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Comcast Hints At Plan For Paid Fast Lanes After Net Neutrality Repeal (arstechnica.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: For years, Comcast has been promising that it won't violate the principles of net neutrality, regardless of whether the government imposes any net neutrality rules. That meant that Comcast wouldn't block or throttle lawful Internet traffic and that it wouldn't create fast lanes in order to collect tolls from Web companies that want priority access over the Comcast network. This was one of the ways in which Comcast argued that the Federal Communications Commission should not reclassify broadband providers as common carriers, a designation that forces ISPs to treat customers fairly in other ways. The Title II common carrier classification that makes net neutrality rules enforceable isn't necessary because ISPs won't violate net neutrality principles anyway, Comcast and other ISPs have claimed.
But with Republican Ajit Pai now in charge at the Federal Communications Commission, Comcast's stance has changed. While the company still says it won't block or throttle Internet content, it has dropped its promise about not instituting paid prioritization. Instead, Comcast now vaguely says that it won't "discriminate against lawful content" or impose "anti-competitive paid prioritization." The change in wording suggests that Comcast may offer paid fast lanes to websites or other online services, such as video streaming providers, after Pai's FCC eliminates the net neutrality rules next month.
But with Republican Ajit Pai now in charge at the Federal Communications Commission, Comcast's stance has changed. While the company still says it won't block or throttle Internet content, it has dropped its promise about not instituting paid prioritization. Instead, Comcast now vaguely says that it won't "discriminate against lawful content" or impose "anti-competitive paid prioritization." The change in wording suggests that Comcast may offer paid fast lanes to websites or other online services, such as video streaming providers, after Pai's FCC eliminates the net neutrality rules next month.
Fast lanes have already been a thing for a long time.
At no point did NN actually stop them.
Take the communications enjoyed by New York investment computers for the larger trading houses that do high frequency trading.
Think there aren't fast lanes there?
NN stopped nothing. What it is all about is distracting people from the real issue which is Right of Way access to poles and conduits.
Google is having trouble laying fiber. That is how f'ed up access to poles and conduits is right now. One of the most powerful companies in the world can't breach the franchise agreements that lock out alternative ISPs.
And in that environment, people are surprised that there is monopolistic behavior from the duopoly? Why? What gives you the right to be surprised that if you forbid anyone to compete with the reigning providers that there would be corruption and arrogance?
You don't have the right to be surprised with any credibility. That this would happen and will continue to happen until Right of Way is granted is obvious.
I've decided to stop wasting my time responding to AC trolls/sockpuppets... so if you want a response from me... login.
Workers of the world unite! Overthrow capitalism!
The government has nukes, our little rifles won't mean squat.
Our military has highly developed powers for laying waste to large swatches of territory, but is no more ineffective than King George's minions at beating lightly armed guerrilla irregulars. It lost to the Viet Cong, and keeps losing Afghan territory to the Taliban as soon as our massed forces withdraw from an area and return control to the locals we so carefully trained.
We fight with "Shock and Awe" against a people with no antiaircraft defense, killing 1 million innocent people
How many more would you prefer we MURDER?