Future Internet — Paying by the Byte?
Are you ready to treat the internet the same way you treat your cell phone? It may be on the horizon… Time Warner believes that the more network capacity someone uses, the more they should pay. In Beamont, TX they are conducting a test with new subscribers selecting how many gigabytes they will use each month. If they go over their cap, they are being charged $1 per gigabyte. For people that only send email and read news on the internet, this will have little or no impact. How about those users that are now watching television shows and movies on the internet? This could have a huge impact on them as well as the content providers. This test will be watched closely, because the ramifications could be huge. Some may remember the early AOL days when they charged for usage. The internet really took off when unlimited access plans became the norm. Will people be willing to pay for what they use, or will internet service providers need to figure out a better way to manage their networks and their finances?