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from the would-you-like-YouTube^WNetflix^WFacebook^WAmazon-with-that? dept.
Michael Hiltzik at the Los Angeles Times writes about Portugal's Internet which shows us a world without net neutrality, and it's ugly. Basically, tiered services get in there through a loophole for zero-rating.
After paying a fee for basic service, subscribers can add any of five further options for about $6 per month, allowing an additional 10GB data allotment for the apps within the options: a "messaging" tier, which covers such services as instant messaging, Apple FaceTime, and Skype; "social," with liberal access to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and so on; "video" (youTube, Netflix, etc.); "email and cloud" (Gmail, Apple's iCloud); or "music" (Spotify, Pandora).
Portugal isn't the only country allowing tiering of internet services. In Britain, the internet service provider Vodaphone charges about $33 a month for basic service but offers several "passes" allowing unlimited video or music streaming, social media usage, or chat, at additional tariffs of up to $9.30 per month. [Ed's Note: This is not entirely accurate - Vodaphone's ISP home broadband offering (17Mbps) is £24/month unlimited usage, the additional figures quoted are for faster fiber connections (38 and 76 Mbps) where available. How you use your connection is irrelevant. This is the same for many European ISPs. Smart phone costs are entirely separate.]
Although both countries are part of the European Union, which has an explicit commitment to network neutrality, these arrangements are allowed under provisions giving national regulators some flexibility. These regulators can open loopholes permitting "zero-rating," through which ISPs can exclude certain services from data caps. That's what the Portuguese and British ISPs essentially are doing.
If the vote on the 14th of December repeals Net Neutrality then consumer options will be greatly reduced while increasing greatly in prices as we can see from Portugal's example.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 29 2017, @06:04AM
[Begin net-neutral encryption] Elite Social Justice Warrior Team Six, Special jmorris squad, 2nd Lieutentant "Boogers" reporting: jmorris seems to be on the move. He is defending the republican abolition of net neutrality with a venagenace. We have pulled his contract with Comcast, and we have to say his performance in this instance exceeds all contractual requirements. He may be bucking for a raise, or a promotion to High Mucky-muck in charge of censoring the Internets. In any case, further surveillance is recommended. And could someone check the router upstream? Seems our connection is becoming rather more slow and laggy. Wait a minute! Do you think jmorris has already gotten his promotion, and cannot help but stifle those of us involved in fighting for social justice? Have we been exposed? Check the encryption, Corporal Pence! Man the TOR router, Sargent Chompsky! To the barricades, everyone who loves justice and net newtons! [end preferred net access level encryption. Ha ha.]