Former FCC Chairman Powell keynoting a conference yesterday:
“I’m getting where I want to on the Net, with no problems — and there would be problems if I couldn’t get to Google,” Powell said. “What’s really going on here [in the public debate] is a battle between the Googles and Verizons of the world — it’s a big scrum about who should absorb the full costs [of running the network]. From the consumer side, it’s going pretty well — they are getting fairly inexpensive access to high speed broadband, and Google keeps innovating with cool stuff.”
Like I have said before, Net neutrality is a battle between big telco and big media.
Andrew, do you think it would work?
From my perspective there are a few scenarios:
Scenario 1:
Verizon would do this.
Google/Yahoo/MS etc, would not pay.
Customers would blame every slow website on Verizon throttling (even when it isn’t) and leave in droves.
Executive responsible would fall on his sword ala SonyMusic & DRM.
Scenario 2:
Verizon would do this.
Google/Yahoo/MSN etc. don’t pay
Verizon degrades their service to force them.
Tortuous interference in business lawsuits follow & customer class action suits.
Verizon pays out fortune
Executive responsible would fall on his sword ala SonyMusic & DRM.
Scenario 3:
Verizon would do this.
One of Google/Yahoo/MSN pays.
Verizon prioritorizes their connection.
Nobody notices because difference is too small to be worthwhile.
… other variations on this theme.
Scenario 4:
Verizon would do this.
All of Google/Yahoo/MSN pay.
Verizon prioritorizes ALL their connection having zero net effect.
All other websites extremely slow (the long tail), customers leave in droves….
… other variations on this theme.
I just don’t see why any website would pay (scenario 3). I can see a train crash coming, or a really big train crash coming, but no scenario that results in Verizon having more money.
How much is download a video 10 seconds faster worth to a Verizon customer? If that’s worthwhile then why can’t Verizon charge that to their customers, if it isn’t, what makes them think anyone else will pay?