FCC Sort of Acknowledges Usage-Based Billing Regulations

While there are voices in the crowd that have never met a regulation they like, it's reasonable to put a few rules in place regarding how usage is measured and reported to the consumer.

This is not an insignificant task because metered voice tracks the end point of each call and appliances, furnaces, water heaters, faucets, cars, insulation are all required to report their efficiency rating/consumption/annual costs. If we want to meter, consumers will need a way to determine how they can reduce their consumption. Maybe it's just requiring consumer routers to have the capability to easily offer monthly reports or maybe it's rating web sites by how much bandwidth they use.

I also think it's fair to define the billing increment. Today's GB increments are fair if each GB is extremely inexpensive. With GBs costing $10 or more, the increment needs to be significantly smaller.

I think all of this crap is ridiculous but if this is the only way providers can remain solvent and provide HSI, then it's fair to acknowledge all the crap that goes with it.

Really??
Where have you been?
The cost of "Broadband" has been dropping for years, yet the "cost" to the end user has either gone up, or remained the same.
None of these providers are hurting for cash-flow either.
All this metered billing is trying to do is garner MORE cash for them.

I stated this crap is ridiculous. Isn't it obvious the comments that follow are facetious?

They could start with regulating the way online meters function and certify their accuracy.

no, they should require ISPs install meters at the demarc at the premises.

but even then they will need to not count ARP traffic / data sent when the modem is off / cable phone / U-Verse video data / ECT.

Also round down or say must use at least 80% of a block to be billed for it. And say cap blocks of say a max of 10MB.

NO billing for a full 10GB with you only useing 20mb of it.

Agreed...but just counting traffic is only a part of what's needed. What if a consumer wants to reduce their consumption? If all they know is a total, how can they determine what activities they need to reduce to lower their bill?

I'm showing my age here but when long distance calling wasn't all-you-can-eat, the bill came in the mail and you could usually determine which household members made what calls and which calls cost the most.

Consider an apartment scenario where two people share the rent. If a nasty HSI bill appears and one person claims they don't use that much internet, how can it be resolved without details?

Uggh, any mandated equipment at the premises sounds like a bad idea. I'd rather the FCC create some kind of "broadband auditor" that customers could call up if they think they're getting screwed. They could bring a meter to the premises, leave it there for a month, and compare to the ISP provided meter. If it's significantly off, make the ISP credit the customer $1000 or something onerous.

The Corporate sector will continue to do as they please and the FCC will continue to practice unnatural acts with the Corporate Big boys when and whatever the Big Boys demand of it. The American public is not on their list of responsibilities.

As it should. Until Congress gives the FCC control over the Internet, they have nothing to do with it. The FCC gave up that control over the Internet when they decided to declare the Internet an "information service" instead of "communications service". So it's going to create a whole new bag of worms and the ones with the most $$$ will win. And the FCC will NOT be the one winning.

This is also about "wireless" so they will need to define what "wireless" is.