The UK national telecommunications company, BT, is set to tear up the idea of “net neutrality” with its new service offering “Content Connect”, its critics claim.
Net neutrality is essentially the idea that consumers pay the same for internet access independent on what they are viewing or how they are viewing, so that whether you use your internet access, for example, to read email, book a holiday, view high-definition movies or play massively multi-player online games, you pay the same price. Although the term “net neutrality” dates back to the mid 2000s, the concept was actively debated among the net community much earlier, and at its heart is the principle that if people are charged according to content, then this is a direct attack on freedom of speech on the net.
BT’s new service offering, Content Connect, is, say opponents of the scheme, essentially just that, since it will create a “two-tier” internet. Content Connect will allow Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to deliver high-definition movie streaming direct to consumers using BT’s own cable network, thus effectively bypassing the internet. The upside is that doing this will significantly reduce traffic on the internet and reduce congestion at peak periods – something that will benefit every user of the net, BT claim. The downside is that ISPs will charge extra to consumers who want this service – striking commercial deals with content providers to do so.
It’s undeniable that the development of services such as BBC’s popular iPlayer service, which allows you to view recent BBC programs online, and similar services from other television companies has soaked up much of the net’s capacity in the UK. Broadband users will be familiar with the reduction in download speeds as evening approaches as ISPs throttle traffic to manage capacity. Overcoming this problem is not easy, and would require significant long-term investment in the network infrastructure – something BT seems unwilling to do.
So it seems that UK broadband users will soon face a dilemma – insist on an open internet where everyone who can pay for access can see the same content and put up with traffic congestion, or allow a two-speed internet, where those who can pay more get a better service.
