Net Neutrality
It is dead. How will this affect the DN community?
we're probably safe since we're not a company. but if isps get what they want and no one stops them, lotsa people probably won't be able to afford internet anymore.
lotsa people probably won't be able to afford internet anymore.
That's not actually what net neutrality is about. Providers could already make their service really expensive.
What changed is that now they can charge different rates for hosting a website, based on what you are hosting. For example, if you want to host a news site that exposes corruption of internet providers, they can make it really expensive so you won't be able to pay.
So the problem is not that you can't get internet; the problem is that they can censor it so it contains only things they allow you to see.
That's not actually what net neutrality is about. Providers could already make their service really expensive.
What changed is that now they can charge different rates for hosting a website, based on what you are hosting. For example, if you want to host a news site that exposes corruption of internet providers, they can make it really expensive so you won't be able to pay.
So the problem is not that you can't get internet; the problem is that they can censor it so it contains only things they allow you to see.
@Skurn:
Right, if things really get out of hand, internet access may be sold in bundles like they currently do in Spain and Portugal.
(Click here for a quick example of what this could mean.)
The full article: Without net neutrality in Portugal, mobile internet is bundled like a cable package.
Right, if things really get out of hand, internet access may be sold in bundles like they currently do in Spain and Portugal.
(Click here for a quick example of what this could mean.)
The full article: Without net neutrality in Portugal, mobile internet is bundled like a cable package.
@all:
There is no question that different rates could be charged for different services, and that more "zero-rating" can be used to allow favored services (that the Internet Service Provider either outright owns or just makes more money on) to be "free" while counting their competitor's bits moved across the network against some monthly usage cap. This has already started.
But it is also the case that cable-tv style bundling could make it much harder for those on limited budgets to get to anything other than a small part of the internet they can afford.
Another possibility is that existing larger internet sites will be the only ones able to pay more to ISPs if they start charging more to the content providers to move their bits around the network, preventing new internet businesses from getting started.
Censorship of sites that ISPs don't like is another real possibility.
Of course, nothing will happen right away, but over coming months I suspect we will see changes of like those I mention above. This is an ugly "wait and see" situation. Who knows what schemes the ISPs will think up, when they announce in some future months that they have something wonderful for us?
Despite the fact that there is overwhelming bi-partisan support for Net Neutrality, we have been betrayed by those in power. But the struggle is not over.
Battle For The Net!
There is no question that different rates could be charged for different services, and that more "zero-rating" can be used to allow favored services (that the Internet Service Provider either outright owns or just makes more money on) to be "free" while counting their competitor's bits moved across the network against some monthly usage cap. This has already started.
But it is also the case that cable-tv style bundling could make it much harder for those on limited budgets to get to anything other than a small part of the internet they can afford.
Another possibility is that existing larger internet sites will be the only ones able to pay more to ISPs if they start charging more to the content providers to move their bits around the network, preventing new internet businesses from getting started.
Censorship of sites that ISPs don't like is another real possibility.
Of course, nothing will happen right away, but over coming months I suspect we will see changes of like those I mention above. This is an ugly "wait and see" situation. Who knows what schemes the ISPs will think up, when they announce in some future months that they have something wonderful for us?
Despite the fact that there is overwhelming bi-partisan support for Net Neutrality, we have been betrayed by those in power. But the struggle is not over.
Battle For The Net!
