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I upvoted this vapid opinion because I think it needs to be addressed rather than censored by lazy thinkers. Making the Internet more expensive today so we can
by steego 9y ago
I upvoted this vapid opinion because I think it needs to be addressed rather than censored by lazy thinkers.
Making the Internet more expensive today so we can accommodate high traffic use is a smart long term strategy.
The first incentive ISPs should have is to be able to provide a high level of service for bandwidth demanding applications.
Over time these costs will drop as the bandwidth naturally expands because networking technology is subject to similar price/performance trends we see with transistors.
Here's the point: At some future point in time, torrent and video traffic will be negligible faction of the total amount of bandwidth available.
It's better we get there sooner rather than later, right?
So what do you think is the fastest way to get there? Do you want to incentive the mono/duopoly ISPs to nickle and dime over limited service, or do you want to incentive them to compete with each other to provide the best service that connects everybody to the whole internet?
We're going to get to the point where bandwidth is incredibly cheap and available soon enough. The question is are you really going to give up a common carrier network because you falsely believe it's going to get you here marginally faster?
If you believe that, you have no sense of history of the telecommunications industry. They've already pulled the "let me abuse my monopoly status and I'll give you better service" scam time and time again.
- dpark 9y ago> Here's the point: At some future point in time, torrent and video traffic will be negligible faction of the total amount of bandwidth available. What will be taking the rest of the bandwidth? It certainly won't be idle or it won't get built out at all.
- steego 9y agoThat's a very good point and even better pointed question! Part of the value of the network is how much bandwidth one can use in a month. The other part is simply the convenience of being able to send/receive lots of data in short bursts. I'd argue most people don't need to consume lots of data to appreciate 1 Gb connection when it's available. I think you'll find most people are willing to pay a premium for convenience and optionality, even when they don't use it. Now, if they're not using more total bandwidth, then your point stands. If the network is idle, it's more than likely not to get built out at all, but I'm not sure that rule applies to last mile networks.
- dpark 9y ago> I think you'll find most people are willing to pay a premium for convenience and optionality, even when they don't use it. Not much of a premium. CenturyLink offers 1gbps in my area. I only know one person who's subscribed to that level of service. Cost has been cited as the deciding factor every time.
- steego 9y ago> Not much of a premium. Good point. I think I overstated it.