Comments on: Help Us Create a Broadband Bill of Rights http://gigaom.com/2008/09/22/help-us-create-a-broadband-bill-of-rights/ Trusted Insights and Conversations on the Next Wave of Technology Thu, 26 Nov 2009 03:26:30 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: cbemerine http://gigaom.com/2008/09/22/help-us-create-a-broadband-bill-of-rights/#comment-975476 cbemerine Wed, 30 Sep 2009 03:06:56 +0000 http://gigaom.com/?p=21927#comment-975476 <p>Scarcity is a MYTH used to support outrageous tiered pricing. Hint: watch what they say when they are talking to Financial Analyst to boost their stock prices; they are on the record admitting to this myth to that demographic.</p> <p>Yes bandwidth costs money, it costs more because of the Cable company's choice to NOT install Fiber to our homes. Once the fiber is laid, that price is a fixed cost, it does not cost them more to provide service. As the Japanese have pointed out to others many times.</p> <p>A single strand of fiber's bandwidth can be increased from 1X to 1024X; that is based on technology available before the year 2000. But then they would lose their tiered pricing, which they lobby our elected officials at the rate of $18 million per week to keep.</p> <p>Thanks to de-regulation of NTT by Japanese Govt: In Japan: 2000: 100MB / 100MB for less than $55 per month. In Japan: 2006: 1GB / 1GB for less than $52 per month. (Price went down!)</p> <p>Cost is about .50 cents per 2 GB of Bandwidth or less.</p> <p>In US, we pay closer to $50 per month for up to 8MB or up to 10MB. With open source DD-WRT software which lets you see your actual bandwidth usage in real time, I have discovered that I get throttled back (they say they don't throttle service, yea right) below 100Kbps 98% of the time (all hours, 24 X 7) and throttled back to below 40Kbps 90% of the time.</p> <p>FCC definition for high speed broadband, while 9 years out of date, is 768Kbps. I do not even get close to that, which means my Cable provider denies me High speed Broadband, even though that is exactly what they sell. It is FRAUD.</p> <p>When I called to get it fixed, Speed Test showed that I could get 9132 Kbps downstream and 927Kbps upstream. I could get, yet the cable company's bandwidth shaping software throttles me back to way less, below 100Kbps 98% of the time. And when they throttle my upstream back to 0Kbps even gMail will not load. Its pathetic.</p> <p>I plan to switch to DSL even a 1 MB pipe always available to me is better than 100Kbps. And when a company offers fiber to my home, I am there. In fact I am actively looking for a new home, one with fiber. There is nothing else on my house shopping list.</p> <p>To date in the US, only Greenlight (in South Carolina) offers 100Mb / 100Mb for around $100 per month. And the Telcos and Cable companies are fighting to try to prevent them from offering that level of service; even though the local elected officials invited Greenlight into their community to lay fiber to homes after all the telcos and Cable Companies refused to provide equivalent service.</p> <p>First they do not want to provide it and when someone else attempts to, they use every legal and political strategy at their disposal to try to prevent them. Follow the money.</p> <p>Where's the Fiber! Give me Fiber or give me death!</p> Scarcity is a MYTH used to support outrageous tiered pricing. Hint: watch what they say when they are talking to Financial Analyst to boost their stock prices; they are on the record admitting to this myth to that demographic.

Yes bandwidth costs money, it costs more because of the Cable company’s choice to NOT install Fiber to our homes. Once the fiber is laid, that price is a fixed cost, it does not cost them more to provide service. As the Japanese have pointed out to others many times.

A single strand of fiber’s bandwidth can be increased from 1X to 1024X; that is based on technology available before the year 2000. But then they would lose their tiered pricing, which they lobby our elected officials at the rate of $18 million per week to keep.

Thanks to de-regulation of NTT by Japanese Govt: In Japan: 2000: 100MB / 100MB for less than $55 per month. In Japan: 2006: 1GB / 1GB for less than $52 per month. (Price went down!)

Cost is about .50 cents per 2 GB of Bandwidth or less.

In US, we pay closer to $50 per month for up to 8MB or up to 10MB. With open source DD-WRT software which lets you see your actual bandwidth usage in real time, I have discovered that I get throttled back (they say they don’t throttle service, yea right) below 100Kbps 98% of the time (all hours, 24 X 7) and throttled back to below 40Kbps 90% of the time.

FCC definition for high speed broadband, while 9 years out of date, is 768Kbps. I do not even get close to that, which means my Cable provider denies me High speed Broadband, even though that is exactly what they sell. It is FRAUD.

When I called to get it fixed, Speed Test showed that I could get 9132 Kbps downstream and 927Kbps upstream. I could get, yet the cable company’s bandwidth shaping software throttles me back to way less, below 100Kbps 98% of the time. And when they throttle my upstream back to 0Kbps even gMail will not load. Its pathetic.

I plan to switch to DSL even a 1 MB pipe always available to me is better than 100Kbps. And when a company offers fiber to my home, I am there. In fact I am actively looking for a new home, one with fiber. There is nothing else on my house shopping list.

To date in the US, only Greenlight (in South Carolina) offers 100Mb / 100Mb for around $100 per month. And the Telcos and Cable companies are fighting to try to prevent them from offering that level of service; even though the local elected officials invited Greenlight into their community to lay fiber to homes after all the telcos and Cable Companies refused to provide equivalent service.

First they do not want to provide it and when someone else attempts to, they use every legal and political strategy at their disposal to try to prevent them. Follow the money.

Where’s the Fiber! Give me Fiber or give me death!

]]> By: FCC’s Broadband Plan: A Need for (Actual) Speed http://gigaom.com/2008/09/22/help-us-create-a-broadband-bill-of-rights/#comment-975457 FCC’s Broadband Plan: A Need for (Actual) Speed Wed, 30 Sep 2009 01:09:14 +0000 http://gigaom.com/?p=21927#comment-975457 <p>[...] that further confuses consumers. We’ve tried to address this issue (and others) with our Broadband Bill of Rights, which would require service providers to disclose what kind of maximum and minimum speeds users [...]</p> [...] that further confuses consumers. We’ve tried to address this issue (and others) with our Broadband Bill of Rights, which would require service providers to disclose what kind of maximum and minimum speeds users [...]

]]> By: What to Expect From the New Net Neutrality Rules http://gigaom.com/2008/09/22/help-us-create-a-broadband-bill-of-rights/#comment-974081 What to Expect From the New Net Neutrality Rules Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:49:35 +0000 http://gigaom.com/?p=21927#comment-974081 <p>[...] demanded that those policies be transparent to the user — something we called for in our “Broadband Bill of Rights” last year. For an example of such transparent network management, check out Comcast’s filing with the [...]</p> [...] demanded that those policies be transparent to the user — something we called for in our “Broadband Bill of Rights” last year. For an example of such transparent network management, check out Comcast’s filing with the [...]

]]> By: John http://gigaom.com/2008/09/22/help-us-create-a-broadband-bill-of-rights/#comment-939537 John Thu, 23 Apr 2009 07:29:54 +0000 http://gigaom.com/?p=21927#comment-939537 <p>Right to buy unlimited data???? you have to be kidding</p> <p>That is just like declaring a power utility customer's Bill of rights to include unlimited electricity at the flat base rate.</p> <p>Bandwidth costs money ... data can be free, it's not free to transport it.</p> <p>http://gigaom.com/2009/04/16/time-warner-cable-backs-off-metered-broadband-trials-in-rochester/</p> Right to buy unlimited data???? you have to be kidding

That is just like declaring a power utility customer’s Bill of rights to include unlimited electricity at the flat base rate.

Bandwidth costs money … data can be free, it’s not free to transport it.

http://gigaom.com/2009/04/16/time-warner-cable-backs-off-metered-broadband-trials-in-rochester/

]]> By: Can New York Save Broadband? http://gigaom.com/2008/09/22/help-us-create-a-broadband-bill-of-rights/#comment-938906 Can New York Save Broadband? Tue, 21 Apr 2009 00:00:23 +0000 http://gigaom.com/?p=21927#comment-938906 <p>[...] collect broadband penetration data, asking for several items that we’ve called for in our own broadband bill of rights. And earlier this month, members of the state’s congressional delegation helped put an end to [...]</p> [...] collect broadband penetration data, asking for several items that we’ve called for in our own broadband bill of rights. And earlier this month, members of the state’s congressional delegation helped put an end to [...]

]]> By: Brits Get Broadband Bill of Rights - GigaOM http://gigaom.com/2008/09/22/help-us-create-a-broadband-bill-of-rights/#comment-916560 Brits Get Broadband Bill of Rights - GigaOM Fri, 05 Dec 2008 14:23:49 +0000 http://gigaom.com/?p=21927#comment-916560 <p>[...] maximum potential speeds offered. This is something we have called for in the past as part of our own consumer-friendly broadband reform, so I’m happy to see ISPs jumping on board–even if they are [...]</p> [...] maximum potential speeds offered. This is something we have called for in the past as part of our own consumer-friendly broadband reform, so I’m happy to see ISPs jumping on board–even if they are [...]

]]> By: C Johnson http://gigaom.com/2008/09/22/help-us-create-a-broadband-bill-of-rights/#comment-909725 C Johnson Sun, 02 Nov 2008 04:44:49 +0000 http://gigaom.com/?p=21927#comment-909725 <p>The right of choice of providers. No more monopolies in whole neighborhoods.</p> <p>No tier service</p> <p>no more two year contracts</p> <p>a thirty day grace to opt out of the service</p> <p>no need for lan line to recieve dsl or broadband</p> <p>a easy to understand contract</p> <p>no hidden fees</p> <p>no capping allowed on connection speed just because you are not using their other services, or you go with a third party broadband service.</p> The right of choice of providers. No more monopolies in whole neighborhoods.

No tier service

no more two year contracts

a thirty day grace to opt out of the service

no need for lan line to recieve dsl or broadband

a easy to understand contract

no hidden fees

no capping allowed on connection speed just because you are not using their other services, or you go with a third party broadband service.

]]> By: Free Press Asks FCC for Broadband Bill of Rights - GigaOM http://gigaom.com/2008/09/22/help-us-create-a-broadband-bill-of-rights/#comment-908451 Free Press Asks FCC for Broadband Bill of Rights - GigaOM Tue, 28 Oct 2008 17:05:18 +0000 http://gigaom.com/?p=21927#comment-908451 <p>[...] on an empty network under ideal conditions. The filing hews closely to what we called for in our Broadband Bill of Rights, but as an activist organization, the Free Press actually has the means to do something about [...]</p> [...] on an empty network under ideal conditions. The filing hews closely to what we called for in our Broadband Bill of Rights, but as an activist organization, the Free Press actually has the means to do something about [...]

]]> By: Network Management Doesn’t Have to Be Evil - GigaOM http://gigaom.com/2008/09/22/help-us-create-a-broadband-bill-of-rights/#comment-902597 Network Management Doesn’t Have to Be Evil - GigaOM Thu, 02 Oct 2008 09:22:48 +0000 http://gigaom.com/?p=21927#comment-902597 <p>[...] Stacey Higginbotham, Tuesday, September 30, 2008 at 12:05 PM PT Comments (9) Yesterday Sprint launched its Xohm WiMAX service in Baltimore, the first step toward what could become a nationwide, alternative wireless broadband network. Within a few hours, the blogosphere was in an uproar over the network management practices Sprint had disclosed on its web site. But the issue is about more than Sprint throttling traffic on its network during times of congestion; it’s about a consumers’ right to know what happens to their traffic on the network. [...]</p> [...] Stacey Higginbotham, Tuesday, September 30, 2008 at 12:05 PM PT Comments (9) Yesterday Sprint launched its Xohm WiMAX service in Baltimore, the first step toward what could become a nationwide, alternative wireless broadband network. Within a few hours, the blogosphere was in an uproar over the network management practices Sprint had disclosed on its web site. But the issue is about more than Sprint throttling traffic on its network during times of congestion; it’s about a consumers’ right to know what happens to their traffic on the network. [...]

]]> By: Donna Bubb http://gigaom.com/2008/09/22/help-us-create-a-broadband-bill-of-rights/#comment-901332 Donna Bubb Wed, 24 Sep 2008 19:31:09 +0000 http://gigaom.com/?p=21927#comment-901332 <p>We desperately need a Broadband Bill of Rights. Out this way Comcast has a monoply on computer service. Terribly unfair.</p> We desperately need a Broadband Bill of Rights. Out this way Comcast has a monoply on computer service. Terribly unfair.

]]> By: Ian Andrew Bell http://gigaom.com/2008/09/22/help-us-create-a-broadband-bill-of-rights/#comment-901149 Ian Andrew Bell Wed, 24 Sep 2008 00:27:10 +0000 http://gigaom.com/?p=21927#comment-901149 <p>Mark; in an ideal world that would be a great thing. In the meantime, look up the definition of <a HREF="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/collusion" rel="nofollow">collusion</A>.</p> Mark; in an ideal world that would be a great thing. In the meantime, look up the definition of collusion.

]]> By: Privacy Rights Issues | Help Us Create a Broadband Bill of Rights - GigaOm | Your Privacy Rights http://gigaom.com/2008/09/22/help-us-create-a-broadband-bill-of-rights/#comment-901141 Privacy Rights Issues | Help Us Create a Broadband Bill of Rights - GigaOm | Your Privacy Rights Tue, 23 Sep 2008 23:37:52 +0000 http://gigaom.com/?p=21927#comment-901141 <p>[...] Help Us Create a Broadband Bill of Rights [...]</p> [...] Help Us Create a Broadband Bill of Rights [...]

]]> By: mark http://gigaom.com/2008/09/22/help-us-create-a-broadband-bill-of-rights/#comment-901082 mark Tue, 23 Sep 2008 19:26:55 +0000 http://gigaom.com/?p=21927#comment-901082 <p>the only right you need is the right to switch to another provider. they can provide or not provide whatever they want. it's your decision to use them or not.</p> the only right you need is the right to switch to another provider. they can provide or not provide whatever they want. it’s your decision to use them or not.

]]> By: Help Us Create a Broadband Bill of Rights | Italian Institute for Privacy http://gigaom.com/2008/09/22/help-us-create-a-broadband-bill-of-rights/#comment-901021 Help Us Create a Broadband Bill of Rights | Italian Institute for Privacy Tue, 23 Sep 2008 15:35:05 +0000 http://gigaom.com/?p=21927#comment-901021 <p>[...] On Friday, Comcast filed its network management plan, which we covered as did NewTeeVee. However, in the comments of the post, it became clear that customers don’t really know what they’re buying when they shell out $30 to $100 a month for a broadband connection. Click to read more [...]</p> [...] On Friday, Comcast filed its network management plan, which we covered as did NewTeeVee. However, in the comments of the post, it became clear that customers don’t really know what they’re buying when they shell out $30 to $100 a month for a broadband connection. Click to read more [...]

]]> By: John http://gigaom.com/2008/09/22/help-us-create-a-broadband-bill-of-rights/#comment-900997 John Tue, 23 Sep 2008 12:31:58 +0000 http://gigaom.com/?p=21927#comment-900997 <p>Here here.</p> <p>I would add the right to know one's usage. If that is how the ISP's are planning to bill us, then they need to give us the tools to determine the service we levels we need.</p> Here here.

I would add the right to know one’s usage. If that is how the ISP’s are planning to bill us, then they need to give us the tools to determine the service we levels we need.

]]> By: John Doe http://gigaom.com/2008/09/22/help-us-create-a-broadband-bill-of-rights/#comment-900985 John Doe Tue, 23 Sep 2008 11:49:57 +0000 http://gigaom.com/?p=21927#comment-900985 <p>I thin it is a great idea. You will need a separate website for the article. You will need to make sure there is a blog for it and someone is actually managing updates and pushing the agenda in the background somehow. That is what I expect if your serious :-)</p> I thin it is a great idea. You will need a separate website for the article. You will need to make sure there is a blog for it and someone is actually managing updates and pushing the agenda in the background somehow. That is what I expect if your serious :-)

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