sago
join:2001-12-19
| not quite there yet
talk about broadband over power lines.
OK, here's the deal. People with dial-up WILL tend to switch to companies like Comcast, because they have no other choice. I'm not going to sit here and say that Comcast is a monopoly, but on the other hand, there isn't really a whole lot of "choice" in many areas still -- you've got cable broadband, DSL (if you can get it), Verizon's fiber (if you're in the area), and of course things like T1's and satellite broadband.
Cable internet is turning into the best solution for those who can get it. So if your signal levels degrade when "digital voice" or voip phone service gets priority packets, what then? When "family friendly broadband games" (whatever those are) get priority over your incomplete shopping cart at your favorite online retailer what happens then?
Well... it "shouldn't" happen. There's "something wrong" with the network -- we're "working on it".
The article is simply not realistic. This is simply not the way things are. The greatest threat is probably an overloaded network, with revenue-generating broadband content being given priority, and the internet itself simply not working as well.
OTOH, net neutrality legislation may very well turn into a huge amount of red tape -- and that would not be good either.
So I would say that net neutrality is a very good thing, and that we should support it. I'm just not sure that our government is capable of crafting a law without creating miles of red tape that creates problems.
The question in my mind is whether or not the red tape is really worth it. But generally speaking, with companies like Comcast, if they do give priority to "family friendly broadband games", chances are your TV channels and other services won't work as well or at all in any neighborhood where there are problems with the network - and there are neighborhoods that are like that from time to time as problems show up and are fixed over time.
Is it worth the red tape? Otherwise, net neutrality is a good idea. Are our lawmakers capable of crafting a law that reflects the concept? That's another question. |
