4 ms·

This ISPs have, or will become the true monopolies that will be the gatekeepers of all access to the internet. They are entrenched and are not expanding their

by jtr_47 8y ago

This ISPs have, or will become the true monopolies that will be the gatekeepers of all access to the internet. They are entrenched and are not expanding their services, instead, they are digging in and keeping their foothold within their regions, limiting/eliminating competition, both from a rules/laws (like preventing municipal ISPs from forming) and limiting their service footprint to maximize their "profits" within their regions. Next expanding, but always increasing the amount they charge to poor service and access to the "internet." If anything, it appears that ISP behavior is similar to the original Ma-Bell (USA) telephone Corp. It looks like somebody needs to break them up. But that's wishful thinking this day & age, just like having a nation wide (USA) fiber deploy to all states, cities and towns. Imagine, a Renaissance would develop. Peace

ekianjo 8y ago
> Next expanding, but always increasing the amount they charge to poor service and access to the "internet." I think your comment is only valid for a particular place in the world. In other countries you have wild competition between land providers and also mobile internet providers that keep offers priced low and more and more competitive as they go. If you want to benefit from competition, you need to ensure the regulators fight against local monopolies, or force them to license their lines.
nickthemagicman 8y ago
The internet in the middle of Monteverde rain forest in Costa Rica was faster than the internet at your average coffeeshop in L.A. That shocked me.
- adventured 8y ago
  The US ranks in the top 10 to 15 globally on average consumer Internet speed. Costa Rica is below #100. About 1/5 to 1/6 the average speeds in the US, with US speeds increasing faster year-over-year despite the difference. Costa Rica is comparable to what you see in Iran or Nigeria, around four to five mbps. Your premise comes across as dramatically overstated (even if you did encounter a coffee shop in LA with poor Internet).
  - leesalminen 8y ago
    > around four to five mbps Or, my only non-satellite option in rural Colorado.
  - nickthemagicman 8y ago
    It would sound dramatically overstated to me as well if I had not experienced it. I've worked at almost every coffee shop on the West Side of Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Culver, Venice. With the exception of Starbucks who has some sort of deal worked out with Google the average connection speed is 5Mbs - 10Mbs.
patrickaljord 8y ago
ISP have so far been pretty neutral and have not been acting as gatekeepers. I'm more worried about Google's Youtube, Facebook, Twitter and Apple who've been acting as gatekeepers, banning people they do not like from entering their de facto monopolies. If ISPs start acting this way one day, I will start worrying about them too but so far, it's these social networks that are the real gatekeepers.
- fapjacks 8y ago
  That's only because nobody's gone after an ISP for the same kinds of things that they go after Google for, with respect to the stupid Section 230 changes. When the outrage mob discovers it can bully an ISP into shutting off political opponents, then the ISPs will be exactly like Google, Facebook, Twitter, etc. You already see echoes of this for example with Jeff Atwood's misfire on Twitter recently, going after Azure because he thought Gab was still being hosted there (it wasn't)[0]. Incidentally this is one reason why Section 230 was so important. The change is new, so it's probably just a matter of time before the outrage mob starts going after the T-Mobile and Comcast accounts of its enemies. [0] https://twitter.com/codinghorror/status/1056426165274009600 https://twitter.com/codinghorror/status/1056426165274009600
- aasasd 8y ago
  > ISP have so far been pretty neutral and have not been acting as gatekeepers Vodafone in Egypt blocks Skype because it has its own voip app. That's what I'm remembering when I hear of ‘net neutrality‘—not even arbitrary blocking of torrent sites in various countries.

by jtr_47 8y ago

ekianjo 8y ago

> Next expanding, but always increasing the amount they charge to poor service and access to the "internet." I think your comment is only valid for a particular place in the world. In other countries you have wild competition between land providers and also mobile internet providers that keep offers priced low and more and more competitive as they go. If you want to benefit from competition, you need to ensure the regulators fight against local monopolies, or force them to license their lines.

nickthemagicman 8y ago

The internet in the middle of Monteverde rain forest in Costa Rica was faster than the internet at your average coffeeshop in L.A. That shocked me.

adventured 8y ago
The US ranks in the top 10 to 15 globally on average consumer Internet speed. Costa Rica is below #100. About 1/5 to 1/6 the average speeds in the US, with US speeds increasing faster year-over-year despite the difference. Costa Rica is comparable to what you see in Iran or Nigeria, around four to five mbps. Your premise comes across as dramatically overstated (even if you did encounter a coffee shop in LA with poor Internet).
- leesalminen 8y ago
  > around four to five mbps Or, my only non-satellite option in rural Colorado.
- nickthemagicman 8y ago
  It would sound dramatically overstated to me as well if I had not experienced it. I've worked at almost every coffee shop on the West Side of Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Culver, Venice. With the exception of Starbucks who has some sort of deal worked out with Google the average connection speed is 5Mbs - 10Mbs.

patrickaljord 8y ago

ISP have so far been pretty neutral and have not been acting as gatekeepers. I'm more worried about Google's Youtube, Facebook, Twitter and Apple who've been acting as gatekeepers, banning people they do not like from entering their de facto monopolies. If ISPs start acting this way one day, I will start worrying about them too but so far, it's these social networks that are the real gatekeepers.

fapjacks 8y ago
That's only because nobody's gone after an ISP for the same kinds of things that they go after Google for, with respect to the stupid Section 230 changes. When the outrage mob discovers it can bully an ISP into shutting off political opponents, then the ISPs will be exactly like Google, Facebook, Twitter, etc. You already see echoes of this for example with Jeff Atwood's misfire on Twitter recently, going after Azure because he thought Gab was still being hosted there (it wasn't)[0]. Incidentally this is one reason why Section 230 was so important. The change is new, so it's probably just a matter of time before the outrage mob starts going after the T-Mobile and Comcast accounts of its enemies. [0] https://twitter.com/codinghorror/status/1056426165274009600 https://twitter.com/codinghorror/status/1056426165274009600
aasasd 8y ago
> ISP have so far been pretty neutral and have not been acting as gatekeepers Vodafone in Egypt blocks Skype because it has its own voip app. That's what I'm remembering when I hear of ‘net neutrality‘—not even arbitrary blocking of torrent sites in various countries.