Posts

Showing posts from May, 2014

Why Internet connectivity is not like any other utility

With the recent FCC ruling , which seems to be pushing the door closed on the "open Internet", fresh in everyone's mind, Comcast (also known as the 800 pound gorilla, or the "Evil Empire") is indicating that within five years, Internet usage will be metered like electricity or water. Kind of sounds like a utility, doesn't it? But, if Comcast and other Internet service providers (ISPs) are deemed to be utilities, then they would not be able to discriminate against consumers and content providers like they can now. Comcast really wants it both ways. They want to tie up their cable TV offerings, restricting access to content that they have purchased, plus they want to either charge alternative content providers like Netflix or Amazon or put a "pay for usage" billing model on consumers. If I was Comcast, Verizon, AT&T, Cox or any other ISP, I would want it that way too, but there is precedent to stop it. Like electricity or water, there is a