Net Neutrality
 

Anyone else notice that the new head of the FCC is expecting to start handing off control of Internet speed, content, and access to AT&T, Comcast, Verizon, et cetera as early as NEXT MONTH? And has stated he expects them to voluntarily police themselves with regard to customer protections and access equality. Suuuuuure they will.

Been nice knowin' y'all. Once that handoff occurs, I might not even be able to afford the right access to post here.

It won't affect your access to the Cellar. But it may affect any high-bandwidth software or sites you use, depending on throttling aggreements they are able to reach with ISPs, and raise the barriers to entry for any new ones.

For example, Comcast could throttle Netflix during contract disputes, the way they take down cable channels during contract disputes.

It'll affect my access to everything if it pushes our phone/net/cable bundle out of affordability. My household has to get by on about $1500 a month, of which a whopping $375 is mine to spend (which includes making payments on the $1200 I still owe my dentist). The news articles I read from around the world talked about things like individual websites having to pay 30% of their revenue to their carriers above and beyond what they may already be paying--and that includes sites like Netflix, Twitter, Ebay, Etsy, Facebook...all of 'em. You can bet those costs will be passed to consumers pretty much instantly. They're also talking about making it legal for a carrier, such as AT&T, to completely refuse its customers access to sites owned by competing carriers. It's going to be a messy, expensive disaster that will leave many thousands of individuals, organizations, and underfunded schools & states out in the cold, unable to afford to log on for anything.

Net neutrality has little to do with what the ISP charges you. As you say, eliminating it is bad for websites, and it may affect what sites are available, and what they individually cost, but your ISP costs themselves aren't affected by that. Broadband ISPs are frequently monopolies, or near enough, and are charging what the market will bear already.

That said, it may well be the case that if you have a small, local, ISP, there could be a way they get screwed; I'm not sure.

I wonder what the effect on start-ups will be?

If it's a high-data startup, their barrier to entry will be much higher, as they'll have to pay not just their ISP, but all of their customers' ISPs as well.

I think it's kinda weird that the main page lists over 600 threads in this area, but only like 6 show up when I actually come looking.

The FCC is planning to hand off control of pricing, speed, and access to AT&T, Viacom, Comcast, etc. They want to repeal ALL regulations that keep the internet considered a utility like electricity and phone. EVERYTHING will be in corporate hands by summer if Ajit Pai has his way.

This would mean, for us for example, that Charter (our cable and internet provider) could charge us an extra fee monthly to access each and every major streaming channel (Netflix, Hulu, Smithsonian, f*kkin PBS even), every cable channel, anything they want. Above and beyond the existing subscription costs. There are even strong suspicions that people will be charged to access Twitter, Etsy, Pinterest, and Facebook, either per login or a monthly fee NOT PAYABLE TO THE SITE. Payable to your carrier. THAT is the heart of the FCC's plan as I've read up on it.

Oh, and their justification is that doing this will "encourage innovation and create jobs".

Yeah. I can see that happening as hundreds of small ISPs fold because their customers can't afford the carrier's additional charges and give up their accounts.

And it WILL apply to smartphone usage, by the way, not just home. You want to check Twitter on your phone? $5 per login, payable immediately. You want your grandma to stop nagging you to check her Facebook photos? "Grandma, did you know you have to pay $10 to your carrier every time you access Facebook now?"

I'll make a wager with you.

If ANY of those things happen by the end of 2018, I will pay for your internet bill for a year. (Not phone or cable, just internet.)

If ANY of those things don't happen by 2018, you have to vote for Trump in 2020. (I will need video proof of the vote.)

Do we have a bet?

No, the ISP will charge the content provider, who will pass on the price to you.

Paying per log in is not a viable business model...Are you a business school graduate?:eyebrow:

:p:

scroll down, look at the Display Options box at the bottom of the page, make appropriate adjustments, you'll be able to see more threads. All of them if you so desire.