NNSquad - Network Neutrality Squad
[ NNSquad ] Re: Why Apple Can't Kill Cable
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Your point about conflict of interest is correct. The
question is what we do about it. Both FedEx and UPS share our common roads so they are
both equally advantaged or disadvantaged and adjust their business models accordingly. If the ISP sees those using its transport as a threat
you have a problem that cannot be solved by legislation. The CLEC model failed.
Benign neglect or "responsible" network management is sufficient to prevent
effective competition. This why we need to remove the conflict of interest to
get a level playing field. For now as far as I know if I watch Comcast content over
Verizon's FiOS I would have no problem as Verizon seems to just passing
packets. But if I try to watch Verizon content over Comcast I would run afoul
of their "responsible" network management policies as stated. This is why I don't see any viable state short of a shift
to an infrastructure model. As to whether carriers use IP protocol (not TCP/IP, IP) I
see it as moot. I do believe they are increasingly using IP when they can. But
as I pointed out in http://rmf.vc/?n=FiOSRealityCheck
they can still have an analog channelized mindset. In fact Verizon VoD is indeed
over IP and goes through my router but suffers from the artifacts of older
protocols. -----Original Message----- I agree that a la carte is a nonstarter. But let's
remember that you can still have packages without have "cable" per
se. Comcast is already talking about taking their business model over IP. Sure you are able to purchase individual episodes on
Amazon for $1.99 or get a some on Hulu with commercials. But that model doesn't
begin to approach the economics of scale that drive today's industry. As
you (Lauren) note, bundling does give us channels that might not be viable
on their own. This is similar to the problem newspapers face the parts (the
individual stories) are not the same as the whole. So let's not confuse our agendas. It's one thing to
object to having to buy services from the company that owns a particular pipe.
It's another to complain about the economics of bundles. After all, what restaurant will give you 75% off your
meal because you only use one seat at a table for four? [ Actually, digital cable is of course
already (MPEG) TCP/IP. The question is which
"artificial" channel on the cable or DSL you're watching. Are you tuned to
the ISP's own offerings that don't count against bandwidth/usage
caps and are exempt from other limitations? Or are you
trying to watch programming from the "outside" where all of
these limitations apply, but that have to (in most cases) come through the
same physical circuit under generally unilateral and
arbitrary control of the same ISP? I fail to see how this kind of
situation can be fairly handled across the spectrum of ISP
subscribers without some form of ISP regulatory apparatus. -- Lauren Weinstein
NNSquad Moderator ] -----Original Message----- From:
nnsquad-bounces+nnsquad=bobf.frankston.com@nnsquad.org [mailto:nnsquad-bounces+nnsquad=bobf.frankston.com@nnsquad.org]
On Behalf Of Lauren Weinstein Sent: Wednesday, December 23, 2009 12:20 To: nnsquad@nnsquad.org Subject: [ NNSquad ] Why Apple Can't Kill Cable Why Apple Can't Kill Cable http://bit.ly/5ZAIbq (Hollywood Reporter) I'll note again here the discomfort I feel whenever I see
loud proclamations about the "evils" of cable
channel bundling. Clearly there needs to be more subscriber flexibility in this
area, but I can't eliminate my concern that a total "a la
carte" system would undermine the funding and availability of many fine
speciality channels (e.g. History International, Science, channels
dedicated to Russian and Africa, etc.) in favor of a nearly limitless
palette of lucrative sports and premium movie channels. Many
of the lesser watched channels probably could not survive without
subsidization related to the mass audience favorites. I've noticed a significant expansion recently in
speciality channels on TWC since they got Switched Digital Video (SDV)
"more or less" working. I'll bet that some of them only have a
relative handful of viewers at any given time -- but many are still well
worth watching. That diversity is to my mind a good thing. --Lauren-- NNSquad Moderator |