Reply to Re: Net Neutrality
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@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!
