• US Senate bill would regulate data caps
    7 replies, posted
[url]http://www.theverge.com/2012/12/20/3789958/ron-wyden-introduces-data-cap-integrity-act[/url] [quote=The Verge]Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), a noted supporter of online consumer rights, has announced a bill that would set rules for how internet providers could deploy capped data plans. The Data Cap Integrity Act is meant to make sure that if companies limit the amount of data that can be uploaded or downloaded in a given time period, it's transparent to consumers, follows general net neutrality principles, and is designed to "reasonably limit network congestion" rather than discourage internet use or take advantage of a lack of competition. Data caps have become increasingly common, as have tiered plans on both wired or mobile broadband, though it's not clear whether this bill would only cover home ISPs or also mobile carriers. ISPs have a history of implementing caps without much transparency, and making the process clearer is certainly laudable. The bill would require the FCC to establish a central standard for tracking data, as well as provide tools for the customer to monitor how much they've uploaded and downloaded. Data meters already exist for Comcast and some other ISPs, so this would codify them. Another section, however, says that ISPs "may not, for purposes of measuring data usage or otherwise, provide preferential treatment of data that is based on the source or the content of the data." This is, among other things, a swipe at Comcast, which exempts its own streaming video service from caps. It's also another volley in the ongoing fight over net neutrality. Wyden's bill is vague about what constitutes an internet service provider, so it could possibly apply to wireless data as well as home internet, which bears the brunt of most existing regulation. Mobile companies have been adamant about fighting net neutrality, and even the relatively light FCC Open Internet rules are currently tied up in appeals. Wyden's proposal is likely to meet opposition in the Senate, particularly from Republicans who are against commercial regulation generally and net neutrality specifically. Nonetheless, he hopes to quash caps that "create challenges for consumers and run the risk of undermining innovation in the digital economy if they are imposed bluntly and not designed to truly manage network congestion."[/quote]
I can't see this actually getting anywhere, but I wish them the best of luck.
This could also just mean more fine print.
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Wyden is probs my favorite senator. This kind of law is absolutely necessary. My area is very rural and my ISP that never had a bandwidth cap was recently bought out by a larger company that does have restrictive caps. Unfortunately there isn't a single alternative. It's bandwidth caps or go without internet. There isn't a legitimate reason at all to impose caps on us except to earn even more money. Ron Wyden is kind of a hero and I'm proud he represents my state.
my southern neighbors did a fine job picking their senator
I didn't know my ISP had data caps until I read about it in some article online talking about ISP data caps. Before that I honestly didn't know ISP's in 'Murica even had data caps. :geno: [editline]20th December 2012[/editline] I think it might have been Pop sci where I read that particular article.
Bandwidth caps are disgusting and ridiculous. They treat bandwidth like it's a commodity and actually costs something to provide. Bandwidth costs as much as the electricity required to run the infrastructure, which is disproportionate to the extreme of what they charge consumers. All of the "bandwidth shortages" that ISPs prattle on about are caused by them swindling ever more money and not bothering to upgrade their network infrastructure with more modern hardware to increase capacity and make things faster. They're also at the mercy of line providers like L3 who own the fat pipes that crisscross the world and charge an even more disproportionate amount to the regional ISPs for use of the lines, who then pass the added cost on to an already overburdened consumer.
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