NNSquad - Network Neutrality Squad

NNSquad Home Page

NNSquad Mailing List Information

 


[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

[ NNSquad ] Project seeks to develop "a la carte" Internet connection services


Project seeks to develop "a la carte" Internet connection services

http://j.mp/oDke61  (UMass)

   "What if you could choose an ISP in your area with a button on your
    desktop and you could pay for only the time you used each one?" says
    Naguney. "To watch a movie with the fastest service for high-quality
    streaming, you buy it for two hours and move on. For checking your
    e-mail later, you take the lower-priced product that offers higher
    security, a secure server with the latest anti-virus software. That's
    the sort of choice and flexibility we're talking about.""

 - - -

There are a number of issues here.  Some obvious ones:

1) How would this technology fare against the existing protocols 
   that are deeply embedded in a vast range of current applications?

2) Would the benefits of this type of system to the average consumer
   (in terms of performance/price or whatever) justify the new
   technical (and likely billing) complexities?

3) Would ISPs (who more and more want to bundle services, not
   break them apart) see significant benefits to supporting such
   a system, especially in the U.S.?

4) Would regulators be willing to encourage or require such a system,
   given their inability to date getting much more modest proposals
   enacted vs. lawsuits, Congressional actions to block Internet
   regulations, and so forth?

My initial impression is that such a plan would have a much better
chance of being at least seriously considered in various locales
outside the U.S., but whether or not it would necessarily make good
sense even outside the U.S.' toxic political environment is not
necessarily clear.

--Lauren--
NNSquad Moderator