[IP] Re: Getting Real About the Internet

[David Farber <dave@farber.net>]

with akk due respect, much of the talk re caps has less to do with traffic management and maybe more to do with competing with TV delivered via the net. Caps structured "correctly" will surcharge TV delivery over the net  so much as to make it non competative with the cable (and fios} TV delivery systems.  So we will continue with hundreds of channels and nothing to watch.  djf

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From: Brett Glass [brett@lariat.net]
Sent: Wednesday, July 30, 2008 7:47 PM
To: David Farber; ip
Cc: lauren@vortex.com
Subject: Re: Getting Real About the Internet

At 05:24 PM 7/30/2008, Lauren Weinstein wrote:

>The big ISPs' newly resurrected infatuations with bandwidth caps are
>often disingenuous at best.  As we've seen, DOCSIS 3 is going to
>provide a whole lotta bandwidth for the cable ISPs.

DOCSIS 3 may help some problems on the downstream side. However,
remember Japan's experience with 100 Mbps to the home: P2P traffic
expanded to saturate it. If P2P mitigation is not allowed, the
upgrade will bring no benefit.

What's more, faster pipes in the last mile do nothing to reduce the
cost of backbone bandwidth, whose price is actually increasing in
any location where it must be backhauled. (This due to price increases
by the ILECs.)

>Why suddenly all the talk of caps from AT&T?  Could it have anything
>to do with their ugly U-verse VRAD boxes sprouting like mushrooms in
>AT&T service areas, ready to provide television programming, PPV
>movies, and other content that might monetize more effectively if
>competing Internet-delivered offerings were effectively stifled by
>bandwidth caps?

No; it has to do with the fact that they have only just upgraded their
backbone and already project that the new capacity will be exhausted
in two to three years.

>More and more, we're being flimflammed when it comes to Internet
>connectivity and associated terms of service limitations.

This is simply untrue, Lauren. Let's REALLY get real here: The fact is
that ALL ISPs are being slammed by exponentially increasing demand for
bandwidth -- which certain parties, including yourself, seem to expect
them to provide for free.

--Brett Glass




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