Observations of an Internet Middleman (Level3)

Joe Greco jgreco at ns.sol.net
Thu May 15 16:58:29 UTC 2014


> There is no gaming on measurements and disputes are isolated and temporary =
> with issues not unique over the history of the internet.  I think all the s=
> ame rhetorical quotes continue to be reused

An awesome example of the fundamental spin inherent in all of
this.  For carefully selected values of "gaming," "measurements," and 
"disputes," your statement is true.  And I'm even willing to believe
that you believe it to be true.

So let me step back and sketch the following out as a more general
example of the actual problem here.

Chairman Wheeler insists that any prioritization could not result in
the customer getting shortchanged, as in:

1) Customer purchases 10Mbps Internet connection.
2) Netflix purchases 5Mbps "fast lane"
3) Customer gets 10Mbps to Netflix.
4) Customer gets 5Mbps (less than paid for) to others.

Now that seems obvious that the customer's getting shafted.  So 
here's a different possible mechanism for fast lanes:

1) Customer purchases 10Mbps Internet connection.
2) Netflix purchases 5Mbps "fast lane"
3) Customer gets 15Mbps to Netflix.
4) Customer gets 10Mbps (what was paid for) to others.

This seems reasonable, at least at face value.  Some people have
already suggested that this is what the "fast lane" should be.

One of the not-immediately-obvious issues with the second suggestion
is that the choices offered to customer are picked by the provider.

The second suggestion is actually a good way to opening to door to
shortchanging the customer by simply defining the service offerings
in a manner that favors the provider; if you simply don't OFFER a
higher speed tier, then the customer can never say that they are
being shortchanged, and the Netflixes (Netflii?) of the world can
be told they have to pay more to get a fast connection to their
customers.

Carefully omitting, spinning, or even outright lying about the
facts is a key aspect of this whole game.  Consider this:

http://www.theverge.com/2013/2/27/4036128/time-warner-cable-no-consumer-demand-for-fiber-gigabit-internet

Wow.  What a load!  But it basically serves to highlight my point.

I guess some of us are just tired of watching the Internet that we
helped to build and helped to grow get taken over by interests who 
are simply looking to suck as much money out of as many pockets as
possible.

... JG
-- 
Joe Greco - sol.net Network Services - Milwaukee, WI - http://www.sol.net
"We call it the 'one bite at the apple' rule. Give me one chance [and] then I
won't contact you again." - Direct Marketing Ass'n position on e-mail spam(CNN)
With 24 million small businesses in the US alone, that's way too many apples.



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