On Fri, 11 Nov 2005, Leo Bicknell wrote:
So really the question is not a technical one, or even a business model one. It's a question of marketing. Don't sell "Internet Access" if you can't access "the whole internet" for what 99 out of 100 people define as "the whole internet". If you want to sell some more limited service, fine, give it a new name because it's not "Internet Access".
So its just marketing. Some cable companies charge you $5 a month more for HSIA if you don't buy the cable company's VOIP service and $10 more if you don't buy the cable company's video service. As long as they use a brand name for the $15 discount package, they can have whatever restrictions they chose on the discounted packages? Could they call it Internet++ or Platinum service and it would be fine? Is there some licensing body that surveys 99 out of 100 people to decide if something is "the whole internet?" That licensing body would then have the power to order ISPs to carry just those web sites? If 99 out of 100 people only access the top 20 or so web sites, is that the "whole Internet" for them, because they think the web is the Internet? Would this be "must carry" for broadcast television stations that must be carried for free by cable systems? Would the FCC maintain a list of web sites that that 99 out of 100 people use that all licensed ISPs must carry on their networks? Would that then give the FCC the power to decide what web sites ISPs don't carry?