What Is Fair Use Policy In “Unlimited Internet” And How Can We Get The Most Out Of Internet Promos?

4 min read By eCompareMo on December 27, 2014

Over the past few years, telecommunication companies in the country have been under fire because of their unlimited internet promos. A lot of customers get frustrated because whenever they reach a certain level of data activity, they will receive a message saying that they’ve already reached their daily broadband limit and their browsing activity will be throttled to a minimum as part of the companies’ fair use policy (FUP). What is FUP in unlimited internet promos, and how can broadband users take advantage of these promos without going over the limit?

What is fair use policy?

In broadband and internet parlance, fair use policy is the imposition of data cap on users who may impair the internet access of other users. By limiting the bitrate or speed of data transfer of some users, internet service providers can ensure that others will have convenient internet access.

Fair use policy exists because of the limited capacity of the infrastructure of service providers. Since all users of a certain telecommunications company share the same network, subscribers who are consuming more data—by doing high-bitrate web activities such as streaming music, downloading files via torrent, and others—will hog the transmission capacity of the service providers. To make sure that the distribution of service is even, broadband capping is introduced.

Is fair use policy really fair?

A lot of people are complaining when broadband companies cap their internet access whenever their reach their daily allocated bandwidth as if this is a new policy, but fair use policy has always been there since carriers introduced wireless internet as part of their services. With fair use policy, people who use high-bitrate web services cannot affect all users with their data activity, thus preventing network abuse and providing all subscribers with quality internet access.

With many Filipinos becoming heavily reliant on web-based services nowadays, consumers think that fair use policy limits them instead of allowing users to access more information with the use of the internet. Aside from this, another concern raised by the users is that unlimited promos offered by service providers aren’t actually “unlimited” in the sense that internet connection is capped.

However, what people do not realize is that fair use policy exists to ensure that all users can have proper internet access regardless of the web activity. Such policies prevent abuse of networks that negatively affect other subscribers. In this case, fair use policy is necessary.

How can you maximize unlimited internet promos even with fair use policy?

Even with fair use policy, you can still enjoy unlimited promos offered by service providers, given that you know how to properly use your precious bandwidth. Here are a few tips on how to maximize your unlimited promos:

As much as possible, avoid bandwidth-hogging activities
If you are using promos to have access to the internet, know that there are certain limitations that come with them. With these limitations in place, avoid high-bitrate activities such as streaming media, downloading files, and other activities that will quickly sap your daily-allocated bandwidth.

Avail of promos specifically targeted to your favorite apps

If your online activities are exclusive to several applications like Facebook, Spotify, Instagram, and other web-based applications, you may want to register to promos that will give you unlimited access for a certain period of time. There are promo bundles such as unlimited social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.), chat (Viber, Kakao, WeChat, etc.), and other bundles that will give you bang for your buck.

Use mobile versions of your favorite websites

With the increase usage of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets for web activities, different methods to make mobile browsing much more efficient have been implemented. By default, your smartphone browser will load the mobile version of the page you are visiting. If not, you can go to your app’s settings and find the setting where your browser will load the mobile version of the page by default.

Subscribe to DSL promos if unlimited mobile promos aren’t enough for you

If you think capped surfing is barely enough for your browsing activities, you should apply for a DSL line and stop worrying about data caps and throttling. There are several internet service providers in the country, with different plans to choose from based on the top speed advertised by the companies. Just find the best DSL plan that will suit your needs and you’re good to go.

In the end, fair use policies exist to allow every web user to have the same quality browsing experience. Even in first-world countries like the United States, Australia, and New Zealand, data caps exist to protect consumers from unfair network usage by some users. However, with the current network infrastructure as well as the lack of competitors in the country, the next best thing we can do now is use our bandwidth wisely.