Despite the recent consumer victory over Time Warner Cable, the holy grail of metered broadband billing is something carriers simply aren't going to let go of. While there is absolutely no data to support the argument that billing by the byte is necessary given the dropping cost of providing broadband, the potential profit is simply too tempting. Todd Barnard of ZatzNotFunny raises a good question: if carriers are going to insist on meters, who verifies the meters are accurate? Notes Barnard:Despite some substantial differences, ISPs eager to bill by the byte love to compare broadband to electrical utilities, where meters are heavily regulated. Carriers that have spent millions in lobbying fees to remove regulation aren't going to be particularly keen on new government rules.

At the same time, consumers aren't going to want to pay for ad and malware bandwidth, and they're going to want ISP totals to match their routers. Something has to break in that equation. Barnard raises some interesting questions about how a regulated meter system would also impact network neutrality:This may not be a conversation that incumbent ISPs are particularly interested in having, given their positions on net neutrality regulation, and the fact that at the moment they enjoy a significant amount of regulatory freedom under the classification of being "information services." Mega-carriers today by nature are terrified of being "dumb pipe" carriers who simply provide bandwidth. This metered billing push could ensure that's exactly what they become.

If ISPs want to bill by the byte (and again, there is no data to suggest this is necessary, and there are other ways to manage heavy users that don't involve charging 2000% markups on bandwidth), they should be ready to face new regulation confirming that their bandwidth measurements are accurate. They should also be prepared for regulation ensuring they aren't interfering with the quality of pure bandwidth they're delivering to each home.