Comments on: Has the War on Net Neutrality Begun? http://www.robhyndman.com/2005/12/14/has-the-war-on-net-neutrality-begun/ any technology distinguishable from magic is not sufficiently advanced Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:32:11 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: mathewingram.com/work » Blog Archive » The campaign for a two-tier Internet http://www.robhyndman.com/2005/12/14/has-the-war-on-net-neutrality-begun/comment-page-1/#comment-852 mathewingram.com/work » Blog Archive » The campaign for a two-tier Internet Sat, 24 Dec 2005 19:50:38 +0000 http://www.robhyndman.com/2005/12/14/has-the-war-on-net-neutrality-begun/#comment-852 [...] Can you hear that sound? It’s the sound of the telecom troops stepping up their lobbying effort on Capitol Hill in Washingon, and on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. And the subject of this effort? The “need” for a two-tiered Internet. The telcos don’t call it that, of course, but that’s what it will amount to. As Rob Hyndman points out, this “war on net neutrality” could be the issue of the year for the tech sector. [...] [...] Can you hear that sound? It’s the sound of the telecom troops stepping up their lobbying effort on Capitol Hill in Washingon, and on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. And the subject of this effort? The “need” for a two-tiered Internet. The telcos don’t call it that, of course, but that’s what it will amount to. As Rob Hyndman points out, this “war on net neutrality” could be the issue of the year for the tech sector. [...]

]]> By: mungojelly http://www.robhyndman.com/2005/12/14/has-the-war-on-net-neutrality-begun/comment-page-1/#comment-811 mungojelly Thu, 15 Dec 2005 20:30:27 +0000 http://www.robhyndman.com/2005/12/14/has-the-war-on-net-neutrality-begun/#comment-811 Like most of these emerging questions, this one is shaping up to be a contest of Technology vs Technology. Each kind of internet provider is going to try whatever nasty tricks are possible given their local advantages, including hardcore exploitation of monopolies. At the same time they're fighting that battle, they're also feeling the ground shifting under them; each new technology has a shorter window of profitability before things change again. I'm guessing that in just a few years the debate will shift to a different plane. Bandwidth will go through the floor. There will be free wireless internet in most urban areas. That might just intensify this debate, at first, but once the bandwidth costs get <i>low enough</i>, it could <i>undercut</i> the debate. Notice how nobody is talking about how this is going to affect people's ability to get text emails? Text is below the threshhold where this kind of game is playable right now. They've got to stay ahead of the curve in order to keep milking it. Right now video is still (barely) bandwidth intensive, so they've got a few years to make a mess (of money) there. Then it's gone. At that point they'd better be making their money gatekeeping the bandwidth for live hi-def VR. Who controls the nose of the curve is certainly important, but it's also true that every information technology is going to be democratized in short order, as long as this rate of progress holds. Like most of these emerging questions, this one is shaping up to be a contest of Technology vs Technology. Each kind of internet provider is going to try whatever nasty tricks are possible given their local advantages, including hardcore exploitation of monopolies. At the same time they’re fighting that battle, they’re also feeling the ground shifting under them; each new technology has a shorter window of profitability before things change again.

I’m guessing that in just a few years the debate will shift to a different plane. Bandwidth will go through the floor. There will be free wireless internet in most urban areas. That might just intensify this debate, at first, but once the bandwidth costs get low enough, it could undercut the debate. Notice how nobody is talking about how this is going to affect people’s ability to get text emails? Text is below the threshhold where this kind of game is playable right now. They’ve got to stay ahead of the curve in order to keep milking it. Right now video is still (barely) bandwidth intensive, so they’ve got a few years to make a mess (of money) there. Then it’s gone. At that point they’d better be making their money gatekeeping the bandwidth for live hi-def VR.

Who controls the nose of the curve is certainly important, but it’s also true that every information technology is going to be democratized in short order, as long as this rate of progress holds.

]]> By: mathewingram.com/work http://www.robhyndman.com/2005/12/14/has-the-war-on-net-neutrality-begun/comment-page-1/#comment-803 mathewingram.com/work Thu, 15 Dec 2005 02:41:45 +0000 http://www.robhyndman.com/2005/12/14/has-the-war-on-net-neutrality-begun/#comment-803 <strong>The campaign for a two-tier Internet...</strong> Can you hear that sound? It’s the sound of the telecom troops stepping up their lobbying effort on Capitol Hill in Washingon, and on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. And the subject of this effort? The “need” for a two-tiered Internet. The... The campaign for a two-tier Internet…

Can you hear that sound? It’s the sound of the telecom troops stepping up their lobbying effort on Capitol Hill in Washingon, and on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. And the subject of this effort? The “need” for a two-tiered Internet. The…

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