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To: Gamecock
Can someone please tell me why “Net Neutrality” is a bad thing, or point my in the right direction? I am having a hard time getting my mind wrapped around this.

In simple terms, consider FedEx, UPS and the USPS. When you send a package, the cost is based on weight and volume in proportion to the resources needed to ship it. Net neutrality amounts to a government decree that flat rate shipping applies. The cost to ship a bowling ball or a post card is identical (even though the resources required to deliver are far from equal). Small e-mails are the postcards. Streaming 4k UHD movies are bowling balls. A movie monopolizes significant bandwidth for extended periods. E-mail and casual net browsing are bursty transfers with lots of idle time between uses. The kind of network infrastructure required to provide good service to those vastly different types of usage is significant. The ISP that provisions for 5,000 e-mail users and is suddenly saddled with 1,000 streaming movie watchers is going to have an angry customer base. Traffic can be segregated by type to utilize the network efficiently as provisioned. Want to watch movies? Then pay a rate for hardware that must be dedicated for hours on end to serve you.

131 posted on 12/14/2017 12:55:53 PM PST by Myrddin
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To: Myrddin

Excellent analogy of the situation!


134 posted on 12/14/2017 1:08:43 PM PST by 11Bush
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To: Myrddin

In essence, what you describe is a price control.

Thinking conservatives know exactly what any kind of price control does to a market.


135 posted on 12/14/2017 1:10:38 PM PST by rlmorel (Liberals: American Liberty is the egg that requires breaking to make their Utopian omelette.)
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To: Myrddin
The cost to ship a bowling ball or a post card is identical (even though the resources required to deliver are far from equal).

That's wildly inaccurate.

My ISP is free to charge me per Gb transmitted, and on one of the services I use, Verizon 4g, that's exactly what they do.

There is absolutely nothing in nn to prevent charging more based on weight (in you analogy).

What nn prevents is UPS charging me more to ship a bowling ball I bought from Dick's Sporting Goods than they charge me if I bought the same bowling ball from UPS.

138 posted on 12/14/2017 1:20:40 PM PST by semimojo
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