A new Ethereum improvement proposal may help to ease transaction fees which have climbed to levels impractical for developers aiming to run dapps using the blockchain.

The proposal was co-authored by Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin along with other developers. If the proposal is implemented it would mean a base network fee based on network demand and a tip for miners which could allow users to jump to the front of the pending transaction pool. 

This fee model would replace Ethereum's current auction fee model in which miners choose the transactions with the highest fee attached.

By Emily Mason