Mobile-Wireless Market Might Be Our Post Net-Neutrality World

With the rules governing internet services set to be rolled back this week, service providers and their detractors are envisioning new models that could translate into a wider range of fees—both lower and higher. The current rules, expected to be all but eliminated by the Federal Communications Commission, require that internet service providers treat all traffic on their networks equally, a concept known as net neutrality. The FCC’s vote, scheduled for Dec 14, has far-reaching implications for the way consumers experience the internet, how they pay for it and, potentially, which companies will dominate it.

One example of how things could work is the mobile wireless market, where some providers already favor certain websites and services over others. Under the new regime, internet providers would be allowed to prioritize their own or other companies’ services by delivering them at higher speeds—sometimes called fast lanes. Net neutrality advocates worry that if content companies start paying for faster delivery, they will pass those costs onto consumers. That means that AT&T could not only exempt DirecTV Now from monthly data caps, but it could also ensure DirecTV Now always loads faster and has a clearer picture quality than a rival like Netflix—unless those rivals pay for faster delivery, too.