The UK’s Culture Minister, Ed Vaizey today announced that they’d be backing a “two-speed” Internet where ISPs can charge content providers and customers for access to the Internet’s “fast lane.”
Vaizey commented that he believes service providers should be free to experiment with new ways in which to raise revenue. This will in turn help to pay for the increased expansion that the Internet is experiencing in the UK.
We already saw Verizon and Google’s plans in the USA and opposition in the UK is likely to be fierce. Critics arguments are that it will limit free speech and stifle innovation for people that can’t afford the new “fast-lane.” This will all be music to the ears of those in certain parts of South East Asia. Limiting free speech and stifling certain parts of the Internet is what they do best after all.
It’s not known how it will affect the gaming industry, but it may see the smaller companies suffering if the bandwidth is being taken up by the industry’s larger operators. This would obviously be quite shameful.
