Net neutrality update and a potential future of selective data capping and Internet price gouging

[chrissof]

Wouldn`t that put an end to NSA spying on us?how much bandwidth do they waste?

 

[wcbert]

It is Al Gore's fault when he invented the internet he should have invented unlimited data.

 

[Guest]

It all comes down to the ISP at the end of the day and how greedy they are.
You guys in the U.S and Canada and other countries have it really good when it comes to pricing and bandwidth.

In South Africa we pay exorbitant rates for stupid 4mbps ADSL (NOT FIBRE even)
example, we pay around $80 for a 4mbps including a 20GB cap that cap is already throttled.

if you want a 10mbps uncapped fibre line you are looking at roughly $1000 a month, yep im not joking.

I lived in China for a few years as well, there we got a 10mbps FIbre line with Uncapped unshaped data for $10 a month.

Theres one common denominator.....the ISP.....they have the final say.

 

[SNGX1275]

Fiber from the 90's isn't the same as fiber today and in many cases would need to be replaced to meet today's standards. As far as Telco's getting a butt load of money from the government that is total fiction...I've worked in the industry for decades on the front line as a tech and Manager...so I am positive it didn't happen. The only government money ever given to Telco's to provide service came from the Universal Service Fund charges which appear on your phone bills to support service in rural areas...this grew out of the Rural Electrification Act passed in 1935 which paid to extend electricity out to small town America. In my opinion the Rural Electrification Act and Universal Service Fund were two successful examples of Washington actually doing some good for the common man...but there was no fiber build out paid for by the fed's...

Interesting. Although I wasn't entirely correct in my statement that the government gave telcos a lot of money in the 90s, I also wasn't completely wrong either. Here is a 2003 article about a 1994 agreement between Verizon and the state of Pennsylvania for $2.1B in tax breaks to get fiber to everyone by 2015. http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/30544

In 1994 Verizon (then Bell Atlantic) struck a landmark deal with the state of Pennsylvania. The deal provided Verizon with hefty financial incentives if they met certain broadband rollout criteria. It's estimated that those financial incentives over the years clock in somewhere around $2.1 billion dollars.

As part of that agreement, Bell Atlantic agreed to have 20% of the state broadband wired by 1998, and 50% by 2004. By 2015, broadband would be run throughout the state to the majority of Verizon's customers. It's important to note that this wasn't DSL they were talking about...but 45MB/s symmetrical fiber service right to the door of homes and businesses, ambitious and impractical for certain, but nonetheless included in the language of the agreement. While wiring every home with fiber skirts the limits of reality, the financial benefits received from Verizon in the deal were very real.

Edit - Actually it was $200B nationwide - http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/2007/pulpit_20070810_002683.html

 

[Lionvibez]

It all comes down to the ISP at the end of the day and how greedy they are.
You guys in the U.S and Canada and other countries have it really good when it comes to pricing and bandwidth.

In South Africa we pay exorbitant rates for stupid 4mbps ADSL (NOT FIBRE even)
example, we pay around $80 for a 4mbps including a 20GB cap that cap is already throttled.

if you want a 10mbps uncapped fibre line you are looking at roughly $1000 a month, yep im not joking.

I lived in China for a few years as well, there we got a 10mbps FIbre line with Uncapped unshaped data for $10 a month.

Theres one common denominator.....the ISP.....they have the final say.

Look at the technical infrastructure of Africa vs china. Then look at how densely populated china is it would seem for obvious reason why internet speeds would be faster and cheaper.

 

[richalone442]

Greedy bastards get their money, every time people pay a monthly bill. If this did go through would it lower prices? No it wouldn't!! It would only complicate everything.

NO, the price would probably go up, as the government would add a new tax to cover their overseeing of the Internet service providers, best rule of thumb, never let the government get involved in anything you don't want screwed-up. Look what happened in the marriage area, soon any number of intaties will be getting married

 

[Guest]

Quote "Theres one common denominator.....the ISP.....they have the final say."
Well no, not in the EU anyway. Rule of law has the last say and if the law says isp's must do this or that then they MUST do it. It happened already with mobile (cell) phone roaming calls within the EU and the high rates the providers were charging. They were told to bring down those prices and stop gouging customers.

 

[Guest]

I read something back around the turn of the century that said isp's of the future wanted a tier like structure for web content. Example: tier 1 would include yahoo, msn, cnn or whatever. But if you wanted google you would have to go to tier 2 and pay more. Its just like how cable companies are doing with their channel line-ups. I can x amount of channels for $50 a month, but if I want to watch espn then I have to change tiers and pay more

 

[cmbjive]

America does not even have basic health care for it's citizens or basic banking laws, this is no surprise, lucky it only applies to the USA .

The only thing free is your right to be exploited by the rich.

What the hell are you talking about?

 

[Raoul Duke]

The EU does seem to do some things better than North America on privacy and consumer laws from what I have read.