When Technology Overwhelms
Caution: Student iPod User

Cable Keeps Quiet On Two-Tiered Internet

Rumors, Conspiracies, etc.

from the pay-and-pay-again dept

Mon, Jan 16th 2006 9:19am — Carlo Longino
While telcos continue to say that Internet content providers should have to pay for using their pipes to deliver content to individual customers, the country's other major broadband providers -- cable TV companies are keeping quiet. Cable companies and telcos have been slinging mud at each other for some time, so it's unsurprising to see the cablecos let their rivals take some heat for their unpopular stance, even though some of them have reportedly tried to "price block" VoIP services in the past. Letting the telcos take the heat probably isn't just the smarter PR move, it's smarter politically as well. If the cable companies presented a united front on the issue, it might be enough to make the FCC realize that there's very little effective broadband competition and spur it into action.
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5 Comments

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  • identicon
    Mousky, 16 Jan 2006 @ 10:30am

    Double Dip

    "While telcos continue to say that Internet content providers should have to pay for using their pipes to deliver content to individual customers"

    Funny, I thought that the monthly amount that is withdrawn from my bank account pays for the use of their pipes to deliver the content that I request?

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Orn, 16 Jan 2006 @ 10:35am

      Re: Double Dip

      when you look at the difference between the cable and phone industry it is farily easy to see that the telco is part of public infostructure where as the cable is basically just a luxury item. VOIP has not the same basic failsafes built into it that telcos have built in. Cable is very new relatively speaking and has not quite as much pull as the 800 pound ape Att and T represents...

      funny that the broke that company up just so 20 years latter, they are back...

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 16 Jan 2006 @ 1:48pm

    No Subject Given

    There are two bonuses to Cable keeping quiet. One, the teleco's take the heat for an unpopular position. Two, if it all goes well for the teleco's than Cable has the option of putting in teirs as well. Then if anyone complains they can say they need it to remain competitive with the teleco's. If the teleco's get away with it, Cable can do it too and blame the teleco's. This way Cable comes out of this looking good no matter how it turns out.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Renegade Rivers, 17 Jan 2006 @ 8:13am

    Telcos do Cable.

    Here in the midwest where I live the telco, which is a Coop, owns the internet, the telephone, and the cable, running it all through one pipe, which is state of the art fiber optics. Of course, they take all the praise, and as well as all of the heat. It's actually an unbelievable system. I get 96 network and movie channels, 45 music channels, internet at T1 speed - 1550kbps, and my phone service to include long distance, with all of the bells and whistles of voice mail, call forwarding, caller ID, and call waiting. With all of this, I get dividends of $500+ a year. Which is payable 10 years hence. My check last year was $543, and my dividends for 2005, was over $800. Oh yes, and at Christmas time each year, I get a check for $50.00 to help with Christmas. Its a very good system, that doesn't have to worry much about the cable-telco dispute.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Wow, 7 Feb 2006 @ 8:05pm

      Re: Telcos do Cable.

      That's amazing. Where do you live? Does San Francisco know about this, because they are desperately searching for a model.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]


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