Two-tiered net could be coming (BBC)

[eppur_se_muova]

Net providers (ISPs) may start charging some websites for faster access to customers, a report has predicted

It could create a "two-tiered internet" which, while making money for providers would risk alienating consumers, Jupiter Research said.

Charging both customers and websites for access could prove too tempting for ISPs to resist, said analyst Ian Fogg.

He warned it would add another layer of complexity to already confusing broadband services.
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According to JupiterResearch, 16% of net users want a guarantee from their ISP not to restrict access to third party websites while 29% want flat-rate pricing with no usage limits.
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more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6241386.stm

Although the article is aimed at the UK, the topic is of concern to US netizens as well.

[ClintonTyree]

1. Let them try........

they'll see the biggest boycott ever conducted. Any company doing business on a "top tier" and not allowing we peons to access it without paying a premium is asking for a huge-assed boycott. This could blow up in their faces, although that might not be a bad thing. It would show them that the internet is and should always be free and people aren't going to stand for this pay-per-tier bullshit. :mad: