Internet censorship and usage taxes coming soon?

[brycejones]

It's still 250GB/month, I've never exceeded it in the 7 years I've had UVerse internet service. Then again my family doesn't download tons of movies, just the occasional international TV show (Indonesia), son playing CoD, or phone/computer updates.

I would blow right though it using netflix, hulu, and amazon prime. If it works for you awesome.

 

[ElFenix]

It's 250 but they'll sell you another 150 for $10/50. I don't think that's particularly unreasonable, I just wish it was more granular - if I'm going to pay $10 I want to use all of that 50 GB.

 

[boomerang]

The first link is not the actual 300+ page proposal referenced, it's an overview of the May 2014 with commissioners' pro and con statements attached. The second link is a short cheerleading blog telling us how wonderful it will be. The third and fourth are guides telling us how wonderful it will be. Nothing in here tells us exactly what IT says.

You've got more patience than I have because I quit after the first two.

 

[nickqt]

I know reading is hard, but c'mon, it's not THAT hard. Door handles and seat belts must drive you absolutely insane. (Come to think of it, that would explain a lot . . .)

The first link is not the actual 300+ page proposal referenced, it's an overview of the May 2014 with commissioners' pro and con statements attached. The second link is a short cheerleading blog telling us how wonderful it will be. The third and fourth are guides telling us how wonderful it will be. Nothing in here tells us exactly what IT says.

Title II regulation of the Internet service providers (assuming the courts allow it) will likely have some very good things, possibly some bad things, and a lot of meh things carved out for specific interest groups. But I'll repeat; politicians are not in the habit of hiding the text of proposed bills because they would make their subjects too happy.

And if you're content knowing that the people who will vote on this proposed law can read it even if you can't, you are exactly what is wrong with this nation as we transition from citizens to subjects.

Step 1: complain that you can't read the proposal.
Step 2: complain that FCC statements regarding the proposal aren't good enough.
Step 3: complain that even if you had the entire 300+ page proposal that you and most people couldn't read it and understand it anyway.

Citizens to Subjects? Nope. You're still able to vote for politicians who run the government, as directed by the US Constitution.

You're happy to go from Citizen to Consumer, though.

Defend the corporations who want to control the internet and who has access to it, like a good consumer. I'll be much happier when the people through their representatives are able to curtail how much corporations are able to control our means of communication.

Your first amendment right applies against the government. It doesn't apply against Comcast and Disney.

 

[fskimospy]

It's 250 but they'll sell you another 150 for $10/50. I don't think that's particularly unreasonable, I just wish it was more granular - if I'm going to pay $10 I want to use all of that 50 GB.

How is that reasonable though? Their costs are basic infrastructure and peak capacity, not how many gigs you download.

Data caps are just a scam to indirectly raise prices and privilege their own services. (If I'm not mistaken Comcast has already made noises about making video you download from their video service not count towards your data cap)

 

[brycejones]

How is that reasonable though? Their costs are basic infrastructure and peak capacity, not how many gigs you download.

Data caps are just a scam to indirectly raise prices and privilege their own services. (If I'm not mistaken Comcast has already made noises about making video you download from their video service not count towards your data cap)

Exactly, gross margins on broad band keep going up year over year. Time Warner crows about how high their margins are in the fiscal results and then weeks later whines about how they may need caps and overage pricing while crying poverty.

 

[Atreus21]

Um, thanks, but after the Snowden leaks, I'd prefer the government be kept as far from the Internet as possible.

 

[norseamd]

https://www.battleforthenet.com/?from=bottomBar

 

[Atreus21]

https://www.battleforthenet.com/?from=bottomBar

Loved this:

Cable companies are famous for high prices and poor service.

Governments on the other hand...

 

[norseamd]

Um, thanks, but after the Snowden leaks, I'd prefer the government be kept as far from the Internet as possible.

Somehow you think that overt laws on the internet or the lack of them is going to stop secretly ordered activities between the government and private companies.

 

[Atreus21]

Somehow you think that overt laws on the internet or the lack of them is going to stop secretly ordered activities between the government and private companies.

Yeah. Why trouble them to take by force and dishonesty what we can give them willingly.

And "secretly ordered"? Did Google volunteer to have its internal networks bugged in 2013?

 

[ElFenix]

How is that reasonable though? Their costs are basic infrastructure and peak capacity, not how many gigs you download.

Data caps are just a scam to indirectly raise prices and privilege their own services. (If I'm not mistaken Comcast has already made noises about making video you download from their video service not count towards your data cap)

Hard to bill for those, though. A meter is something everyone understands.

 

[brycejones]

Hard to bill for those, though. A meter is something everyone understands.

I disagree, it isn't difficult to bill for the cost of infrastructure plus a profit. They are already doing this and making a significant profit. Introducing metering especially for wired connections is only about further increasing margins.

 

[ElFenix]

I disagree, it isn't difficult to bill for the cost of infrastructure plus a profit. They are already doing this and making a significant profit. Introducing metering especially for wired connections is only about further increasing margins.

Infrastructure base charge + peak hours usage charge, maybe.

Then again, I'm in favor of peak/off-peak electric charges too.

 

[norseamd]

Think I agree with the flat rate for home wired internet. Does it cost them anything more to provide 50 mbs over 10 mbs?

 

[norseamd]

And "secretly ordered"? Did Google volunteer to have its internal networks bugged in 2013?

You actually believe what the IT companies said after the Snowden scandal?

 

[Atreus21]

You actually believe what the IT companies said after the Snowden scandal?

...well yeah...?

 

[ElFenix]

Think I agree with the flat rate for home wired internet. Does it cost them anything more to provide 50 mbs over 10 mbs?

yes. but it's almost all entirely fixed costs vs. variable costs. moving from ADSL to VDSL cost a bunch of R&D up front, then required a bunch of new equipment in cabinets around neighborhoods, bigger connections to backbones, etc. once that stuff is in place the ongoing cost is fairly low in comparison, and the cost to deliver data up until you bump against the ceiling is nearly nothing above the ongoing maintenance cost.

 

[boomerang]

https://twitter.com/matthewberryfcc/status/568144840430477312

FCC leadership now trying to block Commissioner Pai's press releases from FCC website. So much for Open Internet!

 

[piasabird]

How about taxing advertising on the Internet, and online brokerage houses like Scottrade. Licensing fee for E-Mail.

 

[master_shake_]

you know whats funny about this picture?

it proves verizon is allowing the connection between netflix and them to get congested.

level 3 even commented on it.

http://blog.level3.com/open-internet/verizons-accidental-mea-culpa/

 

[master_shake_]

Telecommunications have lobbied hard. You're just seeing the result of that, their elected lap dogs communicating the bidding of their masters. Net neutrality is a good thing, basically the entire tech industry thinks so, too.

but obama likes it so naturally it's bad.

remember ted cruz's aid? obamacare for the internet.

that is the level of education about net neutrality.

no one knows what it is.

 

[werepossum]

Think I agree with the flat rate for home wired internet. Does it cost them anything more to provide 50 mbs over 10 mbs?

Seriously? You think your fiber goes everywhere you want to go?

Bandwidth is a very serious issue and a very significant cost, and the ability of each customer to tie up bandwidth is a major factor in buying bandwidth.

https://twitter.com/matthewberryfcc/status/568144840430477312

Sweet Lord. And these are the people who want to guard our net neutrality.

 

[werepossum]

you know whats funny about this picture?

it proves verizon is allowing the connection between netflix and them to get congested.

level 3 even commented on it.

http://blog.level3.com/open-internet/verizons-accidental-mea-culpa/

It's not in Verizon's best interests to allow a better business model to work better.

Gotta pick your poison. Government regulators will want to fund other things via new taxes and may decide to discourage non-approved thought. For-profit broadband providers will also be content providers and want to maximize their own piece of the pie. Both have positive and negative aspects.

Luckily in Chattanooga we have a very efficient non-profit offering gig for $70/month. Not many people are so lucky.

 

[SparkyJJO]

You actually believe what the IT companies said after the Snowden scandal?

Gonna believe them more than the government. The government cannot be trusted these days. It has been going on for a while but probably within the last decade it has gotten really bad. Government taking control of more and more of our personal lives.

Control freaks are in Washington, and some idiots keep voting these nutcases in.