NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - New rates for high-speed Internet access may be in the works as phone companies and telecom equipment makers develop plans to charge customers rates based on how much bandwidth, or Internet capacity, they use, according to a report published Thursday.

Some phone companies, including BellSouth Corp. (Research), are mulling "pay-as-you-go broadband" plans that would charge customers more for bandwidth-guzzling activities like streaming video, than for Internet surfing, The Wall Street Journal said.

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The move to charge different rates would mark a departure from the monthly flat fee that most plans currently charge their customers, the report said.

Internet content companies and consumer groups oppose the move, arguing the new pay structures could create a tiered system and block full access to all parts of the Internet, which has traditionally been free of special charges and fees, the newspaper said.

They are pushing Congress to adopt rules that would maintain the open nature of the Internet.

But the phone companies and equipment makers -- eyeing potential revenue -- oppose any new rules and say their new pay plans won't block access or discriminate, the Journal said.

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