[45427] in North American Network Operators' Group
Re: SlashDot: "Comcast Gunning for NAT Users"
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Jim Shankland)
Fri Feb 1 11:56:00 2002
Date: Fri, 1 Feb 2002 08:59:02 -0800
Message-Id: <200202011659.IAA02808@ndk.shankland.org>
From: Jim Shankland <nanog@shankland.org>
To: David Charlap <David.Charlap@marconi.com>
Cc: nanog@merit.edu
In-Reply-To: <3C5ABC01.D7F12323@marconi.com>
Errors-To: owner-nanog-outgoing@merit.edu
David Charlap <David.Charlap@marconi.com> writes:
> It's nothing short of hubris (on the part of both Microsoft and the
> ISPs) to assume that nobody ever uses a computer for more than web
> surfing.
When TCI cable was first rolling out high-speed Internet access in the
Bay Area, they at one point without notice throttled download speeds
to 128 Kb/s per customer in Fremont. Customers hit the ceiling, and
the matter boiled over into a community meeting, where TCI explained
with a straight face that this step was necessary because customers
were "abusing" the network -- they were using it to do things like
*work from home*! The collective response from attendees might be
paraphrased as "well, duh!" TCI had to relent on this issue; but the
episode is telling as to the mindset, I think.
This also brings to mind John Perry Barlow's comment that "when these
people think interactive video means putting a 'buy this' button on
your remote control".
Jim Shankland
