Trump, Ajit Pai, and the future of Sonic's open internet access

[claykeer4]

Howdy Sonic people --

Longtime (+10 yr) customer here (have had several different accounts before this one.)

Question for Sonic.Net regarding the Trump administration, Ajit Pai at the FCC, and the future of the internet:

Is Sonic likely to be able to keep its committment to unlimited data (no caps) on Fusion ADSL & Fiber products? Are there competitive scenarios where aggressive and consumer-unfriendly data-charging scheme put forth by big players like Comcast, ATT, etc. may force Sonic to adopt similar & relatively draconian data charges?

Appreciate remarks & reflections on any and all related subjects. Would be comforting to know, for example, that Sonic is arranging peering agreements with higher-tier ISPs to try to preserve the relatively unrestricted flow of data we Sonic customers have enjoyed to date.

Thanks for your reply.

[dane]

Sonic of course remains committed to the principals of network neutrality, as we've clearly said in supporting the Wheeler-led FCC efforts on Title II classification.

The demise of network neutrality means that carriers CAN do what they want, including paid prioritization, zero rating, throttling, etc. It certainly doesn't mean they MUST engage in any of these practices.

[sergneri]

First step to censorship as well? Naaaa, it can't happen here.

[nickijon]

What about for those behind the FTTN service? Has ma bell made any first moves in the wake of the FCC's new direction? (That sonic is aware of?)

I think we've done everything we can to lessen our exposure to AT&T:

1. Configure our own router behind the rented NVG589 in IP passthrough mode.
2. Use Sonic's oVPN whenever possible; however, placing all devices behind the VPN client at the router causes port forwarding issues. So this approach has its limitations as well.

[dane]

Both good ideas.

But also note that Sonic's relationship with AT&T is a commercial bulk purchase - we're not subject to many of the practices they expose their retail end-users to. In particular, usage caps and overage fees.