[discuss] African take on Net Neutrality

[Chip Sharp (chsharp)]

Jay,

See inline...

On May 13, 2014, at 9:00 PM, Jay Daley <jay at nzrs.net.nz> wrote:

> Hi Chris
> 
> On 14/05/2014, at 12:52 pm, Chip Sharp (chsharp) <chsharp at cisco.com> wrote:
> 
>> Now is being proposed the idea that Net Neutrality includes business relationships that don’t require direct manipulation of data flow in the network.  Zero rating is one example of this, but not the only one.  
>> 
>> Is this is really a Net Neutrality issue or is it an example of an innovative business offering?
> 
> In countries where data caps are common this is often seen as a net neutrality issue.

Yes, some have added this to the net neutrality discussion, as can be seen in the referenced article.


> At a technical level the traffic is actually treated differently if the data cap is exceeded, when it will not be subject to the same sanctions applied to non-zero-rated traffic, which is commonly to rate limit or to block entirely.


Yes, of course, thank you for the reminder on data caps and thresholds.  Some ISPs have moved to a tiered service with thresholds where the customer is moved to a different tier of service when they exceed a threshold.  Other ISPs might block, rate limit or take some other action when they reach a threshold.

A question for clarification:  Are you saying that some ISPs will block or rate-limit non-zero-rated traffic after the customer reaches a threshold, but the zero-rated traffic will continue unaffected?
If so, I’d say that it might have moved from zero-rating to something else.


The FCC’s Open Internet Advisory Committee addressed data caps and usage-based pricing in its 2013 report:
http://transition.fcc.gov/cgb/oiac/oiac-2013-annual-report.pdf
The data cap discussion starts on page 14.

It is difficult to agree on general principles for a concept when we don’t know what it includes, especially when it has been expanding in its scope of application over the years.
The different views on what is included in “net neutrality” can have practical effects on network operation as well as business operations.

Thanks again,
Chip


> 
> regards
> Jay
> 
>> 
>> My view is that we still need flexibility to allow for innovation in business practices of ISPs *and* edge providers.
>> 
>> Chip
>> 
>> 
>> On May 13, 2014, at 6:48 AM, Anriette Esterhuysen <anriette at apc.org> wrote:
>> 
>>> This is an interesting read on network neutrality from an African internet perspective.  I would summarise it as saying the principle is critical. How regulators apply it has to be sensitive to local contexts. The writer is Steve Song.
>>> 
>>> http://manypossibilities.net/2014/05/net-neutrality-in-africa/
>>> 
>>> Anriette
>>> 
>>> ---------------------------------------------------
>>> anriette esterhuysen 
>>> anriette at apc.org
>>> 
>>> executive director, association for progressive communications
>>> 
>>> www.apc.org
>>> 
>>> po box 29755, melville 2109
>>> south africa
>>> tel/fax +27 11 726 1692
> 
…snip...
> 
> -- 
> Jay Daley
> Chief Executive
> .nz Registry Services (New Zealand Domain Name Registry Limited)
> desk: +64 4 931 6977
> mobile: +64 21 678840
> linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/jaydaley
> 



** I am employed by Cisco Systems, Inc, but these comments reflect my own opinion and not any position of Cisco. **