Cable/dsl Users-isp's Mad

[ShockAndAwe^i^]

Their thinking about you guys!
Reuters:
File-sharing junkies, the scourge of media companies everywhere, have become a headache for Internet service providers too.
The proliferation of high-speed Internet access has created an explosion in file trading, an activity that hogs bandwidth and racks up big network costs for access providers.

Major music labels and Hollywood blame the emergence of file-sharing networks such as Grokster and Kazaa for opening up a black market for copyrighted materials that's eating into their business.
Now ISPs say that as much as 60 percent of data traffic zipping around their networks is in the form of large music, movies and software files. For a large...more>
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1103_2-1009456.html

[Zuggalo]

Good read.

[Rat Faced]

The server, which operates on Linux software, largely confines file-sharing activities to customers within the same ISP, resulting in big potential cost savings.

ISPs tend to rack up high bandwidth costs when a customer trades files with a customer at an outside ISP. The costs escalate further when a person in one country trades a file with someone in another country.

"That's probably where the bulk of the cost is,'' said Fergal Butler, Internet technical consultant for U.K. cable company/ISP Telewest, referring to the longer-distance connections. "That's what you have to keep under control.''

I wonder if THIS explains why some of us have had a drastic drop in speed lately.

Time to find a new ISP............Telewest is mine

[SuperJude™]

Interesting. I had always wondered how this worked with ISP's, since p2p users will most obvioulsy be taking up more bandwidth than say your regular average aol user who only checks email, surfs the web and chat.

whatever, thus far Road Runner has not killed me, though they capped me at 275kbs down. Bastards....

-SJ™

[Switeck]

The whole concept of "bandwidth hog" is a loaded term, because ISPs get to set the goalposts for who is and who isn't one.

Like those on 1mbps cable being told they're limited to 1 GB/day bandwidth useage.

1mbps=128KB/sec=7,680KB/min=460,800KB/hour=11,059,200KB/day=10,800MB/day=10.55 GB/day

So you get labeled a 'bandwidth hog' for using 1/10th of your connection's speed over 1 day!

I can sympathize with them wanting to lower their costs, but to offer a 24/7 service at a rated speed and then ATTACKING their customers (threating to disconnect the/charging them extra for 'excessive useage'/throttling their line due to overuse) for using 10% of that speed is NOT the way to get MY business!

It should be considered ILLEGAL BUSINESS PRACTICES, plain and simple...
Even if they do 'clarify' their restrictions in small print, then any advertisements (which don't) are blatant lies.

[ShockAndAwe^i^]

Really
Your right!
They sell their fast connection to you and then don't want you to use it?
C'mon.

[ScotchGuy]

Yeah especially when the people who have it spend mucho money to get the service, and now they don't want them to use it to it's full capabilities!

[Jibbler]

Originally posted by Switeck@26 May 2003 - 19:16
The whole concept of "bandwidth hog" is a loaded term, because ISPs get to set the goalposts for who is and who isn't one.

This is very true. However, I don't think there is an ISP out there that is willing to part with the filesharing customers, and keep only those with legitimate needs. Personally, my business is very important to me, and no one should question it. Not the ISP, not the government, and most certainly not the RIAA/MPAA. Too bad my business is sharing files. B)