Verizon exempts its own NFL video app from mobile data caps
Verizon Wireless's "FreeBee" program that exempts online services from data caps is proving to be pretty popular, at least among services that are either owned by Verizon or affiliated with the company. Two of the first online services to "pay" Verizon for data cap exemptions were Verizon's own Go90 streaming video service and the Verizon-owned AOL. Now Verizon is also zero-rating the "NFL Mobile from Verizon" application.
We asked Verizon today if the NFL mobile data cap exemption is being paid for by the NFL alone or by both the NFL and Verizon. We also asked for an updated list of services that are zero-rated through FreeBee Data, but haven't heard back yet. When Verizon announced FreeBee Data in January this year, the first non-Verizon services to get exemptions were Hearst Magazines and Lantern Software's GameDay.
Verizon's zero-rating comes as the Federal Communications Commission continues a lengthy investigation into zero-rating. The FCC's net neutrality rules prevent ISPs and mobile carriers from speeding up online services in exchange for payment, but they don't include a specific ban on zero-rating. Instead, the FCC reviews zero-rating on a case-by-case basis to determine whether specific implementations harm customers or competitors. The FCC began its review of zero-ratingin December 2015 but still hasn't said when it will announce a resolution.
The term " data exemption" is used in the same context as "zero rating" in nearly every single article i have read and also discussed with Gary.
Zero-rating (also called toll-free data or sponsored data) is the practice of mobile network operators (MNO), mobile virtual network operators (MVNO), and Internet service providers (ISP) not to charge end customers for data used by specific applications or internet services through their network, in limited or metered data plans.[1][2][3][4][5][6] It allows customers to use provider-selected content sources or data services like an app store,[7] without worrying about bill shocks, which could otherwise occur if the same data were normally charged according to their data plans and volume caps. This has especially become an option to market 4G networks, but has also been used in the past for SMS or other content services.
Another proposed method of providing subsidized data (partially or completely free) is to have the app itself track the data it consumes on the subject device (e.g., mobile phone, laptop) and report back to the carrier and the app provider the bandwidth consumed for purposes of effecting the zero-rating. An advantage of this approach is that the bandwidth management logic (the operational rules) can be easily deployed, amended, and updated via well-established app stores (e.g., iOS, Google Play) without significantly burdening the carrier network operations (e.g., BSS/OSS).
