I saw
this article earlier and was upset at the message it preached. It didn't seem fit to post the article because it was so heavily loaded with propaganda. After reading the news at
Digital Silence, I saw a link to
this article at g256.com which responded to the previously posted article. Cable users should read this:
Well I have a few concerns. First of all when I signed up for cable internet I signed up for "unlimited" access which in all definitions means no connection time limits nor any total bandwidth limitation. My cable internet company limits my upload bandwidth (like all cable companies) in order to prevent folks from running servers or reselling the service. I have a 1.5mbps download limit and 128kbps upload limit. Now according to my agreement I am being sold a service that if I wanted to download 1.5mbps or upload 128kbps every minute of the day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, then that is my prerogative. Now the cable companies are coming forward and telling me that I can't do that. "That's not what we intended". They are telling me that my "unlimited" service is not really unlimited. It will in fact be "limited". They claim that if I were using 1.5mbs/128kbs every minute of the day (which would be virtually impossible) that I would be "hogging" bandwidth and taking service away from my neighbors. The reality of the situation is that cable companies continue to aggressively sell cable internet services to customers to charge that $40-$50 a month bill, but they don't increase the bandwidth quick enough to compensate. I've personally been told by every cable internet service provider that I've subscribed to that they "sell more service than they can handle" and that they are always playing "catch up".
Since cable companies can not keep up with the demand that they aggressively sell, they are seeking an "out" or "excuse" to limit each customer's use without decreasing prices. They claim only 1% of their customers use most of the bandwidth, but where is the proof? They claim that these 1% are engaging in strictly software piracy. Since when did the cable internet companies become piracy police?
I agree. The internet can't simply become a service like long-distance telephone usage (which should also be stopped, and slowly is). It is not designed in such a way at all. The rest is
here.
