Granulated Bandwidth Control

So, every time an ISP uses bandwidth throttling, random consumers get annoyed, slashdot talks about it, and generally it is a big mess. Chances are, this would have a similar reaction. However, from a customer stand-point I like it better.

So, the basic strategy is this. Suppose I, as a customer, am one of the 90% customers who use 10% of the bandwidth I am paying for. However, I do occasionally play flash movies or watch streaming videos. I don't want to pay as much as Joe, who watches streaming videos 12/7. So far, this sounds just like the argument the ISPs using bandwidth throttling provide.

I propose users can pay for bandwidth by saying, "I want x bandwidth, and 1 hour of y bandwidth per day." This y bandwidth could be controlled either by time of day or by when the user asked for it. A scheme similar to nights and weekends could also be used (i.e. you get more bandwidth at certain hours of the day). In short, my proposal is intended to take the best of both worlds from customers paying for a specific amount of bandwidth per month and customers having their bandwidth throttled. You instead always have a connection regardless of use, but you only have a limitted period of fast connection, which is determined by you, not your ISP.

Prepare the fish bones!