NNSquad - Network Neutrality Squad
[ NNSquad ] Re: Rogers shrinks downloading limits -- just as Netflix arrives!
On Sat, 2010-07-24 at 10:55 -0700, Lauren Weinstein wrote:
> Rogers shrinks downloading limits -- just as Netflix arrives!
>=20
> http://bit.ly/bNIc9w (Slashdot)
>=20
> "Just a coincidence. Nothing to worry about! Move along ..."
>=20
> Pay the same, get less! Such a deal!
As CBC notes below - Rogers has their own online TV download service.
It's not clear, but the CBC article seems to suggest that the Rogers
online TV does not affect a users download limit. This is exactly the
conflict of interest that has been discussed on this list many times
already.
http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2010/07/22/rogers-download-limits.html
Russell.
[ Actually, whether or not Rogers' "online TV" counts against
subscribers' usage caps, the anticompetitive aspects are still
present. Outside Internet services are also competing against
these ISPs' native VOD/PPV offerings, which -- even though they're
just bits on the same cable -- *definitely* don't count against
any caps. So if a movie is priced at $4.99 both by the ISP and an
outside service, which is the typical sub going to choose? The
ISP version that doesn't use up any of the sub's Internet bits? --
or the Internet version which chews up bits from an ever shrinking
allocation determined by -- of course -- the same ISP!
-- Lauren Weinstein
NNSquad Moderator ]