NNSquad - Network Neutrality Squad
[ NNSquad ] Re: Comments on NNSquad Purpose
Actually, the cellphone network IS the example of what lack of neutrality gets you. Look at the iPhone (approximate prices): Bulk Data, $20/month flat Telephone conversation, $.02/m at 8 kbps, with significant realtime constraints, so $.02 for 60 KB of data SMS message, $.02/message at <1 kB, with worst-than-best-effort performance being perfectly acceptable! The phone company bills based on the INTENT of the bit. If the bit is intended for bulk data, it is super cheap. If it is intended to be a voice bit, it is more valuable, and SMS is more valuable still, even though the data is the least costly to carry! This is part of the reason why the huge lockin on applications: a chat application would have the effect of countering the intent based pricing. Intent-based pricing is the slippery slope which needs worrying about, especially when intent is divorced from the actual cost of the service.