Internet Meters

If it isn't obvious to you already, the internet as we know it and as we do not know it yet is going to be vital to commerce and our way of life in the decades to come.  I would happily argue that the internet has changed the world in as significant a manner as electricity did.  Yet we don't treat our connection to the rest of the network in the same way that we treat our connection to the electrical grid or the water lines under our streets.  Yet.  You have a gas meter and a water meter and a an electricity meter at your house and your monthly bills for those services are assessed accordingly.  The internet is rapidly phasing itself into the category of "Utility" as its uses in the home propagate and it becomes ubiquitous in our lives.  I believe that in time as the cable companies are forced to admit that, in fact, they're really only delivering you one service but charging you for three, the method of charging the consumer for actual data used will become more common practice, as it was back when this whole internet thing first started when AOL charge by the number of minutes connected.*  That will require a national standard of measurement and a device that meets those standards to actually make the measurement.  Yesterday the FCC announced they've selected exactly such a device to give to volunteers who will meter their usage and the quality of service they are receiving in order to collect data about the quality of Broadband in America.  While this is a voluntary program and has nothing to do with how broadband is sold today, I'd call this an early precursor to an inevitable trend.  

*One benefit of a metered billing cycle is the incentive it gives consumers to have secure home networks that neighbors and other miscreants can't abuse.