BITAG Analyzes Nitty-Gritty of Internet Traffic Differentiation, Offers Recommendations
ISPs should disclose Internet traffic differentiation practices that affect end-user access, implement efficient network resource management practices, and not disrupt user-selected security in order to apply differentiated treatment, said a report issued Thursday by the Broadband Internet Technical Advisory Group.…
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The report focuses on nitty-gritty technical issues concerning the protocols and policies of network operators engaging in differentiated treatment of traffic -- not the public policy disputes in the FCC's net neutrality order such as paid prioritization (though the disclosure recommendation echoes the agency's broadband provider transparency rule, which is less controversial). Differentiation refers to "the full range of treatments" that can be applied to manage Internet traffic flows beyond a "first in, first out" basis, the report said. "This treatment may determine the order in which routers and switches send packets from different flows across the link, the rate of transmission of a given flow, or even whether certain packets are sent at all," it said. "While the techniques used for traffic differentiation overlap with those used to manage congestion, differentiation has a broader purpose that includes meeting service level agreement (SLA) guarantees and selecting paths for traffic from different applications, among other things. Differentiated treatment of traffic can also contribute both to the efficiency of a network and to the predictability of the manner in which network resources are shared." The report said traffic differentiation is extensively used within individual networks but hasn't been implemented across provider networks. "End to end deployment would require the harmonization and cooperation of a large number, if not all, of the relevant network operators," it said.