Confessions (And Worries) Of A Bandwidth Hog
from the what-to-do? dept
I mentioned recently my concerns about tiered broadband pricing models. In general, I think they take away the incentive for a real killer app to come along and make broadband a “must have” instead of a “nice to have”. However, plenty of people have been trying to convince me that I’m wrong – and I’d say I’m back on the fence about the issue. I certainly see the arguments saying that the small percentage who use up so much bandwidth should pay up for it. A Washington Post columnist, however, is an admitted bandwidth hog and is worried about how her bill might start rising. She called up a number of cable companies, though, and they all claim their plans are to offer “discount” plans off of the current offerings. So, instead of penalizing high-end users, the plan is to offer more “value conscious” users a reason to upgrade to a (slower) broadband offering. I’d say this is a smart move, but it doesn’t mean things won’t change in the future.
Comments on “Confessions (And Worries) Of A Bandwidth Hog”
Underlying fear of the providers?
I would bet that one of the underlying fears of the cable companies and DSL providers is the rapid deployment of wireless networks in homes. A subscriber (especially in an apartment or condominium building) could easily allow access to his neighbors. By charging several people a fraction of the monthly cost, the cost to the subscriber is reduced or even nullified. Meanwhile, the usage for that single access point goes way up over the norm.