Methods and Systems for Facilitating Subsidized Access by a User to Network Content

A method comprising:

• detecting, by a subsidized access management system associated with a subsidized access provider, a request provided by a user of an access device for the user to receive subsidized access to network content by way of the access device;
• identifying, by the subsidized access management system in response to the request, a plurality of sponsors from a pool of potential sponsors and that are willing to sponsor the subsidized access to the network content by the user by way of the access device;
• selecting, by the subsidized access management system, a sponsor included in the plurality of sponsors and that is a best match for the subsidized access;
• and
• providing, by the subsidized access management system in response to the selecting of the sponsor, the user with the subsidized access to the network content by way of the access device in accordance with a subsidized access arrangement between the subsidized access provider and the sponsor;
• wherein the selecting of the sponsor from the pool of potential sponsors comprises designating a potential sponsor included in the pool of potential sponsors and that best satisfies a set of sponsorship criteria provided by the subsidized access provider as the sponsor that is selected, the set of sponsorship criteria comprising one or more of a distance of the sponsor from the user, a physical location of the sponsor, a connection between the sponsor and the network content, a field of trade of the sponsor, and a correlation of a user profile associated with the user to demographic information of the sponsor.

A system comprising:

• at least one physical device that:
• detects a request provided by a user of an access device for the user to receive subsidized access to network content by way of the access device,
• identifies a plurality of user parameters provided by the user and that define a plurality of conditions associated with the subsidized access to the network content and that the user is willing to experience in order to receive the subsidized access to the network content,
• selects a sponsor from a pool of potential sponsors and that is willing to sponsor the subsidized access to the network content by the user by way of the access device in accordance with the plurality of user parameters, and
• provides the user with the subsidized access to the network content by way of the access device in accordance with a subsidized access arrangement between a subsidized access provider and the sponsor;
• wherein the at least one physical device selects the sponsor from the pool of potential sponsors by designating a potential sponsor included in the pool of potential sponsors and that best satisfies a set of sponsorship criteria provided by the subsidized access provider as the sponsor that is selected, the set of sponsorship criteria comprising one or more of a distance of the sponsor from the user, a physical location of the sponsor, a connection between the sponsor and the network content, a field of trade of the sponsor, and a correlation of a user profile associated with the user to demographic information of the sponsor.