Julius Genachowski, chief of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has proposed a plan that he believes should be put into action that would keep traffic on the Internet free and unobstructed regardless of what [legal] data is being transmitted.

The plans would in effect make it illegal for all ISPs within the US to block, slow down or throttle bandwidth of its customers' whether from a fixed machine such as a desktop or a mobile device such as a cell/mobile phone. The plan proposes that all data transmitted by consumers whether to or from PCs should be unhindered while it traverses the Internet to it's final destination. This would mean that if you downloaded a lot of video content, you would no longer face speed limitations on your service should you go over a monthly bandwidth cap.

Currently some ISPs will throttle bandwidth or slow your Internet down (that you pay for) should you go over a certain bandwidth limit or cap. Under the new proposals operators would no longer be able to prevent customers from accessing lawful content, applications or services on the Internet. However given that all content should be treated equally the ISPs argue it would make it difficult for them to manage and protect their networks and consumers from harmful content. It could (and probably would) hamper their ability to provide a reasonable service to all their customers of a certain geographical area, if a few customers in that area are hogging all the network's resources. 

Chris Guttman-McCabe, vice president of regulatory affairs for CTIA said "We believe that this kind of regulation is unnecessary in the competitive wireless space as it would prevent carriers from managing their networks, such as curtailing viruses and other harmful content, to the benefit of their consumers".

However those that support the plan (Google and Amazon are among them) argue it would help people to be more creative, innovative and help people make better connections with each other and companies. This was backed up by Genachowski as he stated "Greater transparency will give consumers the confidence of knowing that they're getting the service they've paid for, enable innovators to make their offerings work effectively over the Internet, and allow policy makers to ensure that broadband providers are preserving the Internet as a level playing field."

Genachowski has stated that during October the FCC will issue a 'Notice of Proposed Rule making' at it's meeting. The FCC will also be seeking ideas and comments from anyone who is interested in contributing to the proposed rules. The FCC also launched a Web site to encourage the public to participate in the matter.

What's clear from all of this is that morally speaking the consumer should get what they pay for and they should be allowed unhindered access to content on the net if it is legal and from a device of there choosing. That's part of what living in a 'free country' is all about. However the stance of the ISPs' is that they believe the government should not be telling them how to operate their networks and services - who can blame them.

No consumer likes it when an ISP limits the service they are paying for, but it is a fact that some people do take advantage of the services ISPs' provide and can have a detrimental impact on those that use the service fairly and reasonably. One thing is for sure, we haven't heard the end of this debate and it is likely to wrangle on for some time yet as both sides will probably need to make compromises, particularly where mobile services are concerned.

Sources: Cnet, The Wall Street Journal