Level 3 Communications Issues Statement Concerning Comcast'sActions

Tue Nov 30 06:34:22 UTC 2010

On Nov 29, 2010, at 9:09 PM, Andrew Koch wrote:

> On Mon, Nov 29, 2010 at 22:17, William Herrin <bill at herrin.us> wrote:
> 
>> So you're saying: treat it like electrical service. I have a 200 amp
>> electrical service at my house. But I don't pay for a 200 amp service,
>> I pay for kilowatt-hours of usage.
>> 
>> There are several problems transplanting that billing model to
>> Internet service. The first you've already noticed - marketing
>> activity has rendered it unsalable. But that's not the only problem.
> 
> Not quite.  Look at mobile data plans.  A very few are unlimited, most
> are per byte.
> 
And I am on Sprint because they are one of the few.

>> Another problem is that the price of electricity has been very stable
>> for a very long time, as has the general character of devices which
>> consume it. Consumers have a gut understanding of the cost of leaving
>> the light on. But what is a byte? How much to load that web page?
>> Watch that movie? And doesn't Moore's Law mean that 18 months from now
>> it should cost half as much? If I can't tell whether or not I'm being
>> ripped off, I'm probably being ripped off.
> 
> Yep, sure seems that way when I get my mobile bill with roaming data
> charges.  Consumers learn what it costs per byte, apps are created for
> them to manage their download amounts.  Carriers send messages
> alerting consumers of their usage.
> 
I simply avoid using roaming services. Frankly, my carrier could double
their revenue from me and significantly increase their profits if they
would offer me a global unlimited data/voice plan for twice what I currently
pay for domestic. (If any of you cellular companies are listening, that's
right, I'd be willing to pay ~$250/month for global unlimited voice/data
and my usage would not increase very much above what you're already
providing). I also happen to know that I'm not the only consumer that
would very much like to be able to purchase this kind of service.

Owen