Verizon: metered billing much fairer than all-you-can-eat

Verizon's top technologist says that low-bandwidth users are just subsidizing the "hogs" at the bandwidth trough. It would be fairer for everyone just to pay for what they use. The history of metered billing attempts suggests otherwise, however. As a principle metered billing is fair enough, though the move away from flat-rate billing will also make people think twice before accessing non-essential Internet services. That's great for Verizon, but really, really bad for streaming video companies like Netflix, etc. The second issue with dropping flat-rate pricing concerns Verizon's newly "open" stance. The company is preparing itself for a world in which bazillions of wireless devices may attach to its network but have no need for today's voice and data plans. Think e-readers like the Kindle, or smart water and electricity meters; such devices will need much simpler, pay-for-what-you-use billing models or other less traditional arrangements. Switching to a metered payment arrangement for devices that will make only limited use of the data network makes sense and is likely to generate no controversy. But when it comes to tinkering with all-you-can-eat data plans for computers and cell phones, Verizon knows it needs to tread carefully.