Comcast “Punished”, Real Issues Overlooked
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin is said to be handing out sanctions against Comcast, these sanctions are not even mentioned. It is noted that “Martin said he is not recommending a fine against Comcast because he wants to use the case as a means of laying out agency policy.” So what sanctions are there? “Comcast was accused by consumer groups of blocking “peer-to-peer” Internet traffic”. Comcast admits no blame, as they don’t see any wrongdoing in their actions.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080711/ap_on_hi_te/internet_regulation_17
The biggest problem is in any sort of limit or tiered service when it come to the Internet. The Internet is now as ubiquitous as any other form of communication including television, newspaper and radio. Furthermore, the Internet allows people to connect, share and entertain. By putting limits on the way people use the internet, we limit the way people can express themselves.
The Internet service provider is becoming one of the most relied upon services. When Comcast filters “peer-to-peer” data, they are effectively censoring certain types of communication. While Comcast may stop this practice, it will not stop them from introducing new limiting technologies like data limits, domain limits, or speed limits.
Cox Communications uses a speed limiting technology to offer a tiered service:
| Premier Tier Speeds up to 20 Mbps download with PowerBoost™ and 2 Mbps upload. |
$59.95/month | |||
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| Preferred Tier Speeds up to 12 Mbps download with PowerBoost™ and 1 Mbps upload. |
$44.95/month | |||
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| Value Tier Speeds up to 1.5 Mbps download and 256 Kbps upload. |
$29.95/month | |||
This tiered service is just a new way to charge for the current technology. As the Internet matures, higher-bandwidth applications come on line like UTube and online gaming. It is my understanding of the technology that they are not so much speeding anybody up, but rather governing the lower tiers to their slower speed. What is the difference in cost for Cox to offer the “Value Tier” versus the “Premier Tier”? I would venture it’s not much.
What the media is missing is that the cable internet service providers hold a monopoly and are are looking at new ways of squeezing money out of the consumer for a necessary commodity.