Changes To The Way You Can Use Internet

This blog post tries to explain some of the implications for YOUR internet access following the passing of the Cope Act , these are my own opinions and I would be quite happy to be corrected if I have got it wrong.

To give it it's full title
Communications Opportunity, Promotion and Enhancement Act (Cope Act) 2006.

Congress passes the Cope Act by 321-101 votes.


What Is the Communications Opportunity, Promotion and Enhancement Act (Cope Act)


The Cope act is a major overhaul of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 with a large number of changes some good and needed but some which may well cause the largest changes to how we are allowed to use the Internet once we have paid an ISP for a connection.


Below I have included the most important part of the act and an example of how I believe it will effect ordinary subscribers and how some subscribers are being affected today.


Network Neutrality

What Is It

Network Neutrality broadly means that once you have paid for your subscription to the Internet how you use the access is up to you, and all service speeds ( the speed a page or download is delivered to your browser ) are free and equal of limits via the ISP'S.

What Effect could it have on your Internet Access

• The company who provide your Internet Access Could define which VOIP ( Voice Over IP Telephone Service ) i.e. block those they do not supply.



• The company who provide your Internet Access could define where you download music or video from.



• The company who provide your Internet Access could even in the worst case define which shops were available through your connection at high speed and which were not ( Possibly Only Companies who payed the ISP would be accessible ).



• The company who provide your Internet Access could even in the worst case define which search engine you could or could not use.

As you can see unless a form of Network Neutrality is put back in the new bill, the internet we all use could change.


Current use of this ending of Network Neutrality is being used by Comcast who are slowing down certain protocols for example the BitTorrent protocol because the BitTorrent protocol is used to transfer large files including full-length videos partly because it competes with the cable company’s own video-on-demand and television offerings.



Current ISP Problems

Like all things there are two sides to any story and currently 10% of subscribers to ISP'S can easily use 60% of the available bandwidth making access slow for the rest of the subscribers.


Removing Network Neutrality should not be used as the answer as it could and will be used by some for the monetary gain. If ISP'S wish to address the issue they should begin offering a service which is based on users usage ( not how it is used ) this would possibly make Internet Access cheaper for most placing the cost on the heaviest users.


below is a video which although very biased does give an idea of the worst case scenario unless the situation is changed.