Mention internet throttling on a P2P forum and you'll instantly evoke a torrent of strong emotion.  However, a new survey reveals that to the majority of average Joe or Jane in the public, the issue is poorly understood and not a worry at all.

Throttling comes in many varieties.  Some internet service providers (ISPs) have throttled peer-to-peer traffic, though some have backed off since FTC began investigating Comcast and others over this "data discrimination".  Similarly, ISPs in the U.S. and abroad look to offer "priority lanes" in the internet highway.  This can be done for the purpose of efficiency -- handling more traffic in active periods -- or for profit -- allowing sites that pay more preferential serving.  The net neutrality movement however, has long battled against such practices in all shapes and forms saying they would wreck the inherent democratic and free-capitalist nature of the internet.

In Canada, similar battles have occurred.  However, according to a new poll by Canadian Press Harris-Decima, 60 percent of Canadians approved of "traffic management" if customers were treated fairly.  A mere 22 percent voiced strong opposition, saying such practices were wrong regardless. 

In Canada 83 percent of homes have internet access, with 73 percent of them having high speed internet, similar numbers to the U.S.  Eighty-five percent of those surveyed felt their internet speeds were adequate.  States the survey, "Canadians like high-speed Internet access, and the speed of service provided by their Internet service providers is seen as satisfying their needs."

Perhaps for that reason they are not afraid of traffic management.  Education on the issue may also be a problem.  Over 54 percent said that they did not understand the topic and how the issue affected their use.  Only 15 percent said that they were affected (or would be affected) by such actions.  States the survey, "As long as all customers are treated fairly in the way they are affected, most believe that traffic shaping is a reasonable approach for ISPs (Internet service providers) to take."

While U.S. opinions may vary, past stories have indicated that the American public is likely similarly confused on the topic.  Both in the U.S. and Canada, despite government opposition, telecoms like Comcast and Rogers have used throttling to cut-off users they deem "bandwidth hogs", for example slowing the speed of users' torrents or other P2P traffic.