
We must ensure ISPs don't stop the next Google getting out of the garage - ph0rque
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/may/19/we-must-ensure-google-garage
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russell
Corey Doctorow has a thoughtful article on how ISP's are trying to limit
internet access for their own benefit. (The title is a little over the top.)
Some of these things happen in the US, but seem to be stomped on by the FCC
and public opinion. The rest of the world, including the UK and Europe,
governments are abandoning the citizens and getting in bed with the ISP's.
Corey makes the point that telcos owe us net-neutral access because they are
granted a monopoly to lay the wires.

I read a couple of UK nonpolitical blogs, and I find astounding the
willingness to compromise what we in the US consider basic rights, like
freedom of speech or unfettered telecommunications. I dont like a world with
the worst of US IP policy and European speech, privacy and communications
policy.

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aminuit
The issue of metered billing has been criticized here and in other places. It
makes for a pretty popular punching bag, but I don't think it's fair to
dismiss it as a non-issue. The ISPs have to manage oversubscription rates.
It's a real problem. Total throughput is fixed at various points along the
network, and there are going to be times when the demand outstrips the
available capacity.

So what should the ISPs do? Time Warner's recent foray into metered billing
was obviously moronic. Customers shouldn't be penalized beyond their monthly
payment for usage. Their plan also didn't do anything to reduce congestion
during peak traffic hours.

I think the onus should be on the ISP to make sure that they can actually
deliver the rates that they are advertising, which are clearly far too high.
The customer shouldn't get screwed just because the ISP can't manage the
oversubscription rate that it wishfully dreamt up.

In this scenario, advertised rates would have to drop substantially, but it
means that the customer, not the big media partner, decides on his own quality
of service.

This is basically how it has worked for business class circuits for all of
eternity. I guess I don't understand why they can't apply the same pricing
model to ordinary consumers.

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graemep
I see nothing wrong with metered billing - and it certainly far preferable to
ISPs doing deals with favoured partners. Even better, pricing could vary with
price of day. There are (or, at least, were) electricity tariffs in the UK
that offered low rates for a few hours at night.

~~~
ph0rque
If this happened, bittorent clients could get an automatic throttling feature
built in to minimize downloading/uploading during peak hours, and maximize
during off-hours.

~~~
aminuit
This makes sense for heavy bittorrent users who are generally bright enough to
realize how much data they are sending back and forth, but do you really
expect casual YouTube viewers to know how much data is transferred when they
watch a video? What about Grandma who wants to video chat with her grandkids?
Graduated metered billing makes sense for certain things: electrical power,
telephone calls, etc, but it doesn't make sense for Internet usage where there
is no good way for users to easily get a handle on the amount of data
transfered by their applications.

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blhack
How is bandwidth used any more abstract than electricity used?

Grandma wants to video chat! She doesn't know how much bandwidth it uses! POOR
GRANDMA!

Grandma wants to run the air conditioner! She doesn't know how much power it
uses! POOR GRANDMA!

Maybe grandma should learn, eh?

~~~
aminuit
You're being ridiculous. The marginal cost per kilobyte of data transfered
during off peak hours is approximately $0.00. The marginal cost per kilowatt
of electric power, while lower during off peak hours, is still material.

~~~
quoderat
"The marginal cost per kilobyte of data transfered during off peak hours is
approximately $0.00."

This can't be repeated enough when commenters -- as the above one did -- make
such disingenuous arguments.

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nazgulnarsil
um...the main problem is that ISP's are flat out lying about infrastructure
costs to make their money grab seem more legitimate.

