Qwest Admits That File Sharing Isn't Really A Traffic Burden
from the someone-didn't-get-the-memo dept
Lots of broadband providers have been blaming P2P file sharing for messing up the economics of broadband offerings. That is, they build the networks and set the prices based on a certain expected usage, and now they're claiming that this increased usage is costing them -- meaning that they need to put in place bandwidth caps or traffic shaping tools that get rid of the expected neutral network customers thought they were signing up for. Of course, the fact that they blame these new technologies (or want to charge them more) is ridiculous. They're basically admitting that they did a horrible job of forecasting future usage -- and ignored just about every historical trend that shows when you give people bandwidth, applications and services come along that allow them to use that bandwidth. However, for all this telco/cable whining about how horrible it is that their bandwidth is being sucked dry by a bunch of P2P file sharing kids... it would appear that someone didn't slip Qwest's CTO the memo that they're all supposed to be kicking up a big storm about how unfair it all is. He says that the rest of the industry is overstating the impact of peer-to-peer traffic: "I found that the traffic is well under what some in that industry say is happening. I mean, you hear claims of significant double-digit penetration of peer-to-peer traffic, and it was not near there."
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file sharing overstated
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Re: file sharing overstated
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New ad: "Sign up now for better, faster Internet access! Just don't use P2P, stream video, or download too much stuff."
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new file engine search!
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Bandwidth
Fact is if a customer skipped the ISP or middle man and purchased their internet directly from the upstream provider they would pay significantly more for the same bandwidth they use through the middle man. ISP's simply count on customers using their accounts intermittently, it's what makes it work from a cost perspective, otherwise your $60 a month 20Gb connection would cost hundreds of dollars a month if pegged at full speed which some people actually do with their accounts. Unfortunately the ways around this are the usual suspects, traffic shaping, monthly data allowances, or just offering a lower speed for the same monthly cost.
Another issue that isn't widely known is that some ISP's condone p2p traffic not because of the bandwidth used but the packet rates, most offer VoIP phone service which chokes when equipment reaches it's rated packet limits, a network switch for example. Anyway this comment isn't meant to justify poor service, it's just a view from the other side of the fence, a small local ISP.
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