What if Verizon succeeds in killing the Internet?
What if Verizon succeeds in killing the Internet?
By Paul Venezia
Created 2013-09-23 03:00AM
I've posted countless essays over the years on the
importance of Net neutrality [1] and how big ISPs are trying to turn the
Internet into a pay-per-view system [2], rather than the open-access system it
was always intended to be. I've written open letters to federal legislators
[3]; remarked on the various games being played by AT&T, Verizon, Comcast,
and the like; and cheered Google Fiber [4] for demonstrating that the big ISPs
are full of nonsense [5] when they claim their backs are against the wall in
terms of broadband speeds and reach.
And now, Verizon is claiming it has free speech rights to
limit and block content flowing from the Internet to its customers [6]. That
stance is so ridiculous that the lawyers responsible for cooking up that one
should either be canonized or jettisoned into space. I'm not sure which.
[Also on InfoWorld: Verizon's diabolical plan to turn the
Web into pay-per-view [7] | For a quick, smart take on the news you'll be
talking about, check out InfoWorld TechBrief [8] -- subscribe today. | Get the
latest practical data center info and news with InfoWorld's Data Center
newsletter [9]. ]
However, this is happening. Verizon is making a big push
to begin actively blocking content and competition from its network. This is a
bald-faced attack on the Internet in general. It's abhorrent.
But what happens if Verizon wins? What happens if Verizon
establishes a precedent for censorship?
Many in the free-market camp will say that customers
unhappy with Verizon's service can simply take their computers and go to
another provider. Ah, if it were only that simple. If there were any kind of
actual competition in broadband service in the United States, we wouldn't be in
this position to begin with. The market would take care of these kinds of
transgressions naturally.
However, this is not the case, and the vast number of
markets that have no real competition will be faced with a choice between a
neutered Internet and no Internet at all. "But you can go wireless!"
they say. Sure, for vastly overcharged subscriptions and minuscule data plans.
Oh, and Verizon is in that market too.
Worst-case scenario
In essence, if Verizon has its way, it will follow its
own lead in onerous pricing on low-bandwidth wireless plans and will map that
onerous pricing directly to the wired world. If you think that $20-per-month
1GB data plan on your iPad is bad, wait until it's $80 a month for 2GB via your
DSL circuit. Oh, and Verizon is going to go ahead and block Netflix and YouTube
unless you pony up another $20 a month. Coming close to your limit? Sorry, no
more Internet for you until next month, or you can pay $20 per gigabyte to get
you through.
To put this in simple terms, if you upgraded to iOS 7
[10] the other day, you ate through roughly 720MB of data. Throw in a few
Windows or OS X updates, and poof goes your data for the month. Hey, at least
you can always access Verizon's site to view your usage and pay through the
nose so that you can answer email and do your online banking. But even if you
buy extra bandwidth for the month, you can't access your favorite news site or
forum, because Verizon has decided you shouldn't. Huzzah.
Another blow to the "competition" argument is
the fact that the ISPs have no real reason to provide any advantages over their
"competition" where there is an actual choice in provider. If you
only have two players in a market, both can abuse their customers to the point
where those customers leave for the competitor, knowing that because the
service and pricing aren't substantially different on the other side of the
fence, those users will be just as disillusioned with their new provider. Perhaps
those switchers will even be disgusted enough to switch again, or at least the
number of users flowing between the two "choices" will be about even.
Of course, Verizon and others complain bitterly about how
costly it was to build their networks and how they can't be asked to provide
suitable bandwidth because they're losing their shirts on infrastructure costs.
Naturally, they don't talk much about the billions in funds that the U.S.
taxpayers gave them to build those very same networks.
The biggest error in technology and communication in
recent memory is the failure of the U.S. government to classify Internet
service providers as common carriers. Without that distinction, all manner of
corporate malfeasance is possible because there are no regulations in place to
ensure that monopolistic practices are curtailed, or that what should clearly
be open and unfettered communication channels are indeed kept free from
censorship and collusion.
It's not just in the United States -- Netflix considers
Canada to have "third-world" Internet service [11], to the point it's
"almost a human rights violation." This is a direct result of the
same lack of oversight coupled with predatory actions by a handful of
companies. These companies have maneuvered themselves into an enviable position
from a shareholder point of view, but a terrible position for their customers.
Very few other industries can outright extort their own customers with little
to no fear of losing market share. This is the whole point of preventing monopolies.
Everyone's Internet access hangs in the balance
If Verizon wins, the citizens lose, no matter who they
are bound to for Internet access. With the Internet playing such a key role in
our daily lives, this is not just a matter of the loss or cost of entertainment.
A decision for Verizon would mean a hugely significant reduction in the flow of
information, of communication, of what should be codified as a constitutional
right.
Whether Verizon wins or loses, my hope is that we will
begin to see clear and unconstrained Internet access as a public service, a
constitutional right, a given -- that we will someday be able to enjoy the
pricing, speed, and availability of Internet access enjoyed by Romania or South
Korea. It's obvious that we cannot count on the big ISPs to bring us there
without placing strong controls on their behavior. It bothers me to no small
degree that so much time and energy is being spent fighting this ridiculous
battle when we could be using those resources to actually move the conversation
forward. It's like most of us are trying to talk about improving self-driving
cars while a group of morons are interjecting with a debate about how
stagecoaches are really the way to go.
The difference is that if Verizon wins, it will take us
much longer to get there because the wheels will eventually come off the bus as
customers inevitably revolt. If Verizon loses, U.S. broadband may be freed of
its shackles sooner because a tide of common sense may appear and Verizon's
absurd behavior will be abolished by law.
Call me an optimist, but I believe it will happen. It's
just a matter of how long and how painful it will be.
This story, "What if Verizon succeeds in killing the
Internet? [12]," was originally published at InfoWorld.com [13]. Read more
of Paul Venezia's The Deep End blog [14] at InfoWorld.com. For the latest
business technology news, follow InfoWorld.com on Twitter [15].
Data Center Networking The Industry Standard Internet Net
Neutrality Data Center
Source URL (retrieved on 2013-09-29 11:20AM):
http://www.infoworld.com/d/data-center/what-if-verizon-succeeds-in-killing-the-internet-227175
Links:
[1] http://www.infoworld.com/t/federal-regulations/fccs-open-internet-order-bodes-ill-net-neutrality-966
[2]
http://www.infoworld.com/d/data-center/how-internet-metering-changes-everything-197674
[3]
http://www.infoworld.com/d/networking/open-letter-enemies-net-neutrality-764
[4]
http://www.infoworld.com/d/data-center/google-fiber-must-succeed-198733
[5]
http://www.infoworld.com/d/data-center/challenged-google-fiber-isps-opt-hasten-their-downfall-216796
[6]
http://business.time.com/2013/09/09/landmark-verizon-net-neutrality-case-tests-open-internet-rules/
[7]
http://www.infoworld.com/d/the-industry-standard/verizons-diabolical-plan-turn-the-web-pay-view-226662?source=fssr
[8]
http://www.infoworld.com/newsletters/subscribe?showlist=infoworld_techbrief&source=ifwelg_fssr
[9]
http://www.infoworld.com/newsletters/subscribe?showlist=infoworld_data_center&source=ifwelg_fssr
[10]
http://www.infoworld.com/slideshow/120156/the-7-best-new-features-in-ios-7-227070
[11]
http://gigaom.com/2012/09/13/netflix-canada-caps-human-rights-violation/
[12]
http://www.infoworld.com/d/data-center/what-if-verizon-succeeds-in-killing-the-internet-227175?source=footer
[13] http://www.infoworld.com/?source=footer
[14]
http://www.infoworld.com/blogs/paul-venezia?source=footer
Comments
Post a Comment