Consumers also suspect that broadband companies aren't exactly gung-ho about keeping that Internet pipe open. A majority of survey respondents said they fear that broadband vendors will cripple or block access to things like streaming video and voice over IP if they compete with the broadband vendor's services.
Are these consumers paranoid? Nope. And their concerns should also worry corporate IT.
See, consumers get kicked around a lot more than corporate IT. And consumers are more inclined to try things on the Internet that we won't touch until they're a lot more mature.
So those consumers will give VOIP a shot. They see a Vonage commercial, or their nerdy nephew sets them up with Skype. Then they compare notes with friends and relatives on how well it works. They get suspicious if it runs fine when they're at Uncle Fred's house for a visit but keeps breaking up when they're at home.
Or they'll watch streaming video that plays fine at work but just staggers along at home. When a sympathetic help desk guy tells them a DSL or cable modem should be plenty fast for watching that video, they begin to think maybe their broadband pipe is getting choked.
Maybe they're right. After a series of FCC and court decisions, it's no longer illegal for a broadband provider to limit or block Internet content or services for any reason. Providers usually make noises about security or network management when they do this. Consumers don't care. They just know their DSL won't let them cut their phone bill with Vonage, or the cable modem won't let them see streaming video from Google.
Of course, they're individual consumers. We're big corporations. Nobody can clog up our use of the Internet that way -- right?
Sure they can. And there's only so much we can do to stop it.
Oh, we can write clauses into our telecom and networking contracts, specifying that providers can't block our use of VOIP or other Internet technologies.
But even if we have an open pipe to the Internet backbone, that doesn't mean we have clear access to our customers and suppliers. If their Internet providers block certain kinds of IP traffic, we're talking to a wall.
And it's not just about streaming video or VOIP. What if some Internet providers put a throttle on videoconferencing we use for meetings? What if they slap limits on specialized technologies we use for supply chain management or customer support? What happens when the CEO can't connect to the VPN from home?
We need an Internet that's an open pipe. And we need that for our users, our business partners and everyone else on the Internet, too. This is infrastructure our businesses depend on.
Some groups, including those that sponsored that consumer survey, want Congress to pass a law requiring broadband providers to provide an open pipe. That sends a chill through big telcos and cable companies, which insist that a new law regulating broadband is unnecessary. Some, like Verizon Communications, say they already provide an open Internet pipe. Good for them. But that's not enough.
If open-pipe broadband providers don't want Congress poking its nose in, it's time for them to start pressuring their competitors to stop blocking or limiting Internet traffic. Industry self-regulation may sound like a pipe dream, but they'd better hope it works.
Because if broadband players don't start working hard to keep the Internet pipe open, they may lose control of the plumbing.
-- Frank Hayes, Computerworld's senior news columnist, has covered IT for more than 20 years. Contact him at frank_hayes@computerworld.com.