Internet companies seek answers on wireless streaming freebies - CNET

A group of technology companies and advocates is asking regulators to be more open about their review of new wireless plans that could violate Net neutrality rules.

A total of 59 Inteet companies, including Yelp, Foursquare, Kickstarter and Pinterest, along with several advocacy groups sent a letter Tuesday to the Federal Communications Commission asking the agency to make public a review of so-called "zero-rating" service plans offered by several Inteet service providers.

Zero-rating is a practice in which wireless and broadband providers exempt certain applications or services from monthly data caps. T-Mobile's Binge On service, which allows customers to stream unlimited video from certain services, is one example. Verizon's FreeBee program allows content owners to pay for a customer's data usage while using their service.

While the practice offers some benefits to customers, critics say it violates the agency's Net neutrality principles, which requires all services on the Inteet be treated the same. They claim it puts smaller competitors at a disadvantage and highlights the fact that data caps are uecessary. Carriers say they are simply experimenting with new business models that will make service more affordable for consumers.

The FCC's Net neutrality rules, adopted in February 2015, don't explicitly ban such deals. Instead, they allow the agency to review complaints individually. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler initially praised T-Mobile's BingeOn service as iovative. But after Net neutrality supporters expressed conce over the plans, the agency sent letters to several service providers, including AT&T, Comcast and T-Mobile asking each company for details about its specific programs. The FCC has said it's met with each of the companies privately, but hasn't talked about the specifics from those discussions.