On December 21, 2010 the Federal Communications Commission in the United States will vote on whether or not Internet service providers can start charging customers tiered usage fees, just like wireless carriers now do. In other words, you pay xx amount a month, which gives your xx amount of bandwidth.
The biggest reason for this proposal is web video. It consume enormous amounts of bandwidth which cuts into Internet service provider’s profits (or as they say, overburdens their networks). Throw into the mix the fact that more and more Internet users are now watching television content on the Internet…instead of their TV’s where the advertising rates are dramatically higher…and you might get a hint at who is also behind the push for tiered pricing.
While the FCC is against Internet service providers arbitrarily throttling-down bandwidth availability to heavy users, it has no problems with the tiered pricing plans. So it won’t be surprising if this proposal…eventually…passes.
The bigger problem will be how Internet service providers implement it. In the United States, Internet service providers are already notorious for not delivering on their advertised bandwidth speeds. So how they can accurately track…and report in real-time to their customers…how much bandwidth they are consuming will be the big question mark.
In a nutshell, this is a polarizing topic. So while the vote may be December 21st, don’t expect any major changes in your Internet access anytime soon.