The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is today set to make a major move in controlling exactly how Internet Service Providers charge for and manage their services.
The Order Preserving the Open Internet will be voted on today and if passed as expected, will give the US Government more authority over how ISPs are regulated. So far, Internet Service Providers have been largely self-regulating in the way they monitor and manage content delivered via their infrastructures.
Depending on the country and provider for example, some ISP and mobile networks offer differently priced internet packages depending on how much you use the net, while others just have a flat rate which users can use as much as they want. The FCC bill gives the US government more say in exactly what providers can and cannot do. In particular, it aims to prevent mobile internet providers from blocking content from competitors but also implements laws which allow ISPs and mobile providers to charge users for heavy bandwidth content such as Netflix and YouTube.
On the one hand, the rules are necessary because as mobile content providers such as Verizon roll out 4G networks that are faster than most fixed broadband connections, it opens up the possibility that they can abuse their power to favor their own media content and restrict or even block that of competitors. However, the prospect of even more “metered” internet usage for users – such as the way your water and electricity are metered – risks driving a greater divide between those who can afford to enjoy rich amounts of internet content and those who can’t.
How to manage access to ever expanding 3G and 4G mobile networks is still very much an evolving issue and was brought into focus earlier this year with Google and Verizon’s controversial Open Internet plan.
