Managing access to no-cost content

A computing device comprising:

• one or more processors;
• an antenna configured for wireless communication;
• one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more processors, to cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
• obtaining, at a computing device, multiple whitelists that each identify one or more content providers that are accessible for free through a respective corresponding network service provider that is different from the computing device, wherein each of the respective particular network service providers also provides access to other content providers for which a fee is charged, a debit against an account is taken, or a subscription with the respective particular network service provider is required;
• establishing, by the computing device, a particular network connection with a particular network service provider from among the network service providers;
• identifying a network configuration that is stored on the computing device that indicates whether to restrict communication with content providers by the computing device to only communication that is free;
• receiving, from a local application or service running on the computing device, a request to communicate with a particular content provider using the particular network connection, wherein the request to communicate originates from the local application or service running on the computing device;
• determining, by the computing device and based on the network configuration:
• (i) whether the particular content provider that is identified by the received request is included in a whitelist for the particular network service provider with which the particular network connection is established from among the multiple whitelists that were obtained by the computing device and that correspond to the network service providers, and
• (ii) whether the network configuration that is stored on the computing device indicates to restrict communication with content providers by the computing device to only communication that is free;
• and
• in response to determining, by the computing device and based on the network configuration, (i) that the particular content provider that is identified by the received request is not included in the whitelist for the particular network service provider with which the particular network connection is established from among the multiple whitelists that were obtained by the computing device and that correspond to the network service providers, and (ii) that the network configuration that is stored on the computing device indicates to restrict communication with content providers by the computing device to only communication that is free, blocking, by the computing device, the request to communicate with the particular content provider that was received from the local application or the service running on the computing device,
• wherein the blocking is performed before the computing device has transmitted any external network communications responsive to the request to communicate, and
• wherein the blocking causes the computing device to locally terminate the request to communicate without any inbound or outbound external network communications for the request to communicate.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions executable by one or more computers which, upon such execution, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

• obtaining, at a computing device, multiple whitelists that each identify one or more content providers that are accessible for free through a respective corresponding network service provider that is different from the computing device, wherein each of respective the particular network service providers also provides access to other content providers for which a fee is charged, a debit against an account is taken, or a subscription with the respective particular network service provider is required;
• establishing, by the computing device, a particular network connection with a particular network service provider from among the network service providers;
• identifying a network configuration that is stored on the computing device that indicates whether to restrict communication with content providers by the computing device to only communication that is free;
• receiving, from a local application or service running on the computing device, a request to communicate with a particular content provider using the particular network connection, wherein the request to communicate originates from the local application or service running on the computing device;
• determining, by the computing device and based on the network configuration:
• (i) whether the particular content provider that is identified by the received request is included in a whitelist for the particular network service provider with which the particular network connection is established from among the multiple whitelists that were obtained by the computing device and that correspond to the network service providers, and
• (ii) whether the network configuration that is stored on the computing device indicates to restrict communication with content providers by the computing device to only communication that is free;
• and
• in response to determining, by the computing device and based on the network configuration, (i) that the particular content provider that is identified by the received request is not included in the whitelist for the particular network service provider with which the particular network connection is established from among the multiple whitelists that were obtained by the computing device and that correspond to the network service providers, and (ii) that the network configuration that is stored on the computing device indicates to restrict communication with content providers by the computing device to only communication that is free, blocking, by the computing device, the request to communicate with the particular content provider that was received from the local application or the service running on the computing device,
• wherein the blocking is performed before the computing device has transmitted any external network communications responsive to the request to communicate, and
• wherein the blocking causes the computing device to locally terminate the request to communicate without any inbound or outbound external network communications for the request to communicate.