Everyone was warned about this quite some time ago. If they had pushed in earnest for Net Neutrality, none of this would even be possible. Save the Net has been actively trying to prevent this for MONTHS in the US. But too many dopes with their heads in the sand got fed the line "this is purely theoretical - there's no proof any ISP is planning to throttle or censor Internet content" (take the extremely vapid nonsense being spewed at handsoff.org for instance) and now the chickens have come home to roost.
This is only the beginning - and the folks in the UK are getting exactly what they deserve for sitting on their fat arses while a handful of business men began debating what the public should and should not have free access to. I'm very pleased that this is in the public arena now. Perhaps people will FINALLY stand up, take notice and take the steps necessary to prevent things like this from happening again in the future. I highly doubt that will happen though. How sad.
The solution IS more investment in Internet technologies, but that should be a matter of public debate to ascertain where the monies will come from. I certainly know where it's going right NOW...and it's not in new technology. It's going into the pockets of the same few businessmen who are complaining about broadband shortages. I pay dearly every month to have access to the fastest technology available right now. Where the HELL is MY MONEY going??? Or everyone else's for that matter?? By the end of 2007, China will have 57 million broadband subscribers and the U.S will have 54 million. 111 million people times, let's say 30 dollars a month on average, for broadband. That's over 3 BILLION dollars...A MONTH available to various ISPs from just 2 countries to manage and invest in Internet infrastructure.
I am deeply sorry, but the stated justification for "taxing" entities like the BBC because they provide free services that are overwhelming existing Internet bandwidth resources is a load of hogwash. There's already plenty of money in the pipeline to pay for the necessary upgrades and supply should follow demand. I demand the right to have unfettered access to resources like iPlayer, I pay through the NOSE to have those demands met and now it's up to the ISPs to SUPPLY IT utilizing their ENORMOUS revenue streams in a less greedy fashion.
And that's all I have to say about that.
Slashdot Mirror
Everyone was warned about this quite some time ago. If they had pushed in earnest for Net Neutrality, none of this would even be possible. Save the Net has been actively trying to prevent this for MONTHS in the US. But too many dopes with their heads in the sand got fed the line "this is purely theoretical - there's no proof any ISP is planning to throttle or censor Internet content" (take the extremely vapid nonsense being spewed at handsoff.org for instance) and now the chickens have come home to roost. This is only the beginning - and the folks in the UK are getting exactly what they deserve for sitting on their fat arses while a handful of business men began debating what the public should and should not have free access to. I'm very pleased that this is in the public arena now. Perhaps people will FINALLY stand up, take notice and take the steps necessary to prevent things like this from happening again in the future. I highly doubt that will happen though. How sad. The solution IS more investment in Internet technologies, but that should be a matter of public debate to ascertain where the monies will come from. I certainly know where it's going right NOW...and it's not in new technology. It's going into the pockets of the same few businessmen who are complaining about broadband shortages. I pay dearly every month to have access to the fastest technology available right now. Where the HELL is MY MONEY going??? Or everyone else's for that matter?? By the end of 2007, China will have 57 million broadband subscribers and the U.S will have 54 million. 111 million people times, let's say 30 dollars a month on average, for broadband. That's over 3 BILLION dollars...A MONTH available to various ISPs from just 2 countries to manage and invest in Internet infrastructure. I am deeply sorry, but the stated justification for "taxing" entities like the BBC because they provide free services that are overwhelming existing Internet bandwidth resources is a load of hogwash. There's already plenty of money in the pipeline to pay for the necessary upgrades and supply should follow demand. I demand the right to have unfettered access to resources like iPlayer, I pay through the NOSE to have those demands met and now it's up to the ISPs to SUPPLY IT utilizing their ENORMOUS revenue streams in a less greedy fashion. And that's all I have to say about that.