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> Twitch Interactive, the operator of the service, reduced video quality in Korea from 1080p to 720p in September 2022 and terminated its VOD service five month

> Twitch Interactive, the operator of the service, reduced video quality in Korea from 1080p to 720p in September 2022 and terminated its VOD service five months later. > The Korea Telecommunications Commission (KCC) determined the suspension of the VOD service violated the local telecommunications business law by undermining the interests of users. > The commission has requested relevant data to examine whether Twitch had a justifiable reason for limiting the maximum viewing quality, but Twitch turned down the request, citing contractual confidentiality obligations. I wonder what the relevant law says. Forcing a non-essential website to host and stream video content feels strange to say the least, especially given that streaming software like OBS can easily record the video locally to be uploaded to YouTube, AfreecaTV or whatever. If it's deemed essential then the ISPs shouldn't be able to extort and extract profits from both sides of the pipe. Also wonder why Twitch didn't provide the numbers given that they have already publicly said that the costs are high.

gmerc 3y ago
Non essential doesn’t play into it. If you’re in a regulated industry and there’s conditions - be it airwave spectrum, minimal service criteria or something else, you have to operate within those conditions.
- olliej 3y ago
  Afaict this is "you're in a regulated industry [whether or not it should be is irrelevant] but you're also not allowed to cease operation or leave that regulated industry, or you'll be subject to fines".
  - Spivak 3y ago
    Honestly it's one of the better systems for dealing with the "we aren't going to comply with the law, we'll just leave" (for some definition of leave) problem. If you try to pull this trick without pulling all of your business out of SK (i.e. Amazon) they can still collect the fine. Probably cuts down on the performative exits >.> Facebook in the EU, in an attempt to bully regulators. Sender pays clearly has backfired but I don't know if there's a solution that satisfies everyone outside of gov't footing the bill a la public roads and calling it an economic multiplier. Because yes internet is a series of tubes and all but video sites are sending couches to everyone, making it FedEx's problem, and then acting shocked when FedEx wants paid for large item delivery.
    - ronsor 3y ago
      Users don't subscribe to FedEx in order to receive packages through them.
      - Spivak 3y ago
        If they did would it change the argument? You pay $50/mo bucks to send and receive packages and if you sent everyone in america a couch they would either stop doing business with you or charge you more. Hackers for some reason really hate the "we charge a flat rate to everyone averaged across normal usage so almost everyone doesn't have to think about metering but then charge outliers more" pricing model. It works the same for roads, once you're driving semis the price goes up. XPO doesn't go "well we shouldn't have to pay for our road damage because the stuff we deliver is requested by our customer."
    - justinclift 3y ago
      Oh, I didn't realise the internet service in Korea is a public utility, so people don't need to subscribe to an ISP which installs/maintains the infrastructure. Or is that my misunderstanding something?
- adastra22 3y ago
  “Regulated industry” is doing a lot of the heavy lifting there for a video game streaming service.
  - Retric 3y ago
    There’s a lot of countries and they all have different rules. Twitch likely isn’t regulated as a video game streaming service in most of them because there’s no reason for countries to create specialized rubles around video game streaming vs use some other more generic rules. Companies really should consult lawyers when expanding to a new country.
    - adastra22 3y ago
      Do you know if twitch is regulated in SK? Or is this just an aside?
      - s1artibartfast 3y ago
        Korea is fining them. Presumably they have some regulatory basis, and it isnt just a shakedown with no attempt at justification.
        adastra22 3y ago
        “Regulated industry” is something very specific and different from general commerce regulation. Banks are regulated industry. If you want to start a bank you have to submit your business plan to regulators for approval, and then operate within very strict rules with criminal penalties for intentional deviation, and government inspectors who come by to make sure everything is by the book. Twitch, a video game streaming service, being regulated in the way investment banks and nuclear power stations are regulated is a weird claim to make.
        petesergeant 3y ago
        > “Regulated industry” is something very specific ... different from general commerce regulation Telecommunications is generally a regulated industry in most countries, as is broadcast media > Twitch ... being regulated in the way investment banks and nuclear power stations are regulated is a weird claim to make You are literally responding to an article that explicitly says Twitch was fined by the regulatory body in charge of telecommunications, not a "general commerce [regulator]"
- s1artibartfast 3y ago
  That is just reiterating the fact that you have to deal with reality and consequences. That doesn't say anything about if those consequences are good, bad, or moral.
Rust4004 3y ago
> Also wonder why Twitch didn't provide the numbers given that they have already publicly said that the costs are high. All web service operators including Twitch have signed an NDA about their cost of data transfer. But there are some estimations. 50-90 billions in KRW per year (from a financial report by Daishin Securities)
- DinaCoder99 3y ago
  I'm surprised contract law allows you to obscure your own operations from the state. That doesn't sound right.

gmerc 3y ago

Non essential doesn’t play into it. If you’re in a regulated industry and there’s conditions - be it airwave spectrum, minimal service criteria or something else, you have to operate within those conditions.

olliej 3y ago
Afaict this is "you're in a regulated industry [whether or not it should be is irrelevant] but you're also not allowed to cease operation or leave that regulated industry, or you'll be subject to fines".
- Spivak 3y ago
  Honestly it's one of the better systems for dealing with the "we aren't going to comply with the law, we'll just leave" (for some definition of leave) problem. If you try to pull this trick without pulling all of your business out of SK (i.e. Amazon) they can still collect the fine. Probably cuts down on the performative exits >.> Facebook in the EU, in an attempt to bully regulators. Sender pays clearly has backfired but I don't know if there's a solution that satisfies everyone outside of gov't footing the bill a la public roads and calling it an economic multiplier. Because yes internet is a series of tubes and all but video sites are sending couches to everyone, making it FedEx's problem, and then acting shocked when FedEx wants paid for large item delivery.
  - ronsor 3y ago
    Users don't subscribe to FedEx in order to receive packages through them.
    - Spivak 3y ago
      If they did would it change the argument? You pay $50/mo bucks to send and receive packages and if you sent everyone in america a couch they would either stop doing business with you or charge you more. Hackers for some reason really hate the "we charge a flat rate to everyone averaged across normal usage so almost everyone doesn't have to think about metering but then charge outliers more" pricing model. It works the same for roads, once you're driving semis the price goes up. XPO doesn't go "well we shouldn't have to pay for our road damage because the stuff we deliver is requested by our customer."
  - justinclift 3y ago
    Oh, I didn't realise the internet service in Korea is a public utility, so people don't need to subscribe to an ISP which installs/maintains the infrastructure. Or is that my misunderstanding something?
adastra22 3y ago
“Regulated industry” is doing a lot of the heavy lifting there for a video game streaming service.
- Retric 3y ago
  There’s a lot of countries and they all have different rules. Twitch likely isn’t regulated as a video game streaming service in most of them because there’s no reason for countries to create specialized rubles around video game streaming vs use some other more generic rules. Companies really should consult lawyers when expanding to a new country.
  - adastra22 3y ago
    Do you know if twitch is regulated in SK? Or is this just an aside?
    - s1artibartfast 3y ago
      Korea is fining them. Presumably they have some regulatory basis, and it isnt just a shakedown with no attempt at justification.
      - adastra22 3y ago
        “Regulated industry” is something very specific and different from general commerce regulation. Banks are regulated industry. If you want to start a bank you have to submit your business plan to regulators for approval, and then operate within very strict rules with criminal penalties for intentional deviation, and government inspectors who come by to make sure everything is by the book. Twitch, a video game streaming service, being regulated in the way investment banks and nuclear power stations are regulated is a weird claim to make.
        petesergeant 3y ago
        > “Regulated industry” is something very specific ... different from general commerce regulation Telecommunications is generally a regulated industry in most countries, as is broadcast media > Twitch ... being regulated in the way investment banks and nuclear power stations are regulated is a weird claim to make You are literally responding to an article that explicitly says Twitch was fined by the regulatory body in charge of telecommunications, not a "general commerce [regulator]"
s1artibartfast 3y ago
That is just reiterating the fact that you have to deal with reality and consequences. That doesn't say anything about if those consequences are good, bad, or moral.

Rust4004 3y ago

> Also wonder why Twitch didn't provide the numbers given that they have already publicly said that the costs are high. All web service operators including Twitch have signed an NDA about their cost of data transfer. But there are some estimations. 50-90 billions in KRW per year (from a financial report by Daishin Securities)

DinaCoder99 3y ago
I'm surprised contract law allows you to obscure your own operations from the state. That doesn't sound right.