T-Mobile’s Binge On Optimization is Just Throttling, Applies Indiscriminately
I think it is time to regulate the Internet. And before you all go ballistic on me, I mean the term &quot;Internet&quot;. There should be a certain basic definition of the term, regulated by law. And just like you can&#x27;t just put a sign up on your door and start calling your company a &quot;Bank&quot;, you should not be able to advertise that you are providing the &quot;Internet&quot; without meeting certain regulations.<p>These regulations should be fairly basic: pass all IPv6 traffic unmodified, pass all IPv4 traffic unmodified except for NAT.<p>Then I would have a choice whether I want to pay for &quot;Internet access&quot;, or &quot;T-Mobile special limited edition we-will-modify-your-packets-as-we-see-fit networking package&quot;. Depending on pricing, the special limited edition networking package might actually work for me, but it should be clear that this is not the Internet.<p>On a related note, there is a similar problem in Poland: the state licensed new spectrum under the condition that the new operator would have to provide free internet to anyone who registers, for several years. Fast forward two years, and &quot;free internet&quot; means being disconnected every hour and having to solve a horrific CAPTCHA and go through several redirects to get any access, which of course pretty much excludes your MiFi or other router-like devices, and turns your online experience into walking a minefield (will I manage to place this order before my access blows up and I&#x27;ll have to reconnect, losing the data I entered?). This problem would not exist if it wasn&#x27;t for a vague definition of the term &quot;Internet&quot;.