Telecommunications companies (known as "telcos") do not want to be the ones who pay "the wedding duck" in the "content party" on the Internet.
And while they are pushing for a change in the concept of net neutrality, by which today they must guarantee equal treatment of all data trafficked over the Internet, they are beginning to advance another strategy: that of putting limits on the downloads made by users.
AT&T, the main "telco" in the United States, confirmed on Monday that it will impose limitations on its customers when using Internet lines.
From this unilateral decision, users will have a maximum of 150 or 250 GB per month, depending on the rate they hire.
If they exceed this mark, they will have to pay ten dollars for each pack of 50 GB more they download.
The principle of Internet neutrality, which calls for maintaining equal network access for all customers and content providers, is the subject of international debate, especially since Google and carrier Verizon signed an agreement in the US that could introduce certain "traffic priorities".
This means that operators and service providers could focus on certain websites, giving them "priority" access, upon payment. Or make customers pay more based on the volume of the amount of data generated.
The increasing use of the Internet for services that require a massive download of data (video, heavy photos, phone conversations) increases the risk of saturation and slowdown.
Network operators argue that in the face of this phenomenon, even more expensive infrastructure must be invested, which cannot be done without taking into account the activity of these content providers.
Faced with them, proponents of computer freedoms fear that setting access priorities will drastically reduce pluralism on the web.
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