calvoiper
join:2003-03-31
Belvedere Tiburon, CA
| Here is how it happens.... There are some real dangers here, fortunately not yet materialized.
For now, throttling the competition doesn't seem to be a big problem, but I too worry that it will become one--perhaps by giving favored content "enhanced" access, rather than "restricting" the competition.
Example: Perhaps limited play downloads of HDTV movies become a big Internet item. What happens when your broadband provider agrees to turn off the traffic shaper/meter for "preferred" downloads? Will you still shop "Angie's Movie Outlet" and download at 1.6Meg when your affiliated "ISP Movie Store" can give you the same download at 5Meg? (Advocates will yell, ISPs will claim "we're not hurting Angie, we're just helping ourselves," and point out that it's just another form of "bundling" products.)
Either way, it ends up being an uneven playing field.
Calvoiper
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VoIP--the death knell of remaining voice monopolies! |
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