UltraThing
New member
Looks like our "need for speed" might be the internet's undoing.
TV cable is huge already and they're quite capable of buying a few new laws to make this happen if necessary ......
Pisses:angry: me:angry: off!!!!!
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http://www.democraticmedia.org/news/marketwatch/bandwidthCaps.html
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Cable's Proposed Consumption Pricing Scheme Will Stifle Broadband Growth, Democratic Potential, Threaten Privacy
Consumer Group Decries Broadband Banditry, Says Hogwash to its Claims
16 October 2002, Washington, DC: The cable industry has begun to pursue plans that could impose new restrictions on Internet use, allowing it to "closely monitor and tightly control its subscribers, network, and offerings." New technology embraced by the cable industry is designed to fundamentally transform today's open network into a system that will prevent such applications as file-sharing, streaming video, and peer-to-peer communications. The stage is now being set for a radically different approach to Internet access, where the flat rate pricing of today is replaced by "tiered and usage-based billing." New schemes are also planned, that could replace the open Net environment with industry-self-described versions of "walled gardens" or "Internet Lite."
Cable operators have begun a PR effort, spinning that a small percentage of users account for a disproportionately large amount of bandwidth used on broadband networks. They have embraced the pejorative term "bandwidth hog" to describe those who find robust uses for high-speed connections. To deal with this "problem," MSOs are considering a variety of approaches designed to ensure they remain in full control of their bandwidth unless users can afford to pay the hefty access fees. Under one plan, a user would be allotted a limited amount of bandwidth per month, and would be charged extra fees for going over this amount.
Bandwidth caps have already been implemented in Canada by major Internet service provider Sympatico, Inc., and observers have been quick to note that the limit - 5 GB per month - would effectively restrict regular use of emerging applications such as Internet radio, streaming media and video-on-demand. Consumption-based pricing and other restrictive access controls contradict the spirit of openness and innovation that built the Internet in the first place, and will do irreparable harm to its future as a medium for small business initiatives, non-commercial communications and democratic discourse. New threats to privacy are also clear, given the intrusive nature of the technology to closely monitor all online use.
"This new threat to online communications is a direct consequence of recent FCC policies by Chair Michael Powell that permit cable companies to operate their broadband platforms in a discriminatory, non-open access manner," said Jeffrey Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy. "In the absence of public policy safeguards, these emerging pricing and control structures will act as a digital poll tax, creating a powerful form of discrimination against diversity and participation on the broadband Internet."
Cable Plans for Broadband Spelled Out
Little interpretation is necessary to come to these conclusions about cable's vision for the broadband Internet. Its plans can easily be viewed by examining the product literature of Ellacoya Networks, whose technology is now part of a trial at Cablelabs, the industry's secretive Lousiville, Co. testing facility. Ellacoya's "IP Switch and software systems" help broadband providers determine which homes are eating up valuable bandwidth." "Cable operators hold two critical assets that are desired by content owners: a billing relationship with the subscriber and control over the quality of content delivery. By leveraging these assets, operators can offer 'walled gardens' of fee-based applications and services, either by hosting the selected partners' content on-net or by redirecting the subscriber to the partners' off-net destinations."
Ellacoya suggests that operators can "...limit bandwidth and restrict use of advanced applications such as peer-to-peer, newsgroups, VPN, and videoconferencing. Alternatively, operators can introduce .....
.......... unfortunately I had to cut the article short because it was over the 5000 chracter limit,but you get the idea. If you want to read the rest the link is above.
TV cable is huge already and they're quite capable of buying a few new laws to make this happen if necessary ......
Pisses:angry: me:angry: off!!!!!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.democraticmedia.org/news/marketwatch/bandwidthCaps.html
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cable's Proposed Consumption Pricing Scheme Will Stifle Broadband Growth, Democratic Potential, Threaten Privacy
Consumer Group Decries Broadband Banditry, Says Hogwash to its Claims
16 October 2002, Washington, DC: The cable industry has begun to pursue plans that could impose new restrictions on Internet use, allowing it to "closely monitor and tightly control its subscribers, network, and offerings." New technology embraced by the cable industry is designed to fundamentally transform today's open network into a system that will prevent such applications as file-sharing, streaming video, and peer-to-peer communications. The stage is now being set for a radically different approach to Internet access, where the flat rate pricing of today is replaced by "tiered and usage-based billing." New schemes are also planned, that could replace the open Net environment with industry-self-described versions of "walled gardens" or "Internet Lite."
Cable operators have begun a PR effort, spinning that a small percentage of users account for a disproportionately large amount of bandwidth used on broadband networks. They have embraced the pejorative term "bandwidth hog" to describe those who find robust uses for high-speed connections. To deal with this "problem," MSOs are considering a variety of approaches designed to ensure they remain in full control of their bandwidth unless users can afford to pay the hefty access fees. Under one plan, a user would be allotted a limited amount of bandwidth per month, and would be charged extra fees for going over this amount.
Bandwidth caps have already been implemented in Canada by major Internet service provider Sympatico, Inc., and observers have been quick to note that the limit - 5 GB per month - would effectively restrict regular use of emerging applications such as Internet radio, streaming media and video-on-demand. Consumption-based pricing and other restrictive access controls contradict the spirit of openness and innovation that built the Internet in the first place, and will do irreparable harm to its future as a medium for small business initiatives, non-commercial communications and democratic discourse. New threats to privacy are also clear, given the intrusive nature of the technology to closely monitor all online use.
"This new threat to online communications is a direct consequence of recent FCC policies by Chair Michael Powell that permit cable companies to operate their broadband platforms in a discriminatory, non-open access manner," said Jeffrey Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy. "In the absence of public policy safeguards, these emerging pricing and control structures will act as a digital poll tax, creating a powerful form of discrimination against diversity and participation on the broadband Internet."
Cable Plans for Broadband Spelled Out
Little interpretation is necessary to come to these conclusions about cable's vision for the broadband Internet. Its plans can easily be viewed by examining the product literature of Ellacoya Networks, whose technology is now part of a trial at Cablelabs, the industry's secretive Lousiville, Co. testing facility. Ellacoya's "IP Switch and software systems" help broadband providers determine which homes are eating up valuable bandwidth." "Cable operators hold two critical assets that are desired by content owners: a billing relationship with the subscriber and control over the quality of content delivery. By leveraging these assets, operators can offer 'walled gardens' of fee-based applications and services, either by hosting the selected partners' content on-net or by redirecting the subscriber to the partners' off-net destinations."
Ellacoya suggests that operators can "...limit bandwidth and restrict use of advanced applications such as peer-to-peer, newsgroups, VPN, and videoconferencing. Alternatively, operators can introduce .....
.......... unfortunately I had to cut the article short because it was over the 5000 chracter limit,but you get the idea. If you want to read the rest the link is above.
