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Story URL: http://networks.silicon.com/webwatch/0,39024667,39167693,00.htm

ISPs warned against favouritism
Users won't stand for it says research

By Tim Ferguson

Published: Friday 29 June 2007

ISPs have been warned not to prioritise access to certain websites over others - as customers increasingly won't stand for it.

As the debate over net neutrality hots up, JupiterResearch claims most UK ISPs are able provide improved access to certain websites through expanded bandwidth though they don't like to talk about it.

Ian Fogg, analyst at Jupiter, told silicon.com this lack of net neutrality could be due to companies paying ISPs for improved performance or by ISPs promoting access to their own services.

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He added most of the major UK ISPs have tools to be able to do this "but most won't talk about it".

Fogg explained this could mean customers of different ISPs, with supposedly the same level of service, could experience differing broadband performance.

JupiterResearch described the problem as a two-tier internet but Fogg said: "It's potentially multi-tier."

The research also found 16 per cent of consumers would like a guarantee from their ISP that access to third-party websites would not be restricted or subject to these variations.

Jupiter predicts this group – calling them 'Net Choicers' - will grow as the media increasingly covers broadband quality issues, making the differences in actual and advertised broadband speeds more apparent.

Fogg said 'Net Choicers' are more than twice as likely to pay for online content as the average web user, so will be important for ISPs to keep happy.

The research also found 29 per cent of consumers want flat-rate broadband pricing with no limits on usage - such as caps on data volume.