NNSquad - Network Neutrality Squad
[ NNSquad ] Re: Neutrality in Perspective
On Nov 13, 2007 3:26 PM, Kevin McArthur <kevin@stormtide.ca> wrote: > The argument that blocking any port is justified is a slippery slope to > overblocking. I completely agree, but there are problems with not blocking at all. Or, at least, there are perceived problems. If every ISP removed all of their filters, what would traffic on the Internet look like? Would it bring it to a standstill? Would it bankrupt carriers who could no longer provide enough bandwidth? While I would love to see an Internet where the end user is in complete control of what enters or leaves their network, I think it's mostly unrealistic. Most users don't care, or don't know any better. Those of us who do deal with the frustrations of finding an ISP that will allow us the freedom we so desperately want. My former employer argued emphatically against adding filters to prevent unwanted traffic from customers, claiming that we were not the "IP Police" and should be delivering all traffic destined to the host. Of course, they then turned around and implemented a traffic limiting system that cut users off after they used up their "allotted" bandwidth. I never did figure out what the "allotted" value was, or where it was explained to the customer... > At what extent do you draw the line? I'm just not persuaded that we need to > solve endpoint and protocol engineering problems at the network layer. Can we solve it at the protocol level? We're talking about migrating hundreds of millions of users... IPv6 is a pretty decent example of how this works.. Or, fails to work. I think customer routers are a decent step in the right direction, though. At the very least, it gives the customer *some* protection without the ISP having to deal with it.. But then, adding complexity means more customer service calls when the end user "didn't change anything," yet their router is all fouled up... > Be careful what you wish for, Bah.. I never get what I wish for anyway.. Otherwise I'd be rich and living a life of luxury.. :P > Kevin -- Jason 'XenoPhage' Frisvold XenoPhage0@gmail.com http://blog.godshell.com