AT&T has lost their minds

[jledou]

Scott,
The UK and other countries are starting to see data caps as well in some of the companies. Unlike us though there are other choices that still offer unlimited plans.
Netflix and other companies are currently covered under peering agreements between companies (basically I allow your stuff to run on my network if you allow my stuff to run on yours). ISPs do get paid by both content providers and content consumers they just want to get paid more for certain types of content ... I would still call this a net neutrality issue and a fact that ISPs have not invested in upgrading their backbone as content increased.

[Brutus2600]

Originally Posted by jledou

Scott,
The UK and other countries are starting to see data caps as well in some of the companies. Unlike us though there are other choices that still offer unlimited plans.
Netflix and other companies are currently covered under peering agreements between companies (basically I allow your stuff to run on my network if you allow my stuff to run on yours). ISPs do get paid by both content providers and content consumers they just want to get paid more for certain types of content ... I would still call this a net neutrality issue and a fact that ISPs have not invested in upgrading their backbone as content increased.

Bingo.

[shilala]

Originally Posted by jledou

Scott,
The UK and other countries are starting to see data caps as well in some of the companies. Unlike us though there are other choices that still offer unlimited plans.
Netflix and other companies are currently covered under peering agreements between companies (basically I allow your stuff to run on my network if you allow my stuff to run on yours). ISPs do get paid by both content providers and content consumers they just want to get paid more for certain types of content ... I would still call this a net neutrality issue and a fact that ISPs have not invested in upgrading their backbone as content increased.

I'm sure the cost of infrastructure upgrade in the US is incredible and mui prohibitive based on the population density (compared to the UK, for instance), but being as we're accustomed to getting raped for an inferior product, there's little shouting going on.
Caps will come and go in those other markets, and I imagine they're temporary fixes until the pipe can catch up to the volume. If there's competitors, someone is going to be standing by to take care of the people and some companies just aren't going to survive.
Point being, the infrastructure will expand quickly in those dense competitive markets. Not here.

[BloodSpite]

Originally Posted by shilala

I'm sure the cost of infrastructure upgrade in the US is incredible and mui prohibitive based on the population density (compared to the UK, for instance), but being as we're accustomed to getting raped for an inferior product, there's little shouting going on.
Caps will come and go in those other markets, and I imagine they're temporary fixes until the pipe can catch up to the volume. If there's competitors, someone is going to be standing by to take care of the people and some companies just aren't going to survive.
Point being, the infrastructure will expand quickly in those dense competitive markets. Not here.

I can assure you cost is a major factor

One of the first things I learned when I got in to telecom is that carriers do not like to fix things if they work. Period. In parts of California there are still the old 1940 manual switching mechanism in use. When you hear the audible "clicks" on your phone before ringing, it means your call passed through a similar system. Your hearing the connection being made physically versus digitally.

AT&T doesn't do themselves any favors on the wireless side with their turf pricing for contractors. For a good example, AT&T is basically the Wal Mart of wireless carriers when it comes to other companies. I have seen more tower companies and towers crews literally ground out of existence trying to float the note for a AT&T roll out.

U-verse is the last gasp for AT&T's wire line services. With the monumental decrease in wire line use by folks swapping to their cell phones for their primary communication device, we as consumers set our own selves up for failure.