Why do internet providers throttle

I believe it is safe to say that no matter which ISP you use, it has throttled a customer at one time or another. While throttling has, in recent years, been basically outlawed in the United States, it still takes place in many countries — especially in underdeveloped nations where broadband still has yet to make heavy inroads. With a change of regimes in the U. While most reports of outlandish throttling by U.

ISPs are not the only providers to throttle. A number of reports out of the United Kingdom indicate U. Bandwidth-throttling numbers for recent years are absolutely anorexic, with most reports showing data from around or so. BitTorrent traffic was throttled. However, in January , a Washington D. As bandwidth on any network is finite, it stands to reason that prioritized traffic would have to be given preference over other types of data.

This means that while ISPs would no longer throttle particular types of data, it would give preference to other kinds, which comes close to the same thing as throttling. The FCC in February ruled in favor of Net Neutrality by reclassifying broadband access as a telecommunications service, making it a common carrier. So, the short answer to the question of whether throttling is legal?

It depends on who you talk to and when you talk to them. As I mentioned from the get-go, you may get the feeling occasionally that your ISP is throttling your data connection. Or, your torrents may slow way down, or might sometimes completely stop working. While these are more anecdotal indicators than official indicators, there are more concrete ways to tell if your ISP is throttling you. Well, at least about the throttling thing.

The Internet Health Test checks your connection for signs of any type of degradation. The test measures whether interconnection points are experiencing issues. It tests the speed from your ISP across multiple interconnection points with other providers.

Wildly different results between each check step the app runs indicates there are issues between your ISP and other networks. If one connection is noticeably slower than the others, there is a good chance your ISP may be throttling content from that network. As you can see in the screenshot below, my connection was not being throttled while connecting to the networks included in the test, as all readings were close to the same number.

Use the WhatsMyIP. The testing app ran on Java applet technology, which is no longer supported in modern browsers. Apple even shut down Java runtime ability in its OS X operating system a few years ago.

While the test is no longer available, check out the website for some useful info. Any of these will take months, if not years, of hassle to show any benefit — if they ever do.

While a proxy server will offer much slower download speeds, it has the advantage of usually being free. A VPN offers data encryption, better protection and better performance than any proxy server. A proxy server is a server that acts as an intermediary , taking requests from client computers that would be your computer and delivering content from other computers to the clients.

A proxy server can easily be set up to make P2P requests. CyberGhost offers an excellent proxy service, which can be used without the fear that someone is monitoring everything you send through the proxy server. A good VPN encrypts the data you are sending and receiving, directing it through a protected tunnel. Here are the three easiest ways to check if your ISP is throttling your internet connection :. Option 1: Use the Internet Health Test to see how your internet performs over a short period of time.

This test checks your connection speed to popular access points and detects any unusual slowdowns. This test detects whether your ISP is slowing down streaming platforms like Netflix. The ISP can use this tactic as a bargaining chip to get the streaming service to pay them, which is unfair to you. Option 2: Check if certain ports are blocked. Gamers will want to go to WhatsMyIP.

This advice is relevant only if you use an open port while gaming online and have recently begun experiencing issues. Option 3: Check if the speed of your internet changes when using a VPN.

The simplest way to see if your internet is being throttled is to turn on a VPN virtual private network and compare the speed. So why don't you just keep your VPN on all the time? Great question! A virtual private network also encrypts your data to prevent your ISP from monitoring what you do. AVG Secure VPN is carefully designed to give you world-class online security, keep you anonymous while you browse, and bring the whole internet to your fingertips. Try it today with a 7-day free trial.

Here are the best ways to stop internet throttling:. Your ISP might have a policy on network throttling that you can find on their website — look in the terms and conditions for anything that mentions bandwidth limits, data caps, or similar terms. You can also learn about their throttling policies by reading user reviews. By encrypting your internet connection , a VPN prevents your ISP from monitoring your online activity and throttling you because of it.

VPNs are easy to set up , and masking your activity is a surefire way to stop your ISP from limiting your access to certain websites and services. Your internet use will stay hidden, protecting you against content-based internet throttling by your ISP. Whether your ISP is actually throttling your internet or not, go with the option that ensures they won't.

Your ISP may throttle your internet to try to minimize congestion by managing traffic on its network. Only when throttling is used against you should you do something about it.

In the meantime, you can also try boosting your Wi-Fi signal to see if that speeds things up. The most common reasons your ISP throttles your internet connection and limits your data transmission speeds include:. Heavy internet usage will slow down the internet speeds of other people in the same area. To compensate, ISPs may throttle the connection of anyone using high amounts of bandwidth.

A typical internet user will likely never experience network throttling. If your internet is slow, there may be another reason behind it. The question is: are you being throttled? Or is it some other issue? This is not yet a common issue. You have met your data limit.

Many people have data limits on their internet connections. When they exceed the allotted amount of data, their speeds will often be drastically reduced. Instead of cutting off access to internet service completely, ISPs instead prioritize customers that are within the terms of their plan.

With extremely heavy data use that exceeds allowances, ISPs may need to throttle some connections in order to provide high speeds to the rest of their customers. Your ISP is choosing to throttle your specific activity. With the repeal of Net Neutrality, the ability of an ISP to throttle may be expanded, adding the ability to throttle specific types of content or to charge higher fees to major data users such as streaming services like Netflix. If costs are increased dramatically for these content providers, the costs of paying off ISPs may be passed down to you.

The most obvious way to tell if your internet is being throttled would be to run a free speed test available online. The only reliable method of checking whether your connection is throttled is through a Virtual Private Network, also known as a VPN. Monitor your monthly data usage. Sign up for a reputable VPN.