Get ready to start paying more for Internet usage.

[Amastacia]

I would contend that the technology to continue to provide effectively unlimited bandwidth does in fact exist, and that ISPs simply prefer to use their existing technology, and pretend that there are no better alternatives.

Fios is more expensive for less bandwidth compared to standard cablevision internet around here.

FIOS doesn't have the bandwidth restrictions that the cable companies try to pretend don't exist. DOCSIS 2.0 can only feed so much when split between your neighbors; it's why cable HDTV is kinda crummy in some places, and decent in others -- they simply don't have the bandwidth to effectively service all of what they promise they can do.

Charla's pretty much spot on. I simply meant that with what the cable providers currently offer, the only manageable solution for them is to start capping people. If only they'd upgrade...

DOCSIS 2.0? Nice try.

Most cable providers are still running DOCSIS 1.1 because it's absurdly expensive to overhaul CPE.

You want to pay $500 for the new modem + truck roll + other associated costs? No? Neither do they.

That's why DOCSIS 2.0 has mostly been bypassed, and providers are betting the farm on 3.0. DOCSIS 2.0 was always a half measure to help stem the bleeding, and there's a lot more opportunity associated with 3.0. If there's going to be a migration, it might as well be to something much more scalable and potentially more profitable.

----

Movin' on, there really isn't any viable alternative to charging by the bandwidth in America. If you implement aggressive "network management" to control congestion, you end up in a media shitstorm and the FCC rather unhappy with you. If you implement no other controls, your infrastructure is horridly overtaxed and you lose customers to service outages and SLA violations.

The funny part is how much the public eye is focused on the evils of P2P, when it's not even the worst offender when it comes to bandwidth sucking. That crown's been solidly claimed by streaming video, and isn't going away any time soon.

If there's major technical limitations (e.g. the costs and limitations of 40G backhauls between SP POPs, and the cost of deploying more edge connectivity) constricting bandwidth, you'd better believe they're going to make those who want the most of it pay for it. Sucks for internet power users, but when something like 80% of internet traffic is generated by less than 10% of the total userbase, it's not exactly shocking that sooner or later the burden of paying for it all shifts.

p.s. I love YouTube, pretty much guarantees I'll have a job for the forseeable future. The need for core routing grows exponentially when more and more people steam video online, and core routing writes my paycheck.

[Gulkeeva]

I'm with Cableone in texas atm paying about $60 a month , getting a decent 1100kbps downloads cap and about 60K upload.
Verizon has fios supposidly comming to where I am, but dunno when or if I'll switch, I rather not have caps on my downlaod sicne i do... download... tons and TONS of stuff (downloaded near 7GB in past 3 days!)

Gotta download those videos... and pics O_o

[octopus]

I'm with Cableone in texas atm paying about $60 a month , getting a decent 1100kbps downloads cap and about 60K upload.
Verizon has fios supposidly comming to where I am, but dunno when or if I'll switch, I rather not have caps on my downlaod sicne i do... download... tons and TONS of stuff (downloaded near 7GB in past 3 days!)

Gotta download those videos... and pics O_o

If you're satisfied with what you got right now I don't see why you should switch Unless until you get capped by your ISP anyway

[Gulkeeva]

I'm with Cableone in texas atm paying about $60 a month , getting a decent 1100kbps downloads cap and about 60K upload.
Verizon has fios supposidly comming to where I am, but dunno when or if I'll switch, I rather not have caps on my downlaod sicne i do... download... tons and TONS of stuff (downloaded near 7GB in past 3 days!)

Gotta download those videos... and pics O_o

If you're satisfied with what you got right now I don't see why you should switch Unless until you get capped by your ISP anyway

Verizon fios is oferring 2X my current speed, for $30 (16mbit) and probably somehwere near 4X my current upload. So yeah I'd definantly wanna get it when its avaoible but, I don't wanna jump in if their gonna cap/restrict stuff

I sure wouldn't mind that kind of bandwidth though.. I download 24/7 nonstop all day everyday O_o Hell I had a 20GB mp3 torrent earlier for touhou o_O

[Lordwafik]

o_O

[Charla]

If there's major technical limitations (e.g. the costs and limitations of 40G backhauls between SP POPs, and the cost of deploying more edge connectivity) constricting bandwidth, you'd better believe they're going to make those who want the most of it pay for it.

the infrastructure costs billions

If I recall correctly, government gave out nearly 200 billion to implement such a thing about 10 years ago.

Apparently, someone already offered to pay for some of it, but someone else was more interested in having a lot of money than in dealing with their technical limitations.

[Gulkeeva]

o_O

Exactly!

[Dmitry]

I wouldn't mind if my ISP started doing this since I don't pay for it. I could just run up the bill and then they could ask the only person in the house with any technical experience for advise instead of getting sold on commercials or whatever nonsense they buy in to.