Google has denied a report that it’s working with Verizon Communications to allow faster delivery of paid online content. The New York Times said such an agreement would undercut the concept of Net neutrality and suggested it could lead to tiered service with higher costs for premium delivery.
Net neutrality has been the focus of battles between Comcast and other Internet providers and the Federal Communications Commission. Following a court ruling that gave the FCC limited authority to regulate broadband restrictions imposed by Internet providers, the FCC has been seeking to reclassify broadband service as a “telecommunications service” but only apply part of the rules. Providers have opposed that move.
While Google said, “We have not had any conversations with Verizon about paying for carriage of Google or YouTube traffic,” it did not challenge a Wall Street Journal story that said the companies are working on a legislative model to prevent delays or blocking of Internet traffic.
While broadband providers want the right to regulate traffic on their networks, they have also said prioritized traffic could lead to higher costs. That could be particularly true for Google’s YouTube, which generates high traffic.
If Google and Verizon are indeed working on a plan to pay for priority content delivery, private-interest groups are certain to object.
Meantime, wireless carriers are preparing for a faster Internet and an expected explosion in traffic by scrapping unlimited mobile data plans and setting prices for levels of service. AT&T, for example, now charges $15 a month for 200MB of data and $25 for 2GB. Subscribers who exceed those caps will be charged overage fees. Details
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