NNSquad - Network Neutrality Squad
[ NNSquad ] AT&T vs. "non-AT&T video" plus Canadian issues
------- Forwarded Message
From: David Farber <dave@farber.net>
To: "ip" <ip@v2.listbox.com>
Date: Tue, 22 Jul 2008 09:13:46 -0700
Subject: [IP] Details on at&t and Bell Canada DO READ djf
________________________________________
From: Dave Burstein [daveb@dslprime.com]
Sent: Tuesday, July 22, 2008 10:23 AM
To: David Farber
Subject: Details on at&t and Bell Canada
Dave
I now have Quinn's speech, and the part this article is referring to
reads as something perfectly reasonable.
"When AT&T provides broadband service based on speed, we will do so
in discrete tiers that are disclosed to customers." He provides
details including that they will make clear the difference between
the speed on the general Internet, which AT&T cannot control, and the
speed within the AT&T network, that they will try to honestly
describe and deliver the "tiers" of speed advertised. Comcast has
been strongly criticized for hiding what they were doing, and this
seems to be about AT&T doing a better job of disclosure.
- --------------
Other parts of the speech raise a much greater concern. Quinn gives
an almost surely exaggerated figure for traffic growth, and suggests
they will add significant charges or somehow limit customers watching
much non-AT&T video or do anything else on the net that needs much
bandwidth. Let's not open that debate again, however
- -------------
On Canada, I believe it is prohibitively unlikely they will go so
far. I've seen nothing that suggests they will block access to any
web sites or "to begin charging per site fees on most Internet
sites." There's no reason to believe "we will be literally cut off
from 90% of the information that we can access today." I wouldn't
worry about any exclusions beyond adult and maybe things like hate speech.
On the other hand, Canada is becoming a bad situation, far beyond
the traffic shaping that I believe neither of us consider a big deal.
The cables and telcos are raising broadband prices while putting
bandwidth caps so low they will discourage getting video over the
web. The upgrades to fiber and DOCSIS 3.0 are lagging, except for
Videotron cable in Quebec. The planned tracking and privacy
violations I hear from carriers around the world resemble a paranoid
fantasy, but they may be unstoppable.
Dave Burstein
At 07:21 AM 7/22/2008, you wrote:
>I had to leave prior to those remarks djf
>
>________________________________________
>From: Christian Kuhtz [christian@kuhtz.com]
>Sent: Monday, July 21, 2008 10:50 PM
>To: David Farber
>Subject: at&t to create tiered speeds?
>
>David,
>
>maybe you could ask on IP if anyone has a transcript of what exactly
>was said at the CMU meeting?
>
>http://uk.reuters.com/article/rbssTechMediaTelecomNews/
>idUKN2146202820080721
>
>Best regards,
>Christian
>
>
>
>
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