On April 27, 2014 at 10:04 nick@pelagiris.org (Nick B) wrote:
The current scandal is not about peering, it is last mile ISP double dipping.
I'd characterize it as an attempt to charge content providers for access to last mile customers, where those are two different companies. Which isn't really different from what you said, just phrased a little differently. But more importantly I think it's an attempt to impose a Cable TV (sat tv, whatever) business model on the internet. That is, with CATV companies like HBO have to pay companies like Comcast for access to their cable subscribers. Since they grew up together it's all fairly symbiotic though we do see flare-ups like when Time-Warner decided to block CBS over "access" fees. Not clear how that would work if imposed on the internet space. Maybe get ready for basic, premium, and gold internet, gold includes Netflix streaming AND Amazon shopping! Something like that. What I'm more, or just as, concerned about is the end of just putting up a web site and hoping people come to it w/o a lot of capital. That is, launching a new web site becoming similar to launching a new cable TV channel (i.e., coordinating with and paying/licensing with the last-mile provider(s)) rather than whipping together some HTML and hoping for the best, etc. -- -Barry Shein The World | bzs@TheWorld.com | http://www.TheWorld.com Purveyors to the Trade | Voice: 800-THE-WRLD | Dial-Up: US, PR, Canada Software Tool & Die | Public Access Internet | SINCE 1989 *oo*