Sens Markey, Blumenthal and Wyden Query Mobile Carriers About Throttling Practices

Sens Ed Markey (D-MA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Ron Wyden (D-OR) sent letters to AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile after a recent study revealed the companies were slowing down certain services on their networks. “All online traffic should be treated equally, and internet service providers should not discriminate against particular content or applications for competitive advantage purposes or otherwise,” write the Sens in their letters. The Senators ask for responses to questions that include:

• Has your company put into practice policies to throttle or prioritize internet traffic for consumers? What is the purpose of these policies?
• Are consumers able to opt-in or opt-out of traffic differentiation? Does a customer’s choice change the price or affect their service, such as data allocation or requiring a different plan?
• How do you determine which network traffic receives faster or slower treatment? Is it based on content, behavior, or IP address?