Some recently-gathered survey results point to a warning: increasing regulations that mandate broadband ISPs censor (read: block) “pornographic” websites could result in 64 percent of UK people changing their internet service provider (ISP) for one that’s less intrusive. These findings – which, honestly, are not all that surprising — come from a survey of more than 2,000 adults in the UK. The survey was conducted by MoneySuperMarket in August of this year.
The survey also suggests that the UK is divided on whether ISPs should be allowed to censor sites and content on the whole, with 21 percent believing they should be able to and 27 percent thinking they shouldn’t. Respondents aged 18 to 34 years reported using the internet for an average of 11.5 hours per week, and 45 percent have attempted to access a site that was blocked. Further, approximately one quarter of all respondents said they would switch ISPs in response to the UK’s age verification system, which would force ISPs to block adult websites that don’t age verify.
But, switch to where? Or, to what?
One obvious issue with the expressed desire to switch ISPs in light of age verification is that the age verification policy applies to most providers. According to ISPreview, there is still a bit of a grey area for smaller providers, which might struggle with the costs of age verification implementation, however leaders at various age verification service providers have stated that age verification will be free or tiered. So really, since these policies actually do apply to everyone, respondents saying they will change ISPs if their current provider is compliant is essentially meaningless.
According to Emily Thompson, MoneySuperMarket’s “resident broadband expert,” findings from the research are relevant to conversations around net neutrality and what constitutes “fair.”
“Net neutrality is the concept that all data on the internet should be served equally, with no connections to sites favored over others,” Thompson explained, “[S]o it seems that Brits really value having the freedom to explore the internet at their leisure, without ISPs implementing blocks or throttling services based on package types.”
This statement, like the idea of switching ISPs, makes little sense though. It’s not like ISPs are just blocking random websites whenever they feel like it. They are compelled by the government to block websites that do not comply with their regulations. Though people, including some survey respondents, may not like this, that’s kind of irrelevant at this point.
