End of internet as we know it 2012?

[mrgnome]

I just found out internet activists are worried about leaked information about ISPs planning on restricting free internet access, and opting a "pay per klick" type of service. This would enable them to control the "dangerous" free movement of information between people, and of cource would make them make and media companies more money since noone will care about wathing TV at that time.

I just wrote a story about this in my blog mrgnome.pcriot.com, please read it and look at the video.

Thank You
MrGnome

[Spartan Erik]

Not too worried, as ISPs that don't restrict access will become more competitive.

What I'm more worried about is the poor infrastructure the internet is built on. With all the data going through the pipes it's no wonder it hasn't sprung a major leak yet

[Hazirak]

Not too worried, as ISPs that don't restrict access will become more competitive.

Feel free to prove me wrong, but... I think you're assuming that everyone has a choice over who their ISP is. Thing is, I know many people in the US who would grab another ISP if they could without a second thought, but Comcast happens to be the only broadband provider in the area. There simply isn't another option other than POTS, which for many simply isn't acceptable. Then you've got Verizon who offers fiber optic internet service... and is only too happy to dig up the copper they're forced to share while they lay the fiber that they don't have to share.

Of course, saying the year 2012 may be a bit extreme - different incarnations of this are already being implemented. Might seem insignificant or even borderline noble, but this could very well just be them "testing the waters" for future ventures. Wouldn't be the first time.

[CruveniumGX4]

Hmm, I was thinking.

Technology is so advanced, and almost prices for everything are going up too. Do you think the Internet could live till 2012? By that time, it's most likely filled with viruses, spam, I just can't imagine.

The world. Might be ending soon, in a few year. Imagine resources used up so much, in a day. Prices for rice, petrol, oil are going up. Can you imagine, maybe in 2010 the prices for rice are 3x? Just can't think of it. Live life to it's fullest, and don't think too much, or you'll be like me, lol.

[marshian]

Let's not talk about the end of the world and continue to the discussion about the end of the internet...
@Hazirak:
You have a great point there, many people can't choose what their isp is, just because it's the only one around... But if you think about it, that makes them vulnerable! Imagine they start with a lot of things their users don't like (pay per click for example). Suddenly, a large part of their customers see their internet bills go up, let's say they double.
Now you assume the poor customers are stuck with their doubled bills and can't do anything about it... but that's wrong... Sooner or later, a person will notice that there's a lot of people paying a lot for their internet and want to change isp's... What do you do if you're in that situation (and have quite some money)? You found a new isp! Don't use the stuff your users don't like (pay per click in this example) and make sure your price is lower then what they're paying now (which is twice the normal amount). This new isp could ask 1.5 times the normal amount of money for their services, and still have a lot of users!

Of course, this would trigger a battle between the old and the new isp, causing their prices to go down overtime, but you've got some margin there...


- Marshian

[Hazirak]

You have a great point there, many people can't choose what their isp is, just because it's the only one around... But if you think about it, that makes them vulnerable! Imagine they start with a lot of things their users don't like (pay per click for example). Suddenly, a large part of their customers see their internet bills go up, let's say they double.

Now you assume the poor customers are stuck with their doubled bills and can't do anything about it... but that's wrong... Sooner or later, a person will notice that there's a lot of people paying a lot for their internet and want to change isp's... What do you do if you're in that situation (and have quite some money)? You found a new isp! Don't use the stuff your users don't like (pay per click in this example) and make sure your price is lower then what they're paying now (which is twice the normal amount). This new isp could ask 1.5 times the normal amount of money for their services, and still have a lot of users!

Of course, this would trigger a battle between the old and the new isp, causing their prices to go down overtime, but you've got some margin there...

While it does make them more vulnerable, you have to acknowledge that companies like Comcast are consistently rated average at best by their customers and horrible at worst... but they have yet to lose their monopoly position in areas where they hold it. It's easier for them to buy up any competition rather than actually compete against them, and so far the competition they've had was more willing to sell out to them than compete. If you don't sell out and they want you gone badly enough, they have the resources to hold their prices below average points longer than you can. The average consumer has shown that they will push morals and long-term interests aside for a better price now, especially Joe Average who knows little to nothing about computers aside from they 'just work' and might not know about the long-term effects to begin with.

[Smith6612]

The internet most likely isn't going to end in 2012. It's become too important to people already to even lose it. As for ISPs in my area, right now it's Verizon DSL (soon to be FiOS), Verizon Wireless, AT&t Wireless, Sprint Wireless, Time Warner's Roadrunner, and Frontier (which I'm two miles away from their small service area). There's also a few local ISPs in my area such as Wizard Communications (which is dial-up), and then because I'm right by two major cities, there are Tier 1 ISPs like Level 3 and Cogent who would consider my location an On Network location because they have loads of fiber optic links coming into the two nearby cities, and I can get a Wal-Mart like deal on bandwidth from them if I needed to. So really, I'm quite covered

[tnl2k7]

Following on from what Spartan Erik said, the Internet is, in my opinion, built on a pretty bad infrastructure. It was never intended for such widespread usage, which has lead to it becoming really inefficient. The old copper phone lines were never set up to cope with the immense about of stress they're under.

The Internet was of course just there to allow basic text and maybe a few graphics to be transferred within a few limited people. Now there's hundreds of protocols, billions of people and unimaginable amounts of data being carried by an old network, which really could do with modernising. DNS could be improved by the right people, phone companies could, over time, upgrade the copper lines with fibre optics....it could be improved beyond compare.

Back on topic I must agree; censorship is a massive issue which needs to be monitored. Dictatorships are dangerous, and put lives at risk. Information is restricted, and a few people have control over the news and everything. The Internet is a prime example of how freedom of speech is important.

I really don't see how ISPs can make it if they do start restricting access though, unless it's enforced. I'd say this is something that needs to be monitored, but I wouldn't expect it any time soon.

-Luke.

[frankfriend]

I doubt that the Internet is about to end, but I do not doubt that the forces of restriction will try to shackle it, probably calling the process liberalisation. The forces of darkness are casting huge shadows over so many areas of life, with the massive growth of jobsworth puny wretches cutting our freedoms on all fronts. So the Internat is a prime target!

[kkenny]

Feel free to prove me wrong, but... I think you're assuming that everyone has a choice over who their ISP is. Thing is, I know many people in the US who would grab another ISP if they could without a second thought, but Comcast happens to be the only broadband provider in the area. There simply isn't another option other than POTS, which for many simply isn't acceptable. Then you've got Verizon who offers fiber optic internet service... and is only too happy to dig up the copper they're forced to share while they lay the fiber that they don't have to share.

Of course, saying the year 2012 may be a bit extreme - different incarnations of this are already being implemented. Might seem insignificant or even borderline noble, but this could very well just be them "testing the waters" for future ventures. Wouldn't be the first time.

As for my area, AT&T and Comcast are two separated supposedly big competing companies. I have AT&T but it's crap according to speedtest.net compared to Comcast. I'm not sure why I don't have Comcast yet, but I wish I did.