New Network Neutrality Laws May Do Little > What is 'reasonable'

What is 'reasonable'

And that's your definition of "reasonable"...

Let me tell you mind.. it's REASONABLE for ME to expect that I can get my email, surf the internet, compete in an online auction, trade stock, and other wise 'use the internet' with out any slow down all the mean while as other users are abusing the TOS and operating P2P/Servers on the line.

I, personally, find it REASONABLE for Comcast to "hang up" on those people that are 'abusing' the network by running their throughput at full capacity on a damn near steady basis.

And for the record - the "always on" argument was settled back when the dinosaurs still surfed the internet. "Always On" means that it's there are ready to use.. you don't have to click anything to start it up, etc. It doesn't mean that you can keep the pipe filled to max capacity 24/7/365.25 ... that would be "all you can use" which it isn't.

Also, that 40MPG - which is set by the government standards, if you really read that sticker, you wouldn't use that analogy. "UNDER OPTIMAL CIRCUMSTANCES, your vehicle CAN get "XX" amount per gallon."... The plumber.. again, close.. but the plumber doesn't guarantee that he will fix your problem, but he WILL guarantee his work.

So.. to get back to Comcast.. they are selling "always on" internet.. so I guess you're getting what you paid for.. huh? Since they are advertising UP TO speeds, and you get there, then you ARE getting what you paid for, right? You should only "EXPECT" what they state in the terms of service which serves as the entire agreement governing the "service"... not a 30 second ad (unless SPECIFIC TERMS are stated in the ad - which they don't.. you will notice it DOES say "see terms for details") However, since you said "IF" then I will cut you some slack. Maybe it's time for you to actually look at what they are advertising.

Personally I think we're missing the point on broadband advertising. Take comcast, whom you are referring to.

Their current web ads say:
"This is the ideal service for those who frequently recieve large files, watch video clips or movies,work from home, play online games or download photos." (see »www.comcast.com/Corporate/Explor···&pos=Nav Pure Broadband Speed).

What does that mean to you? Does that imply that moving large files around frequently is *not* what they expect you to do? Heck, what about the threatned VPN breaking? They advertise it for working from home!

We all know what they mean, but to have this discussion, we have to look at *what they say*.

Then they have sections on video and music. They are obviously promoting youtube and Napster style use there... And they wonder why more and more people are using more bandwidth? Well, they're doing what they are told the service is *for* in the *advertising*!

Now, they do have small print disclaimers about how speeds are not guaranteed. But *no where* do they have disclaimers on *how much* music or movies or photos you can download in a month, until you search way beyond their advertising into their notoriously vague TOS.

Also, they sell speed in tiers. If I am paying for say the 8/768 tier for $60mo, the next lowest tier is 6/512 for $50, and I barely get 4/378, they would be charging me for a service they are not providing. Since they clearly price it by speed available.

If I buy a Civic that gets "up to" 40mpg, but I only see 15mpg, that means there is something wrong. Sure, it DOES state "up to" but when you use the mpg (or download speed) as a major selling point, it better be damned close or its false advertising. If they say "This new Civic (cable broadband) gets 5mpg better than the new Camry (dsl)" while in real world testing the Camry outperforms 90% of the time, then its a false statement.

BTW, I am not advocating either a Toyota or a Honda, I was just using that anaology to state a point.

And before you try to pic apart the analogy, think about it for a second, try to understand the jist, not take it literally.

reply to jp10558

...Comcast's Flash Ad...