According to reports today from Ars Technica and earlier Jan 2008 stories from http://www.dslreports.com/...,
Time Warner's "Road Runner" cable web access will soon be changing their pricing model.
The lowest level of service is a 768Kbps connection with a 5GB cap for $29.95 per month. The high-end package will offer 15MBps with a 40GB cap for $54.90 per month. Consumers will pay by the gigabyte for consumption in excess of the established caps. Customers will be able to see how much bandwidth they have left by visiting the Time Warner Cable web site.
UPDATE 3: 6/3/08: comment, from the user crumb:
This is not a Network Neutrality Issue!
UPDATE 7 - 6/4/2008, 3pm pacific: DISABILITY RIGHTS. User scrdchao writes, at bottom of this diary:
I have a disability. I don't drive, and live in the suburbs. I don't get out much , and consider the internet my "car." It gets me where I ned to go when I ned to get there , and gives me a freedom I don't otherwise have. As an academic, I'm trying to teach from home as well.
As a long-time activist , I see this as a possible disability rights issue. Any lawyers out there? Class action suit?
UPDATE: THIS IS NOT net neutrality, cont'd
Here is an overview crumb has written, to help differentiate bandwidth capping from limiting access to only certain kinds of content.
UPDATE 4: 6/3/08: camipco writes in comments below about selective access:
What it would look like if it was a net neutrality issue: The package would look like:
$29.95/month - access to CNN.com, Yahoo.com etc.
$54.90/month - access to all website.
UPDATE 5: 6/4/08: But THIS IS a Net Neutrality concern:
Note: from the comments: pontechango asked that I post within the diary a comment I made downthread here, in response to HiBob's comment here:
the second version of the plan will be 5gb cap, but content from these (Time Warner affiliated) services won't count toward the cap - we'll let you access them for Free!!! :)
Free, that is, once you've paid for the bundle/watched the ads/etc.
Net neutrality is sooo last year.
by HiBob on Tue Jun 03, 2008 at 07:31:15 PM PDT
My reply downthread:
Slowly but surely they (the GOP) hollowed out the DOJ, and when we discovered it the damage was long ago done, and I don't think we will ever fully recover from that damage. I consider it catastrophic.
Similarly, though of course we've all been exposed to the issues of Net Neutrality, I think the owners of the fat pipes will slowly but surely install all sorts of valves and toll booths throughout their tubes. By the time the public starts realizing what's happened, the damage will have been done.
And yes, you can get unlimited bandwidth if you pass through our news gateway, thus ensuring Americans are once again funneled into heavily-scripted and redacted corporate news, leaving consumers less inclined to pay more money to enable them to, let's say, subscribe to Josh Marshall's TPM Media video channel.
we'll see, won't we...
UPDATE 6: 6/4/08 - 5:30am pacific -- my pal k9disc posts this at the tail end of this thread: The elephant in the room: High Def Video
Well I went through 300 comments and there has been no discussion of that fat assed elephant sitting in the room.
The ISPs are crying about the lack of bandwidth, and the evil 5% gobbling up all the available bits and bytes, and yet each of the big boys have plans to distribute HD video on their networks.
Does that make any sense at all?
I mean, 5% using 50% of the allocated resources prompting draconian manipulation of access and yet there is plenty of room to beam HD video out to the masses.
The whole argument is specious and it's bullshit.
This is a net neutrality issue even though it might not look like it on the surface.
UPDATE 1: 6/3/08, 10pm Pacific: Yahoo news now covering this story
UPDATE 2: RELATED VIDEO from CNBC: link
Original Post, cont'd
According to a member of Broadband Reports community:
They will begin moving away from "all you can eat" to a pay per byte system. They are calling it "Consumption based billing"
This system will begin be tested in Beaumont, TX in Quarter 1 and apply only to New customers, eventually all customers will be included in the new scheme.
I am posting this in the event no one else here has posted about it, given today's news has been heavily dominated by Obama's reaching the Magic Number.
I don't have any analysis to provide. But I am hoping someone here who has been tracking this "tiered internet" plan for the past year or so might have some commentary, including possible reactions from the EFF. This kind of planned action has been seen as an assault on emerging citizen media models who might just start inform too many citizens about the way the world works :)
Again, from Ars Technica:
Kevin Leddy, Time Warner Cable executive vice president of advanced technology, told the Associated Press that the variable billing model is being adopted to address the disparity in bandwidth consumption among Time Warner Cable users. Five percent of the subscribers are consuming half of the local line capacity, Leddy says.
As we noted in our detailed look at the scheme back in January, usage caps will likely drive consumers to conventional DSL or emerging alternatives such as Verizon's much-loved FiOS service and WiMAX-based solutions. Unfortunately, many are stuck in regions that suffer from meager broadband competition and have few options available.
See articles for details.