Net Neutrality: Is Government Regulation Necessary?

[monkeytwineball]

Being private corporations, all the ISP's can agree that they want to limit access, thus generating more money. More money for no reason, it costs the same to maintain if someone is using the infrastructure or not. That's only the start though, aside from the arbitrary cap on bits downloaded, they'll start charging websites for bandwidth. Also arbitrary charges for no reason, but who's going to stop them, everyone in the business makes more money for it. It's a monopoly in principal.

[monkeytwineball]

Market place can't sort it out, here's why.

Internet service provider is infrastructure. That infrastructure is expensive to build, but once it's up it costs only maintenance. The line they'll try to sell you is that if one guy bit torrents all day, he uses 10X as much service, and they make no more money for it. On its face that sounds unfair, unless you realize that it costs them no more to provide that extra service.

[whater39]

there is a difference between slowness getting to some sites.

Some sites that a ISP does not like, might become inaccessible

[thoughtchallenge]

Let's suppose that your ISP blocks Mozzilla, EBay, You Tube and Skype. Another ISP allows these, but blocks Google, Amazon, Revver and allows Skype. You prefer Google, EBay Revver and Skype. You would need two ISPs in order to get your preferred websites. Furthermore small website could be block altogether.

As far as performance, my understanding is that ISPs will continue to be able to manage bandwidth so long as they are transparent about it.

[thoughtchallenge]

Without net neutrality ISPs wil be able to charge websites for exposure within their network. How that's in opposition to your libertarian philosophy is beyond me.

[picklebarrels]

Additionally, you really think an ISP that isn't throttling torrent traffic is going to see a huge influx of new traffic the day after NN is passed?

Besides, "normal" consumer traffic, as in the traffic that your average joe idiot passes is quickly gaining speed to be on par with your strawmen "abusers" that the ISPs like to single out.

"Abusers" will really be synonymous with "just about everyone on the internet". What NN really comes down to is, "Do you want to get gouged? Yes or no?"

[picklebarrels]

Competition regarding better service is why net neutrality is needed.

A perfect example why is someone who signs up for VOIP service with a company affiliated (pays bribes to) Comcast for preferential traffic treatment. The customer gets teased with a low phone service rate with a 2 year contract and then have no choice but to stay with Comcast, even if the service sucks.

If they switch ISPs, WHOA BOY, your VOIP is gonna suck with AT&T because they're not getting the bribe.

[Jazzycat47]

Equal access forever.

[dragonballjiujitsu]

The day my ISP caps my bandwidth is the day I switch ISPs.

[brtidwell55]

I don't necessarily disagree. I say let the marketplace sort that out.

[vwbond]

Yeah, most Big ISP now do it. So if you live in a small town your SOL to like 20-25GB a month.