December 16, 2010, 11:22 AM — More reasons it's a bad idea to rely on the FCC for solutions to problems in broadband development and net neutrality issues that pit telcos against the customers they're supposed to serve.
The FCC appears to be leaning heavily toward the telecom companies' plans for a tiered structure that lets carriers charge what you pay now for the most basic service (which they can then degrade or fail to improve because it's just the "basic" service) and charge through the nose for higher bandwidth or better quality of service.
It's a convenient, profitable, evolutionary plan -- for carriers and regulators. For the rest of us it's a way to learn how a gutted fish feels.
U.S. Telecom Prices Among the World’s Highest, Study Shows
Cisco Releases New Broadband Rankings: U.S. and Canada Not in the Top 10, Qatar Is
Cisco’s study found North America is in peril of falling even further behind because providers are trying to incrementally upgrade inferior, obsolete copper-wire phone networks on the cheap instead of replacing them. As long as providers in the United States and Canada maintain a Dollar Store-mentality towards broadband improvement, both countries will increasingly fall further and further behind countries many Americans couldn’t find on a map.
FCC: Most U.S. Broadband Connections Are Slower Than Carriers Promised
- 68% Of U.S. Connections Slower than 3 Mbps Down, 768kbps Up
- Critics say FCC reports still gloss over competitive shortcomings
U.S. ranks 25th In the World in Average Internet Speeds
Fourth annual survey shows U.S. has not made significant improvement in the speeds at which residents connect to the Internet(PDF)
... At this rate [of improvement] it will take the United States 60 years to catch up with current Internet speeds in South Korea. >
The FCC has a plan:
- FCC’s ‘Net neutrality’ plan would permit super-tiers, network traffic throttling
- FCC net neutrality plan gets picked apart from all sides
- Net Neutrality End Run
- The FCC tells Congress to get lost
- Head of consumer group takes on FCC's net neutrality plan
- Advocates Lobby For Stronger FCC Net Neutrality Plan -- Writers, Consumers Union, Free Press
- Two Million Americans Demand Real Net Neutrality, Not What’s Currently On Offer
- HP – “Smart Shoppers” Prefer Internet Overcharging Schemes: Metering Is Good for You!
Net neutrality and Next-gen 911 on FCC’s Dec. 21 Agenda
Kevin Fogarty writes about enterprise IT for ITworld. Follow him on Twitter @KevinFogarty.
