ISPs Plan to Charge by the Byte for 'net Use

ISPs Plan to Charge by the Byte for 'net Use (Full Version)

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pinksugarsub -> ISPs Plan to Charge by the Byte for 'net Use (6/15/2008 8:21:09 AM)
quote: Some people use the Internet simply to check e-mail and look up phone numbers. Others are online all day, downloading big video and music files. For years, both kinds of Web surfers have paid the same price for access. But now three of the country’s largest Internet service providers are threatening to clamp down on their most active subscribers by placing monthly limits on their online activity. One of them, Time Warner Cable, began a trial of “Internet metering” in one Texas city early this month, asking customers to select a monthly plan and pay surcharges when they exceed their bandwidth limit. The idea is that people who use the network more heavily should pay more, the way they do for water, electricity, or, in many cases, cellphone minutes. That same week, Comcast said that it would expand on a strategy it uses to manage Internet traffic: slowing down the connections of the heaviest users, so-called bandwidth hogs, at peak times. AT&T also said Thursday that limits on heavy use were inevitable and that it was considering pricing based on data volume. “Based on current trends, total bandwidth in the AT&T network will increase by four times over the next three years,” the company said in a statement. All three companies say that placing caps on broadband use will ensure fair access for all users. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/15/technology/15cable.html?pagewanted=1&th&emc=th What horses*t. These companies don't care about consumers; they just want to increase their revenues. i recommend Y/you read the whole article; it's quite interesting. i have no clue how it will affect me personally. i currently pay ATT approximately $25/mo for the slowest dsl speed available. (i had been paying Earthlink $27/mo for dial up.) All i need is another rising cost, or s'thing else to worry about. And at a time when major cell phone service providers have already begun offering 'unlimited use' plans with set rates! A/any thoughts? pinksugarsub

FullCircle -> RE: ISPs Plan to Charge by the Byte for 'net Use (6/15/2008 8:43:09 AM)
In the UK most ISP's started out with limits in terms of how much you can download each month. I never got anywhere near reaching mine at the time I think it was 4 Gbytes per month. It makes sense because the internet is expanding at an unsustainable rate and with sites like youtube and BBC i-player it is being used in a way the technologists that created it never envisaged. If you take up more of a resource than someone else you should pay more, try to focus on the fact some people may be paying less rather than some people will be paying more.

FullCircle -> RE: ISPs Plan to Charge by the Byte for 'net Use (6/15/2008 8:46:59 AM)
Easy for me to say because I don't often stream stuff nur nur.

stef -> RE: ISPs Plan to Charge by the Byte for 'net Use (6/15/2008 8:49:56 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: pinksugarsub What horsest. These companies don't care about consumers; they just want to increase their revenues. You've spent half a century on this planet and you are just now* coming to understand that a corporation's primary reason for existing is to increase revenue? quote: All i need is another rising cost, or s'thing else to worry about. And at a time when major cell phone service providers have already begun offering 'unlimited use' plans with set rates! And? The billing models for cellular networks have nothing to do with ISPs. ~stef

SeeksOnlyOne -> RE: ISPs Plan to Charge by the Byte for 'net Use (6/15/2008 8:51:51 AM)
if you only use the net for emails and the occasional google, it wouldnt be horseshit to you. it would be another way to pay for what you use, instead of a flat rate. i think it could be a great thing. aol used to offer different price plans, based on usage, and i knew folks that took advantage of the lower cost ones, and were thankful to have them. it also might make some of us web addicts take some time to get outside more, and that would also be a good thing.

Foititis -> RE: ISPs Plan to Charge by the Byte for 'net Use (6/15/2008 9:38:48 AM)
quote: One of them, Time Warner Cable, began a trial of “Internet metering” in one Texas city early this month, asking customers to select a monthly plan and pay surcharges when they exceed their bandwidth limit. The idea is that people who use the network more heavily should pay more, the way they do for water, electricity, or, in many cases, cellphone minutes. Welcome to the Australian model of internet practice, the ironic thing here is in terms of quality and speed we're behind the curve but in pricing we're ahead of it. I live in one of the largest non-capital cities in this country (its even bigger then some of the capitals) and I can't even get a DSL line... So i have to pay $66 a month for a wireless connection at 512/128 (this speed is actually one of the fastest until recently) with a 10 GB limit. In Australia 10GB is a massive limit (average is ~5), unlimited data usage like everyone else is used to is virtually unheard of for residential use.

PanthersMom -> RE: ISPs Plan to Charge by the Byte for 'net Use (6/15/2008 9:42:27 AM)
i don't know how that would affect me, i take college courses online. some weeks i'm barely on, others when i have alot of research it can be several hours a day per course. they'll always find ways to screw the public. PM

faerytattoodgirl -> RE: ISPs Plan to Charge by the Byte for 'net Use (6/15/2008 9:48:46 AM)
they charge for what is known as "usage" per month here. depending on the pacakge that usage will be a certain amount. am on rogers which is canada's comcast. i dont think the rules will change any time soon until the new law on downloaders will be in affect. where they can charge you up to $20,000 fine for sharing stuff. but only a mear $500 for downloading... which will kill most of the downloaders who are eating the bandwidth.

pinksugarsub -> RE: ISPs Plan to Charge by the Byte for 'net Use (6/15/2008 9:49:40 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: PanthersMom i don't know how that would affect me, i take college courses online. some weeks i'm barely on, others when i have alot of research it can be several hours a day per course. they'll always find ways to screw the public. PM That's exactly how i feel PanthersMom. i'm not an IT person, so i can't argue the 'facts' in the article or the posts on this thread. But if it walks like a duck, looks like a duck and quacks like a duck...W/we have to be fools not to consider 'duck' highly likely. i think W/we're about to get royally screwed under the guise of 'protecting U/us from O/ourselves'. Ya, like ATT gives a sht about me. i can tell by the way they keep improving customer service. What bullsht. pinksugarsub

Real_Trouble -> RE: ISPs Plan to Charge by the Byte for 'net Use (6/15/2008 9:52:44 AM)
Conversely, if ISP's all raise their prices without their costs rising, don't you think that creates a huge profit opportunity for someone else? I mean, you'd just need one ISP that didn't charge that way, and they would get nearly every single customer! I do agree with this; if you look at internet usage, it follows something similar to a power-law distribution, where you have a few tail users that take up a HUGE amount of the total available bandwidth. For most people, this will be chicken scratch. I would predict, if done properly, this should make internet access cheaper for many people. Or, if it doesn't, that a company will eventually step in and do just that based on a profit incentive.

bipolarber -> RE: ISPs Plan to Charge by the Byte for 'net Use (6/15/2008 9:58:27 AM)
Wow! What a great marketing plan for someone... the winner of this attempt at bilking us out of more money... would be the ISP that doesn't do a thing, and stays free of use. Who's going to be the first company to slit their own throat?

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