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 ·RoadRunner Cable
1 edit | reply to nasadude
Re: Vuze should just strike a deal with Comcast said by nasadude:comcast's business model IS providing a pipe to their customers. comcast WANTS their business model to be differentiated service based on whether someone pays them not to interfere with traffic requested by a comcast customer I almost agree with you.
I think what's going on is that Comcast's business model started as providing a pipe, but they made certain assumptions about the shared use of that pipe, which would allow them to "oversell" capacity, similarly to what the airlines do... oversell seats because they know, based on past experience, that a certain percentage of customers won't show up.
Now, with BitTorrent coming in and dramatically ramping up shared use of the pipe, they are discovering their assumptions don't hold any more.
So, now they are trying to change their business model to accomodate this change in usage patterns. Fundamentally, they are trying to shut down BitTorrent users when they start interfering with their "old model" customers.
The whole question is, are they within their rights to do this. Are they like a regulated monopoly utility who, in return for their monopoly status, must operate under a set of restrictive rules? Or, are they in a competitive business, where they are free to react and change based on competition, demand, and changing business conditions?
"Network Neutrality" is heading towards the "regulated monopoly" model. The carriers clearly want to go the other way.
What frosts my chops, as I said in the original post, is that the pro-network-neutrality companies are so hypocritical. It's a business matter. Yet, they wrap themselves in this ideological flag and wave it bravely for all to see. The fact that they WANT to own the dynamic, expanding part of this market, and RELEGATE their rivals to just being "dumb pipes", is lost. They just want the government to do their work for them. |
