Comcast-Time Warner Merger

[hardblue.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but some of us like Internet porn.

Comments

[badlydrawnjeff.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I know one guy can do some traceroutes and he thinks he then understands how the traffic works on the other end, but this reads like a lot of low-evidence theorizing.

[lafinjack.livejournal.com]

lol ok

[yes-justice.livejournal.com]

But, that is the tool you would use to gather such evidence.

[badlydrawnjeff.livejournal.com]

If you had access to all areas, yes. He doesn't. And neither does random customer service rep.

[yes-justice.livejournal.com]

The consumer's approach is solid with what tools he has. Discover a slow down, trace it, then ask the provider. Not sure what better report he could have made. And the provider told him flat out "yes", after they were caught though, could have been ignorance.

The providers are admitting they are doing so and patenting algorithms (https://torrentfreak.com/att-develops-credits-system-to-limit-file-sharing-bandwidth-140129/) for throttling and such, clearly its going that direction.

[badlydrawnjeff.livejournal.com]

It's a good approach from the consumer end, yes. It tells us nothing about the parts of the traffic he can't see.

And the provider told him flat out "yes", after they were caught though, could have been ignorance.

There is no way a random customer service rep knows this. You know this, right? He doesn't have access to the backend data either.

The providers are admitting they are doing so and patenting algorithms for throttling and such, clearly its going that direction.

The providers can do it, there's just nothing to indicate that they are at this time.

[mylaptopisevil.livejournal.com]

here is no way a random customer service rep knows this.

Why wouldn't customer service reps know when certain [popular] sites are having their data throttled on their networks, if enough customers are asking about it?

[badlydrawnjeff.livejournal.com]

That's not information they'd want to have customer service people screw up. You know, like this guy did.

[mylaptopisevil.livejournal.com]

How did the customer service person screw something up?

[badlydrawnjeff.livejournal.com]

By talking about something he had no idea about, making a claim we know at this point isn't the case.

[lafinjack.livejournal.com]

...we know at this point isn't the case.

What evidence do you have for this claim?

[badlydrawnjeff.livejournal.com]

That there has been no documented case of it happening.

[mylaptopisevil.livejournal.com]

Why wouldn't customer service know about it?

[badlydrawnjeff.livejournal.com]

Not going in circles, this has been answered.

[lafinjack.livejournal.com]

There is no way a random customer service rep knows this. You know this, right? He doesn't have access to the backend data either.

It's legal, why wouldn't they admit it?


The providers can do it, there's just nothing to indicate that they are at this time.

You yourself said you personally have problems accessing Netflix and nothing but Netflix for some long period of time. But I guess your own experiences aren't evidence of anything.

[badlydrawnjeff.livejournal.com]

It's legal, why wouldn't they admit it?

The consumers are idiots, mostly.

You yourself said you personally have problems accessing Netflix and nothing but Netflix for some long period of time. But I guess your own experiences aren't evidence of anything.

That's correct, anecdote is not data. And no, not "nothing but Netflix." FIOS has had issues with Spotify and YouTube as well, but it's not an issue of neutrality, but one of network consistency.

[lafinjack.livejournal.com]

The consumers are idiots, mostly.

That makes it untrue?


That's correct, anecdote is not data.

But the mass plural of anecdote is data. Which you either refuse to look at, or, if you have, refuse to acknowledge.


FIOS has had issues with Spotify and YouTube as well...

Well then, that proves your case! Wait, no it doesn't. If it were proven that Verizon limits speeds to high-bandwidth services like Netflix, why wouldn't Verizon also limit other high-bandwidth services?

[badlydrawnjeff.livejournal.com]

That makes it untrue?

in part for this sort of response, yes.

But the mass plural of anecdote is data. Which you either refuse to look at, or, if you have, refuse to acknowledge.

True. There isn't really anything in the way of data to see, though.

Well then, that proves your case! Wait, no it doesn't. If it were proven that Verizon limits speeds to high-bandwidth services like Netflix, why wouldn't Verizon also limit other high-bandwidth services?

The most likely scenario is that it's not Verizon limiting anything, but that certain carriers simply have a harder time communicating with the Verizon network for any number of reasons.

[lafinjack.livejournal.com]

Why is that most likely?

[yes-justice.livejournal.com]

There is no way a random customer service rep knows this. You know this, right? He doesn't have access to the backend data either.

Provider customer support must field calls like this all day. I bet they have more insight than do consumers. Or I would if I worked there! ;-)

You don't need complete transparency to determine where a delay occurs though, IP is cool like that.

But to know why its happening would take some insight, I agree.


there's just nothing to indicate that they are at this time.

Throttling is standard operating procedure for good or ill. Companies see the throttling techniques themselves as intellectual property (http://www.google.com/patents/US20140010082). The questions are more why and how. Again, companies are patenting technologies to more intelligently and effectively throttle based on a variety of situations. I'm thinking its part of the business model of all providers.

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[lafinjack.livejournal.com]

[/whoops, just refreshed, now I have much to read]

[yes-justice.livejournal.com]

Looked like throttling to me.

[badlydrawnjeff.livejournal.com]

Those sorts of techniques are important to have handy in order to combat rogue operations and attacks and such. It's not always sinister.

[yes-justice.livejournal.com]

Indeed. But if they were throttling netflix, how would it look different?

[badlydrawnjeff.livejournal.com]

It probably wouldn't look much different, but that's why being smart instead of fearful is important.