 MattAll noise, no signal.Premium
join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC
kudos:12 | Money Grab This is nothing but a money grab.
If we look at the cell phone industry as an example, we see that people know exactly how long and exactly what a minute is -- yet they still go over their monthly allotment. This is exactly what implementing a cap will accomplish. Ask your neighbor how much their monthly usage is and they'll have absolutely no idea. Much less so if they have children using the internet. So the cable companies can provide less for the same monthly fee and then pop you a few times a year for an extra $15 or $20 in overages.
Along with that, there are the online movie delivery services which are a threat to the bottom line of any of the big companies who also provide Video on Demand. This is a very easy way to nip that little problem called "competition" in the bud before it can gain a foothold. It's no coincidence Time Warner and Comcast - the two largest providers of VoD in this country - are rushing to implement this. The Netflix Roku, XBox Store, XBox/Netflix partnership, PS3 online store, DirecTV Internet Service, plus the Youtube's and Hulu's are not only eating into their VoD business, but driving up their cost of providing your cable modem.
While I think Comcast is being generous at the moment with their cap, as digital distribution of video - especially High Definition Video - becomes more mainstream, the caps need to be reviewed and raised on a regular basis.
Additionally, the prices need to be kept to a reasonable level. Time Warner's assertion that a GB of data needs to carry a 1500% premium over the actual cost of delivery is madness and monopolistic greed at its worst.
While I loathe to mention government regulation at the present time, here is a perfect example of how a little regulation would go a long way to provide assurances that competing video delivery services can sprout among the Comcast and Time Warner redwoods.
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Linux Haters Unite! |
 trebzon
join:2001-09-03
Grandville, MI
 ·AT&T DSL Service
| I don't generally agree with regulation but I agree that this is a classic case in our utility infrastructure (including internet, TV, etc) were deregulation has failed. We need some regulation to remind everyone that these are licenses for operation granted by the populace.
My issue is who will do this? Obama won't. He is interested in class warfare and the how is more important then the result. McCain won't as he and Republicans have shown they are no different then the republicans. We need policy that is driven by sound reason not the crap we hear from lobbyist our the two headed hydra that represent our two sorry excuses for political parties. |
