by Bob | Mar 17, 2006 | Local Tech Notes
I finally have a reason to join AARP! They’ve been sending me stuff ever since I turned 50, but I always just assumed it was for folks already out to pasture. After all it is the American Association of RETIRED Persons. I’m not anywhere near one of those.
But now they’ve got my attention. They are among 64 organizations that include the likes of Microsoft, TiVo, Yahoo, and Google that are sending letters to the House Energy and Commerce Committee in support of network neutrality. Cool!
This Cnet article has the details.
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by Bob | Jul 5, 2007 | Local Tech Notes
Ars Technica has a good analysis of the current status of “Net Neutrality” issues. This paragraph offers a good summary of the what’s at stake, particularly for small businesses and end users:
Network neutrality can be defined in several ways, several of which may in fact be bad for end users. But when companies start talking about “charging Internet firms to use our pipes” and letting “the market sort it all out,” consumers and small business owners get nervous when they have limited ISPs to choose from. Will my webmail run more slowly if Google doesn’t “pay up”? Will the flash videos on my small business web site load so slowly that people won’t make use of them unless I cough up (a second time) for bandwidth? Will I have to pay for better speeds on every major US network? What about internationally? Will my own Internet access be free if you’re now charging the websites on the other end of the network?
The essay makes it clear that the current political climate in the U.S. still favors the telecommunications industry over the end user.
The problem most people have with potential legislation to protect Net Neutrality is the general ignorance of the legislators. The fear is that any new law will be more harmful than the ill it tries to cure. But I think a Net Neutrality law could be written quite simply: Thou shall not favor one bit over another for profit. Done.
by Bob | Jul 3, 2006 | Local Tech Notes
The California Senate is about to vote on a bill that will do away with the local cable TV franchise system we have come to know here in Humboldt County. Essentially, the bill, which was approved by the Assembly by a 77-0Â vote and cleared out of a Senate committee by an 11-0 vote, will allow telcos, like AT&T to compete in markets where cable companies have negotiated franchises.
The arguements in favor are all about open competition which will supposedly bring down prices and create more services for consumers. AT&T is pouring millions in to lobbying campaigns to push this through. And of course, the cable companies are waging their own publicity campaign in opposition.
I don’t claim to understand all the issues involved, but here are some questions I think we should think about as citizens of Humboldt County:
1)What happens to all the cool things that we just spent months negotiating with Cox (now SuddenLink) on their franchise renewal? I assume if this bill becomes law it will nullify that agreement. So, suddenly SuddenLink will have the market to itself without any of requirements included in the franchise agreement.
2) Will AT&T really build out their network to provide video content to our homes? It’s unlikely they will spend the money in small markets like ours. The money is in the urban areas. If they do build here it won’t be any time soon, and it certainly won’t reach beyond Eureka and other larger townships. There is some talk of altering the bill to ensure some service to typically underserved areas. But this needs to be watched very closely.
3) I am tieing this issue to an even larger one of Network Neutrality. Why? Because if this bill passes, AT&T will no longer just be the carrier of content. It will become a supplier of content. And if Network Neutrality as a principle is not codified, then the company would be able to charge whatever it wants to providers wishing to offer content over the Internet. AT&T is currently the only carrier of Internet content in and out of Humboldt County. They can give priority status to their own content while degrading the content of anyone else’s who doesn’t pay the extra tariff.
Now, I understand why AT&T is trying to bully its way in to the multibillion dollar TV content industry. It’s long distance service is under increasing pressure from free and low cost VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) services. As the popularity of these services grow, AT&T’s profits will continue to shrink. Of course without Net Neutrality regulation, telcos can also relegate VOIP competitor’s data to second tier status. And then, simply offer their own service at better quality (and higher prices).
Does this sound right to you?
by Bob | May 7, 2006 | Life notes
This may seem like a shameless attempt to get traffic to my blog, but it’s not. Ok, maybe it is a little. Instead of writing about really important things like Net Neutrality, if I have a lot of references to the “Da Vinci Code” I’m sure I’ll get a lot more traffick.
But I have been honestly been thinking a about writing about the “The Da Vinci Code” for quite some time. With the advent of the movie and all the hub bub about the Catholic Church’s oppostion to it, I thought now would be an appropriate time.
I read the book well over a year ago. I like thillers and mysteries. And a mystery about one of the great mysteries in history sounded fascintating. I loved “The Name of the Rose” by Umberto Eco, for example.
But I have to be honest. I think the book sucks. I had to force myself to read it all the way through. I bought it before it had come out in paperback so I wanted to be sure I got my money’s worth. While the premise of the story is intriguing I thought the plot was stupid, the characterization shallow and the writing style awkward and amateurish. I said this at the time I was reading it and I continue to be baffled by all the excitement over this thing. I refuse to read any other Dan Brown book because I don’t think he is a good writer.
Maybe the movie will be better. I think the thinness of the story is more fitting for a movie anyway. I certainly won’t bother to go see it at the theater. I hardly ever go to the movie theater anyway, and this certainly won’t draw me in.
by Bob | Mar 14, 2006 | Local Tech Notes
Apparenlty Shaw, a Canadian cable firm has already implemented a two-tiered system by charging an extra $10 per month to assure quality VOIP service. They’re calling it a Quality Service Enhancement. Of course, you don’t have to pay this fee if you are using Shaw’s own ‘digital phone service’.
This flies in the face of the concept of Network Neutrality which I wrote about earlier. If Shaw gets away with it, will others like Cox/Cebridge or at&t (our two choices here ) be far behind?
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