But we have to throttle Internet traffic!

There is a debate growing over the rights of Internet users and network neutrality. Users, on one hand, are demanding that the Internet be completely free and open, without any regulation or traffic throttling. Internet service providers (ISPs), on the other hand, contend that the web has never been totally free and that a certain amount of interference is necessary to ensure all users get a decent web experience.

The reason that this issue has become more important is that more and more of the Internet’s traffic is being shifted to cellular data networks, which are much less robust. European cellular carrier Vodaphone routinely shapes Internet traffic in response to users using too much bandwidth on its network.

The director of Spanish carrier Telefónica’s European regulatory policy, Robert Mourik insists that they are not looking at content when they restrict traffic. Mourik stressed that they are only trying to manage network traffic so that everyone gets a good web experience and not censor anyone.

If I were to throw in my own opinion, I would say that this is an excellent reason for cellular carriers to build out their physical infrastructure so that it can handle the rapidly increasing amount of mobile data traffic. With better hardware and more towers, it may become less necessary to modify Internet traffic in this way.

Source: NY Times