You Use the Bandwidth, You Pay the Price

The article posted by the Washington Post in January of 2006 entitled The Coming Tug of War Over the Internet reported that AT&T was contemplating charging a fee for newer, faster internet. Doing this could have a massive impact on the internet as we know it. The article states, “The telecommunications companies' proposals have the potential, within just a few years, to alter the flow of commerce and information -- and your personal experience -- on the Internet.” Companies that opt to pay for the high-speed internet would probably transfer the cost to the consumer while companies that can’t afford the upgrade are likely to get overlooked in the searching process thus narrowing and possibly eliminating the competition for the big companies.