We propose a scheme for setting voluntary priorities for Internet traffic, and provide incentives to users to limit their use of high precedence levels. Where peer networks interconnect (e.g., at either a Federal Interagency EXchange (FIX), a Commercial Internet EXchange (CIX), or more broadly at generic Network Access Points (NAPs)), the mutual treatment of precedence levels is, potentially at least, a further item for negotiation among the connected networks that exchange routes and traffic. We intend this proposal to serve to catalyze the community into greater consideration of issues surrounding resource consumption in the network itself, rather than to necessarily provide a solid answer.
Our proposal requires cooperation of designers of
communications software, who would set appropriate
default priorities for transmitted traffic.
Our proposal involves three components. First,
the application layer under user control will place
the precedence level for packets into the
3-bit precedence field of the IP header.
Second, Internet routers would maintain multiple
queues, and weight service toward packets in
the higher priority queue. 
Finally, network service providers (NSPs) and local
network administrators may monitor traffic entering
or leaving their systems, and provide incentives to
users to limit their use of high precedence levels.