Slight Problem for the Digital Download theory: {at least here in Canada}

[jadedeath]

Just got a letter the other day from my service provider {Rogers}

Apparently in order to crack down on dirty downloaders Rogers is instituting a cap on usage depending on what your plan involves.

My current cap for Express {which is the medium level} is 60 GB per month.

I'll let the HD-DVD fans argue over the amount of movies that you can download for that, because I'm not stupid enough to pay $2 per GB more than that cap.

Logan

[dialog_gvf]

The caps appear and disappear, and have gone up and up over time. But, as you discovered, while they are immensely generous for many uses, they are quickly used up for video downloads.

It's a simple idea: The ISPs don't think that 95% of users should have to pay to support the bandwidth used by 5% of users.

But, give them a piece of the action, and I'm sure they'd open the pipe.

Gary

[Anthony P]

The caps appear and disappear, and have gone up and up over time. But, as you discovered, while they are immensely generous for many uses, they are quickly used up for video downloads.

It's a simple idea: The ISPs don't think that 95% of users should have to pay to support the bandwidth used by 5% of users.

But, give them a piece of the action, and I'm sure they'd open the pipe

no, the issue (and why ,as you put it, it changes over time) is that the BW is not there. So Telco's need to build up what they can offer, and like everything in life it is on the backs of early adopters. So either people (the top 5% as you put it) limit their usage and so BW requirements go down or they don't and help pay for the upgrades. But the important point, is that if their network is barely capable for the top 5% what happens when the other 95% join them?


But, give them a piece of the action, and I'm sure they'd open the pipe[/quote]

no, the issue (and why,as you put it, it changes over toime) is that the BW is not there. So Telco's need to build up what they can offer, and like evrything in life it is on the backs of early adopters. So either people (the top 5% as you puit it) limit their usage and so BW requirements go down or they don't and help pay for the upgrades. But the important point, is that if their network is barely capable for the top 5% what happens when the other 95% join them?

[space2001]

This whole thing of 5% is bull crap. maybe 5 years ago I would say yeah.

It has to do with rogers not upgrading there system but adding more customers to lines that can't handle the load. My friend works for a fiber company, they get contracted by rogers. The line are overloaded with customers. that is why they implemented the cap. so they can make sure people have constant speeds.

[Neo65]

The $2/GB from Rogers is supposed to start in April. This is a problem for me as my peak usage in December was almost 200GB.

Their 95GB max/month for their top end extreme/extreme+ plan is also too low. If they don't have a reasonable solution for me, I'll have to look at other alternatives.

[Anthony P]

It has to do with rogers not upgrading there system but adding more customers to lines that can't handle the load. My friend works for a fiber company, they get contracted by rogers. The line are overloaded with customers. that is why they implemented the cap. so they can make sure people have constant speeds.

obviously, but it is still the 5% (or 10% or 15% or what ever the real number is, people>>60GB/month). You can have (not all atr the same time) 100 people that do 2GB/month for one person that does 200GB/month. It is not just Rogers, it is everyone, Videotron here has limits, Bell has limits… they all do it. Demand is growing much faster then the “infrastructure” companies can upgrade.

[dialog_gvf]

Originally Posted by Anthony P

But the important point, is that if their network is barely capable for the top 5% what happens when the other 95% join them?

A piece of the action is a carrot to entice the ISPs to boost BW to support downloads, or risk losing customers as they change to the networks that will take the money and open the pipe.

While a piece of each download sale is not available to the ISP, there is no incentive to any of them to increase the BW.

Gary

[dialog_gvf]

Originally Posted by Neo65

The $2/GB from Rogers is supposed to start in April. This is a problem for me as my peak usage in December was almost 200GB.

Their 95GB max/month for their top end extreme/extreme+ plan is also too low. If they don't have a reasonable solution for me, I'll have to look at other alternatives.

What are you doing to move 200GB in a month?

[Anthony P]

A piece of the action is a carrot to entice the ISPs to boost BW to support downloads, or risk losing customers as they change to the networks that will take the money and open the pipe.

While a piece of each download sale is not available to the ISP, there is no incentive to any of them to increase the BW.

I don't think they should be vilified. The ISPs (well the ones that own the cables, because an ISP can be a reseller) are upgrading, but it can't happen over night and BW needs increase a lot every day, be it illegal uses like DL movies over bittorent or legal ones like VOIP or streaming free video. A bit under a year ago I got him a webcam, every day he uses it with two three people as long-distance meetings with friends in Greece and other parts of NA. Late last year some of his friends showed him that he can get the Greek news from the websites of the Greek TV stations, he does that for several stations everyday. This is my dad who is in his 70's. I am sure most people (if not everyone) uses a lot more BW then they used to a year ago. Even such simple stuff as using a phone card or one of those 1010 numbers are VOIP once you get past the initial hop

[Anthony P]

What are you doing to move 200GB in a month?

lol, I thought of asking the same thing, then I thought "might be better off not knowing"