5 ms·
We should all rise up as one and really ask, if we are now paying $X for $Y GB of data, why doesn't it roll over like Minutes or a persistent commodity. Becaus
by achompas 16y ago
We should all rise up as one and really ask, if we are now paying $X for $Y GB of data, why doesn't it roll over like Minutes or a persistent commodity.
Because user bandwidth is not, by definition, a persistent commodity. ISPs do not accrue bandwidth every month they are under capacity, so why should users?
- MatthewB 16y agoTrue, but neither do cell phone mintes to a cellular company. They just figured out a way to make the economics work while providing a better service to users.
- achompas 16y agoRight. Unlike wireless minutes, though, ISPs would directly help their competition by offering rollover bandwidth: http://acompa.net/blog/2011/05/why-isps-will-not-offer-rollover-bandwidth/ http://acompa.net/blog/2011/05/why-isps-will-not-offer-rollo...
- AretNCarlsen 16y agoI disagree completely. It's just like real estate: since I only use about 50% of the floor space in my apartment at any given time, I roll over my unused square footage and only pay rent every other month.
- seanp2k 16y agoTangible vs. intangible, service vs. product, bandwidth is immediately available again as soon as you're done with it, etc.
- MatthewB 16y agoThe difference is when you don't use your bandwidth, the company benefits, but when you don't use your square footage, a company doesn't gain anything.
- vladd 16y agoThe ISP company only benefits if their pipe is saturated 100% at that moment. If they had spare capacity at that point in time, it's of no use to them and they can't carry it over.
- achompas 16y agoNot sure if this is tongue-in-cheek, but: your house does not increase in size by 50% for every month you have that unused floor space.