The premise that all traffic should be equal over the internet seems like a great democratic principle, enshrined in the DMCA. But it's time to rethink.
Here in Wales I pay Sky for a service that they only partially deliver deliver: the TV works, I can watch premium channels and record stuff. But nothing that depends on the internet works. This is Sky Broadband, which regularly delivers speeds of 20Kbps (yes, that's a K not an M). So, no on demand, no premium services and I haven't been able to sign up to Sky Sports 5 since this seems to demand some kind of internet handshaking which I give up on after an hour or so.
I also cannot use my Spotify and Netlink accounts, which probably pleases Sky, but it isn't what I pay for.
The Welsh Assembly Government are committed to building yet more un-needed motorways rather than bringing this fifth world country into the 21st century. In the meantime BT is creaming in the money from its near total monopoly.
So why shouldn't the likes of Google and Facebook, who make a fortune from my personal data, and Spotify and Netflix, to whom I pay a subscription, band together with Sky and sort this situation out ? Each should pay towards upgrading our local exchange.
We worry about these vast monopolies not paying tax, but they also don't pay their dues. In a connected world, markets should be ever more efficient, but they aren't. Layering monopolies on top of monopolies is unacceptable in any other industry. Why is it acceptable on the internet ?
Here in Wales I pay Sky for a service that they only partially deliver deliver: the TV works, I can watch premium channels and record stuff. But nothing that depends on the internet works. This is Sky Broadband, which regularly delivers speeds of 20Kbps (yes, that's a K not an M). So, no on demand, no premium services and I haven't been able to sign up to Sky Sports 5 since this seems to demand some kind of internet handshaking which I give up on after an hour or so.
I also cannot use my Spotify and Netlink accounts, which probably pleases Sky, but it isn't what I pay for.
The Welsh Assembly Government are committed to building yet more un-needed motorways rather than bringing this fifth world country into the 21st century. In the meantime BT is creaming in the money from its near total monopoly.
So why shouldn't the likes of Google and Facebook, who make a fortune from my personal data, and Spotify and Netflix, to whom I pay a subscription, band together with Sky and sort this situation out ? Each should pay towards upgrading our local exchange.
We worry about these vast monopolies not paying tax, but they also don't pay their dues. In a connected world, markets should be ever more efficient, but they aren't. Layering monopolies on top of monopolies is unacceptable in any other industry. Why is it acceptable on the internet ?
