4 ms·

If you want to play devil's advocate then let's advocate for all the devils. If Comcast wants to offer their customers video over a traditional cable network,

If you want to play devil's advocate then let's advocate for all the devils. If Comcast wants to offer their customers video over a traditional cable network, they pay content providers. Why should the Internet be different? Shouldn't ISPs be paying people who provide the content their customers are buying?

lukecampbell 12y ago
I've never thought of it that way. That's a very interesting way to look at it! Isn't netflix driving business up for ISPs? The faster ISP gets business? I could be mistaken though.
- djcapelis 12y ago
  Aren't content providers always driving up prices for content carriers? Consumers are paying for content delivery and if your business can't deliver the quantity or quality they want and someone switches to your competitors because of it that's your problem.
josh2600 12y ago
I think that the way the cable network works relative to the internet is a historical artifact versus modern parlance. My opinion is that precedent is not actually a guiding factor in how future arrangements should be determined. The Internet is different in many ways, but notably because cable companies aren't doing peering and don't have to deal with the complex settlement of international data trafficking.
ganeumann 12y ago
Remember that when the cable companies started they were competing with over-the-air TV. To convince people to switch to cable, they had to provide something valuable enough to justify the cost. Content was that thing. The reason ISPs can charge both the customers and the content providers is because we have no other choice. Where I live I have a choice of two providers: Comcast or Verizon. My choices are: use one of these two, or have no Internet. Not much of a choice.
- vitd 12y ago
  Actually, it was both content and quality. They used to advertise that a cable signal was clearer than one from an antenna and stood up to weather, etc.
bratsche 12y ago
If you consider everything on the Internet to be content, then would that require ISPs to be paying every website that they load? They would, of course, pass that cost along to us with whatever markup they want. Enjoy your $24.99/month Netflix, delivered to you by Time Warner Cable! Want to use reddit too? That's another $3.99/month, but look at all those grumpy cats you get for that! Facebook is another $4.99/month, but you can't put a price on virtual friendship, right? :)

lukecampbell 12y ago

I've never thought of it that way. That's a very interesting way to look at it! Isn't netflix driving business up for ISPs? The faster ISP gets business? I could be mistaken though.

djcapelis 12y ago
Aren't content providers always driving up prices for content carriers? Consumers are paying for content delivery and if your business can't deliver the quantity or quality they want and someone switches to your competitors because of it that's your problem.

josh2600 12y ago

I think that the way the cable network works relative to the internet is a historical artifact versus modern parlance. My opinion is that precedent is not actually a guiding factor in how future arrangements should be determined. The Internet is different in many ways, but notably because cable companies aren't doing peering and don't have to deal with the complex settlement of international data trafficking.

ganeumann 12y ago

Remember that when the cable companies started they were competing with over-the-air TV. To convince people to switch to cable, they had to provide something valuable enough to justify the cost. Content was that thing. The reason ISPs can charge both the customers and the content providers is because we have no other choice. Where I live I have a choice of two providers: Comcast or Verizon. My choices are: use one of these two, or have no Internet. Not much of a choice.

vitd 12y ago
Actually, it was both content and quality. They used to advertise that a cable signal was clearer than one from an antenna and stood up to weather, etc.

bratsche 12y ago

If you consider everything on the Internet to be content, then would that require ISPs to be paying every website that they load? They would, of course, pass that cost along to us with whatever markup they want. Enjoy your $24.99/month Netflix, delivered to you by Time Warner Cable! Want to use reddit too? That's another $3.99/month, but look at all those grumpy cats you get for that! Facebook is another $4.99/month, but you can't put a price on virtual friendship, right? :)