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USING the Internet could become more expensive if service providers adopt new
software that allows separate billing for e-mails, downloading graphics, and
streaming audio or video.

Xacct of Santa Clara, California, says its software allows Internet Service
Providers (ISPs) to collect details on what their customers are doing with their
connections. Right now, providers generally charge a flat monthly rate for all
users. Anil Uberoi, Xacct vice president, says: 鈥淚t鈥檚 like $19.95 and eat
all you can. It鈥檚 not out of the goodness of their hearts. The fundamental
reason is that ISPs can鈥檛 do anything else.鈥�

It is very difficult to collect information on Net use, even if you are the
ISP controlling all of the computers. That鈥檚 because different computers in the
system don鈥檛 report everything they鈥檙e doing to a central place.

Xacct鈥檚 software monitors all the computers and records exactly what they are
doing鈥攆or instance, if they are handling a video stream鈥攁nd which
customer they are sending it to. Uberoi says a company might decide to charge
$10 an hour for a high-quality video feed, but only $1 an hour for
a low-quality video feed, and only a flat rate for basic e-mail.

By monitoring Net traffic types, the software is also a useful security tool.
Charles Arsenault of Canadian telephone company Teleglobe says it is using the
program to monitor approaches to its firewalls鈥攕ervers that provide a
buffer between business systems and the outside world.