[The Worthless Miracle]

Can't they ever leave ANYTHING alone?

[phoenix0468]

"Businesses that seek to profit on the use of next-generation networks should not be free of all costs associated with the increased capacity that is required for delivery of the advanced services and applications they seek to market," he said.

Aren't R&D costs built into the fees that the providers charge? What, now they want to try and tell us that this cost isn't being added into their charges? Do they believe their consumers are that stupid? This is what happens when there is too much governmental interference in business. The companies start to think they can use the government to further their own greedy designs.

[mike70]

Consider an analogy. Assume, back in the 1920's that automobile companies argued that since railroads already had their rails laid, all automobiles regardless of quantity, should be shipped at a fixed cost. It would have been a great business model for the auto industry.

Basically, the Googles and Yahoos of the world have chanced upon a business model where they can ship as much of their product to their customers as they can, but the shipper can only charge them a fixed fee.

If the shipper (telecom backbone providers) has to increase capacity to handle the increased traffic, then tough. But the Googles and Yahoos can sell as many ads as they want, knowing that the next ad can be sent to their customers without a marginal cost. All fixed costs of increased traffic fall on the telecoms without compensation. It's a great business model for Google, but a little shortsighted for the internet.

[Porterville]

We will just have to start a new net if the screw with this one. A black-net.

[MillerCreek]

The very notion that broadband providers might be able to "control the internet" is like saying that slugs should control the garden.

Not that broadband companies are slugs but that the comparison to them in a garden is appropriate, with the internet the user "garden" area of production and activity.

Does anyone know of any cable company who has ever acknowledged anything other than that they provide "excellence in customer service and performance"?