In
my last post, I touched on the idea of transparency, or the current lack thereof among operators. As I mentioned then, I’ve long felt that transparency is an area where operators traditionally fall short, failing to make vital information easily accessible to customers. Given the recent changes in pricing models and policy that we’ve seen, transparency demands are now being pushed to the forefront even more. With the end of flat rate charging, bill shock becomes a greater risk for many users, and a lack of transparency around pricing policy and bandwidth packages complicates the issue even more.
What’s stopping providers from being transparent about their terms of service, licensing fees, etc? Quite possibly, the idea that these areas contain negative sentiments such as “limits” and “restrictions,” could make providers hesitant to openly share them with consumers, instead burying them at the end of contracts in hard to read fine print. Yet, as a consumer of these services, I think knowing the negatives up front is far more appealing than finding them out through a high bill, limit on my service, or other inconvenience. In this sense, transparency, even if it involves perceived negatives, would work to the operators’ advantage by helping them avoid disgruntled customers who have discovered the limits and restrictions the hard way. These customers are less likely to increase service and more likely to churn, resulting in a loss for the operator.
Google and Verizon’s recent net neutrality proposal, announced earlier this month, addresses the need for better transparency of service terms and network management practices for communications networks. One of the main
tenants of the Google-Verizon proposal directly addresses the idea of transparency, stating: “Providers of broadband Internet access service would be required to disclose accurate and relevant information in plain language about the characteristics and capabilities of their offerings, their broadband network management, and other practices necessary for consumers and other users to make informed choices.”
Transparency clauses such as these allow consumers to know and understand what is happening with their service, and they should be made more visible. Only time will tell how the whole Google-Verizon proposal will play out, and there are many more aspects and expected outcomes to it that will be discussing at a later time. That aside, the inclusion of a transparency clause is a step in the right direction for providers. From this consumer’s standpoint, it can only benefit operators moving forward.
