude without a sustainable hardware lifecycle plan.

Responses from Stakeholders

Efforts to obtain an explanation from the relevant parties have been largely unsuccessful. A request for comment sent to the SamKnows email address used for volunteer communications received an automated reply stating that the message was "being reviewed," but no answers were forthcoming. ThousandEyes, the networking intelligence company that Cisco bought in 2020 and to which SamKnows.com now redirects, also did not respond. When contacted, Cisco directed all inquiries back to the ACCC, citing SamKnows' agreement with the regulator.

The ACCC provided a brief statement that did not address why the routers were disabled or offer any response to e-waste concerns. The statement read: "The ACCC delivered the MBA program with SamKnows, its testing provider. The SamKnows 'Whitebox' is a dedicated hardware-based device that was provided to a few thousand volunteers accepted into the program. The device was manufactured and supplied by SamKnows and used to measure broadband performance as part of the program. With the conclusion of the Measuring Broadband Australia program, the whiteboxes deployed during the MBA program have been disabled and are no longer operational." The statement also reiterated that volunteers should dispose of the devices via e-waste recycling.

The lack of transparency has led to speculation about the real reasons behind the bricking. Some observers suggest that SamKnows or Cisco may not want to be associated with potential issues stemming from refurbished routers, such as security vulnerabilities or liability if users damage the devices. Others point out that the whiteboxes were specifically designed for the testing program and may contain proprietary software or hardware that SamKnows wishes to protect.

Community Response and OpenWRT Resurgence

In the absence of official support, the tech community has stepped in to help volunteers salvage their devices. Online forums and social media groups have shared detailed instructions on how to reflash the whiteboxes with generic OpenWRT firmware. The process typically requires opening the device and using a USB TTL adapter or soldering iron to connect to the serial console, but enthusiasts have also developed software-based methods for certain models. The volunteer who reflashed his device confirmed that it now works as a standalone Wi-Fi router with full administrative control.

This incident has also reignited interest in OpenWRT, which is known for its flexibility and support for a wide range of hardware. The whitebox routers, manufactured by SamKnows, are based on standard consumer-grade chipsets that are well-supported by the open-source community. Many users hope that a simpler, firmware-based unlocking method will be developed, allowing less technical volunteers to reuse the routers without hardware modifications. The demand for such a solution highlights the desire for sustainable technology practices and the reluctance to discard perfectly functioning electronic devices.

Broader Implications for Government Technology Programs

The Australian situation serves as a cautionary tale for government agencies that deploy specialized hardware for data collection. Often, such devices are procured under contracts that do not include provisions for end-of-life reuse or refurbishment. As a result, when a program concludes, the hardware becomes stranded assets that may end up in landfills, even if they could be repurposed for other uses. The U.S. School Connectivity Initiative and similar programs have faced analogous criticisms for leaving behind non-reusable equipment.

Policy experts argue that contracts should require vendors to either take back the hardware for refurbishment or issue open-source firmware updates that allow continued use after the program ends. Such provisions would reduce e-waste, save taxpayer money, and foster goodwill among volunteers who donate their time and bandwidth to support public interest research. In the case of the MBA program, volunteers not only provided free hosting for the whiteboxes but also subsidized their electricity costs over several years. The least that could be done, critics argue, is to enable those volunteers to keep the hardware working.

As of now, thousands of former volunteers are left with bricked routers sitting in their homes. Some will follow the ACCC's advice and recycle them, while others will attempt DIY reflashing. The wider tech community continues to advocate for better hardware stewardship from both governments and private contractors. The story also underscores the tension between corporate secrecy and environmental responsibility—a conflict that will only intensify as the volume of connected devices grows globally.

Source: Ars Technica News