AT&T vs Net Neutrality,, They are trying to kill the internet.

[annabanana]

Time Warner recently gave up an attempt to establish two-tier charging for internet access. Apparently people objected loudly enough for them to pull back.

AT&T didn't get the memo. They are running programs in Reno, NV and Beaumont, TX tht are charging more for users who watch more video content, etc. They are not telling people what they're doing.

Down the road: better, faster access to "accepted content".. Smaller sites load slower etc..

The internet would become just another version of cable TV..

Why isn't AT&T getting more heat for this?

http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/137801/cable_giants_continue_hoping_no_one_will_notice_their_attempts_to_destroy_the_internet/
Despite Time Warner's epic fail with metered billing, AT&T has refused to abandon its usage caps program -- and the AT&T version is even worse.

Last week, a full-on customer revolt forced Time Warner to cease their metered billing program — a system in which Internet users sign up for differently priced broadband plans and pay extra if they exceed their bandwidth limits. The plan was an infuriating inconvenience (e.g. rip—off) premised on the ethical business concept that you can arbitrarily jack up prices on a product if a heavily-monopolized marketplace leaves customers with little in the way of consumer choice.



Seems like a sweet idea. Except that Time Warner customers, media reform groups and tech bloggers inundated both government Representatives and the company with complaints. Soon, members of Congress were winning easy points by vocally criticizing Time Warner. On April 15th, CEO Glenn Britt announced that the company was dropping metered billing.



Anyway, not having learned anything from Time Warner’s epic fail, AT & T continues to maintain metered billing in Reno, Nev., and in Beaumont, Texas., which signals the cable giant's hopes that the infuriating, universally despised program might just work for them. Except that AT&T risks becoming even more hateable than Time Warner.

[geckosfeet]

1. They try to turn us against ourselves by asking "shouldn't people who

use more bandwidth pay more" - to which I say - no - people who use less should pay less.

The fact is that their infrastructure is paid for many times over. When they make better use of the tremendous bandwidth capacity of the fiber that is already in the ground they will be laughing all the way to the bank.

[AndyA]

2. AT&T ranks right up there with the very worst of American companies.

Enron. Worldcom. AIG. ExxonMobil. AT&T.

They do not care about their customers, the planet, laws, or anything else. AT&T was broken up once because they got too big, now they need to be broken up again. Permanently.

We've all seen what happens when companies get too big. AT&T is too big.

[annabanana]

3. AT&T is just Ma Bell with no regulations . . .

Maybe there ought to be a "nationalization trigger". . Some line of "you are not allowed to become too big to fail"

[timtom]

7. And their "customer service" rivals that of the tea party

in Alice in Wonderland.

Organizationally, a total nightmare!!

[buzzycrumbhunger]

4. I'd like to know how they got hooked up with Apple. . .

I have not been able to get the iPhone I covet because I refuse to switch to AT&T, which contributes to many political things I don't agree with--and I would have thought Apple didn't, either. I saw the other day that they are fighting hard to get Apple to extend their exclusive contract after 2010, so I took the opportunity to email Apple and bitch about this and tell them I hope to hell they decide to open up the iPhone to other carriers. (You'd think they'd be all for that, seeing as how it would clinch the market, wouldn't you?)

Prolly wouldn't hurt if everyone else who gives a fuck would write to them, too. As someone who's been exclusively a Mac user since my little Classic in 1985 (out in the garage, but the little bugger still works), you'd think they'd cultivate my good will. Well, at least the good will of everyone they could be selling phones to but haven't because they chose a crappy partner.

(Yes, I know I could get one anyway and hack it, but I'm a purist--and have learned a couple times how great that AppleCare warranty can be, so wouldn't want to mess that up.)

[ellie]

6. Me too!

I want an iPhone so bad, but I will NEVER give AT&T my business. I hate them with the red hot intensity of a thousand suns.

[Auggie]

5. Time Warner will be back. Stay vigilant.

Time Warner, AT&T, Comcast... they all smell big money.