USA to go for Net neutrality

Net neutrality, the principle that no one should be allowed to pay for faster broadband access than anyone else, or to put it another way, that all Internet traffic must be treated the same, is about to be affirmed in the USA, says the Wall Street Journal.

On Thursday the US FCC is expected to announce that broadband providers must treat all Internet users the same way and no one should see their service throttled back or blocked or given priority status.

In actual fact, there are four levels of service of which three are being used and this will continue to be the case under the FCC’s rules to be announced on Thursday.

Priority Level 1 is for Heads of State and other VIPs and for emergency calls on any network including the Tetra/Tetrapol overlay network using special RF front ends.

Priority Level 2 delivers a guaranteed connection for the rich, politicians and important people.

Priority Level 4, described as the network making its ‘best effort’ to get you connected, is for most of us and is where the FCC’s net neutrality rules will apply.

Priority Level 3 has been built into all ICs and equipment since 1998 and is what the ISPs want to use as a super-class service which they can charge a lot for.

ISPs sre about to get heavier regulation when the FCC reports on Thursday. They are to be treated in the same way as telecoms providers.

david manners

from News http://ift.tt/1za28rt

via Yuichun