Are Verizon and Google close to a bandwidth throttling deal?
August 5, 2010 - By Justin E. Gehrke
According to a Reuters report published this morning, Verizon Communications and Google may have come to an agreement on how the telecommunications company will control internet traffic traversing its infrastructure. The deal appears to relate to the ever-evolving definition of net neutrality, as it applies to both providers and users. Sources say that, essentially, the deal involves Verizon agreeing not to block or limit the speed at which internet traffic moves across traditional land-based communication lines.
The caveat, though, is that Verizon could reserve the right to block or limit the speed of traffic that travels across its wireless network. What is Google’s role in all of this? Since a significant number of the smartphones offered by Verizon Wireless are Android-based, Google has a vested interest in maintaining the momentum of the platform’s increasing market share. Any attempt by Verizon Wireless to limit traffic speeds or block certain traffic, altogether, could negatively affect continued growth.
In the past, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and wireless carriers have often wanted to limit certain traffic, based on their claim that excessive bandwidth consumption by a cross-section of users slows down traffic for users across the network. The implementation of so-called traffic limiting, speed governors (like those sometimes placed in vehicles) could be interpreted as going directly against the principles of net neutrality. Additionally, many consumers are likely to disagree with such a practice because it is a matter of getting less than what one is actually paying for. To put it in perspective, it is akin to buying a 6-cylinder car and only being able to use 4-cylinders.
The Verizon/Google talks are part of a larger initiative by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to determine if broadband traffic should be regulated under the terms of existing telecommunications regulations. Since June, the FCC has been collecting comments from the public and private sectors, which will be used to finalize a decision regarding the aforementioned broadband traffic. The project stems from an earlier U.S. appeals court decision, which nullified the FCC’s approval for Comcast Corporation to internet traffic to and from end-user applications normally associated with high bandwidth consumption.
The debate over net neutrality isn’t likely to end anytime soon. On the contrary, as paying consumers begin to take notice and more public rights-oriented interest groups become involved, the discussion is only likely to become much more heated. For more information on net neutrality and what it means, refer to Net Neutrality – Americans Finally Root for the FCC. Should They?
