Charging by the Byte

[.: Mac :.]

ISPs my start Charging by the Gigabyte for Internet Access
http://biz.yahoo.com/nytimes/080614/1194785259060.html?.v=3


This is Insane and the Government needs to step in and stop this. Their networks need to be upgraded and they are trying to find a way to pay for it? What about the $50 a month you charge us for access?

Lots of companies Like Netflix and Apple are trying to move the world toward Digital content distribution. But Take Time Warners Method. That 5 GB Bandwidth Cap would be used up just by renting 2 Movies from iTunes/Netflix. If People have that bandwidth cap looming over their head they are a lot less likely to embrace the iTunes distribution method.

In reality thats what this all comes down to, the Cable companies dont want Apple/Netflix competing with their Cable TV service and this would be a sure way to keep them from competing on even footing.

This is why we need the Government to hurry up and pass some form of Net neutrality Law and Quick!

[MikeBCda]

My ISP, when I asked, said they have a "soft" cap of 60 gigs a month.  And unless you're a real video freak, downloading them practically around the clock, or else you're running a server, you'd be hard-pressed to come even close to that.

I was running a little under a gig a month on dialup, and now that I'm on DSL I find I'm typically running 2 to 3 gigs.  About the only real change in my habits is that now I can conveniently download MP3s from paid-subscription sites like eMusic, and they limit you to x files per month.  Plus, of course, I can now look at larger games and other apps which were too big to even think about on dialup.

[.: Mac :.]

My ISP, when I asked, said they have a "soft" cap of 60 gigs a month.  And unless you're a real video freak, downloading them practically around the clock, or else you're running a server, you'd be hard-pressed to come even close to that.

I was running a little under a gig a month on dialup, and now that I'm on DSL I find I'm typically running 2 to 3 gigs.  About the only real change in my habits is that now I can conveniently download MP3s from paid-subscription sites like eMusic, and they limit you to x files per month.  Plus, of course, I can now look at larger games and other apps which were too big to even think about on dialup.

My Macs/PC mostly does online gaming which im sure does not transfer that much data and the everyday web surfing/email. So im not so much worried there.

However I have a AppleTV connected to the TV in the living room. And I rent HD movies off iTunes through it. They usually run 3GB easy. I dont buy movies often because most of the time DVDs just take up shelf space and never get re-watched so this is a great solution.  But in a month I might rent 5 Movies, plus I download video podcats off of iTunes (most of which are free).

So Im a more bandwidth intensive user. I realize their plan is to stop P2P traffic, but there are a lot of services like iTunes that require a lot of bandwidth and are perfectly legal. I wouldn't want to get hit with "overage" fees every month just because I enjoy the service Apple provides.

[Kilia]

I'm not on any of the ISP's that are imposing this restriction...YET!
However, my concern for the future, is that I do alot of viewing of YouTube videos.
I'd be lost without my YT!!

[Justin_22]

This is....Madness