

Net neutrality: Are all bits created equal? - RiderOfGiraffes
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/click_online/8512843.stm

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electromagnetic
If net neutrality fails, companies like Google can easily play hard ball and
potentially bring ISP's down. Everyone on the throttling ISP's network asking
for money from website owner, instead of getting Youtube or Google, Facebook,
Wikipedia and the many other Alexa top 100 sites, they get "This website
cannot be reached by your service provider, please consider switching Internet
Service Provider".

I'm sorry, if all my favourite websites start telling me I have to change ISP
to use them, I'm going to change my ISP. Without google I'm out, it has my
Docs and my Emails, plus I wouldn't know how to find something online without
it (I could, but Bing is suck ass and beyond Yahoo my suckometer stops
registering). Even now, if google suggested I switch ISP for better
performance, I'd switch ISP. Heck, I even have my DNS through google! I
wouldn't have websites without google right now.

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protomyth
I would like a bill that expressly prohibits the blocking of ports or
protocols without the account holder's permission. I also wish I could
prioritize my own traffic (skype > download). Yeah, I know, I want the pony.

~~~
mrkurt
I would prefer legislation that attempts to nerf the power of broadband
providers by increasing competition. This might look like open access rules,
it might look like something else.

The problem isn't that particular providers do things that their customers
might not like, the problem is that a large number of those customers have (at
best) the choice of two companies to buy from... and those two companies are
state subsidized monopolies.

~~~
protomyth
Yeah, but there are plenty of places in the USA (and I suspect other
countries) where there will only be 1 or 2 providers based on geography and
profit analysis. So, I really would like the protection.

~~~
electromagnetic
Could be resolved, but the steps taken would be difficult to accomplish.
Essentially the government would need to claim ownership of the fibre, and all
ISPs lease fibre based on usage. Essentially if I switch service, ISP1 stops
paying for my usage and ISP2 picks it up.

However, this presents the problem that the government will then control the
fibre and maintenance costs will rise like a rocket to the moon. So perhaps
the ideal resolution to our problems could become the biggest hindrance to
lowering costs.

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bricestacey
_Another ISP tried to restrict bit torrent traffic and got pages and pages of
bad press as a result._

That would be Comcast.

