Author Topic: Net Neutrality (or whatever it's called)  (Read 15294 times)

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Offline makosira

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Net Neutrality (or whatever it's called)
« on: April 17, 2008, 11:12:09 pm »
***I copied and pasted this all from a topic on Scorehero, and this came from the MLG forums***
*****Also, any famous youtubers or bloggers or anything, please spread this if you care. Maybe just post a one minute video telling people about it and put a link to sign the petition in the "More Info" section.*****

For those who don't feel like reading everything related to net neutrality, here's some information regarding an aspect of it you may be interested in: online gaming.

Per the ECA
"Without Net Neutrality, your Internet Service Provider is free to charge you extra for playing World of Warcraft, to interfere with Xbox Live, or to completely shut off your ability to access your favorite Web sites. Net Neutrality affects your entire online experience!"


Per Ramp Rate
"What will be murdered with no fallback or replacement is the nascent market of interactive entertainment ? particularly online gaming. Companies like Blizzard Entertainment, Electronic Arts, Sony Online Entertainment, and countless others, have built a business on the fundamental assumption of relatively low latency bandwidth being available to large numbers of consumers. Furthermore, a large - even overwhelming - portion of the value of these offerings comes from their "network effects" - the tendency for the game to become more enjoyable and valuable as larger number of players joins the gaming network."

"With the permanent barriers that the removal of net neutrality will erect for these uses, the worst-case scenario includes three waves of change:

* One or more mainstream ISPs will introduce excessive lag that will effectively prohibit their users from participating in online games. The move will not be aimed at restricting usage per se, but rather to extract a fee from the game operator. However, as the Cablevision and YES dispute of 2002 showed us4, a fee disagreement between a cable company and content provider can effectively lock out the use of a popular service for over a year;

* As online gaming guilds, clans, and partners disappear into the rifts created in the Internet fabric, players that derive value from the community of the game rather than the playing experience per se will drop off. This vicious cycle of scarcity of users will lead to diminished enjoyment for existing users which will lead to still fewer users, until more games follow Asheron's Call to oblivion;
* Hardcore users will write strongly worded messages to their ISPs, who will classify them as
unreasonable malcontents using more than their share of bandwidth."

"For those who think this cannot happen, here's a recent example: For years before the Web as we know it existed, Usenet was a core part of the Internet landscape. It was a factory for online discussion, exchange of ideas, and, ultimately, one of the better bulletin boards for content of all shapes and forms. However, as the Internet became mainstream, Usenet users were marginalized (typically with "cease and desist" letters citing excessive use of "unlimited" internet packages). Their Usenet services were then unceremoniously dumped by their providers (AOL and Comcast being two of the more notorious)."

"Where there was a substitute for Usenet through services such as Google or BitTorrent, there is no close substitute for online gaming. Killing off these blossoming networks, with their own economies (potentially taxable when converted into real-world cash, would result in drastic, irreparable harm to consumers, technology developers, the economy and tax revenue - and even the ISPs themselves."
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Offline makosira

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Re: Net Neutrality (or whatever it's called)
« Reply #1 on: April 17, 2008, 11:12:35 pm »
Net Neutrality and You (Must Read)

Per Wikipedia, network neutrality (equivalently net neutrality, Internet neutrality or simply NN) refers to a principle that is applied to residential broadband networks, and potentially to all networks. Precise definitions vary, but a broadband network free of restrictions on the kinds of equipment that may be attached, on the modes of communication allowed, which does not restrict content, sites or platforms, and where communication is not unreasonably degraded by other communication streams, would be considered neutral by most observers.

To be more clear on the matter, per Save the Internet net neutrality means no discrimination. Net Neutrality prevents Internet providers from speeding up or slowing down Web content based on its source, ownership or destination. Net Neutrality is the reason why the Internet has driven economic innovation, democratic participation, and free speech online. It protects the consumer's right to use any equipment, content, application or service on a non-discriminatory basis without interference from the network provider. With Net Neutrality, the network's only job is to move data -- not choose which data to privilege with higher quality service.

This is an issue for everyone involved with any aspect related to the internet. It directly influences the gaming world as well the general surfing world. In regards to who is trying to strip us of this principle, per Save the Internet the nation's largest telephone and cable companies -- including AT&T, Verizon, Comcast and Time Warner -- want to be Internet gatekeepers, deciding which Web sites go fast or slow and which won't load at all. They want to tax content providers to guarantee speedy delivery of their data. They want to discriminate in favor of their own search engines, Internet phone services, and streaming video -- while slowing down or blocking their competitors. These companies have a new vision for the Internet. Instead of an even playing field, they want to reserve express lanes for their own content and services -- or those from big corporations that can afford the steep tolls -- and leave the rest of us on a winding dirt road. The big phone and cable companies are spending hundreds of millions of dollars lobbying Congress and the Federal Communications Commission to gut Net Neutrality, putting the future of the Internet at risk.

Since current cable companies are currently receiving no mislawful consequences for violating this principle, I personally have been experiencing the effects of it because I am a Comcast customer. As some may know, I am an active poster in the Anime/Manga Discussion thread of the OT. As such, I was informed of and have been using mIRC to download fansubbed episodes for both myself and my wife to watch. However, in the past month or so, Comcast has been killing my connection as I download via mIRC. I reach speeds, on average, of around 300-700 kb/s. At around, on average, 10-25% of the download Comcast cuts my connection for a period of 30 minutes. A simple reset of my connection via restarting my computer fixes the problem. However, it's consistent and happens 9/10 when I try to download via mIRC.

Please help fight the telephone and cable companies trying to removal this principle by signing the
Save the Internet Petition. Don't let them take away our complete internet freedom.


Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_neutrality
http://www.savetheinternet.com/
http://www.freepress.net/files/nn_fact_v_fiction_final.pdf
http://gamepolitics.com/2008/03/04/comcast-packs-net-neutrality-hearing-with-paid-ringers/
http://www.ramprate.com/marketcommentary/neutrality.php

(Would be helpful if I knew how to hyperlink, but I don't...)
« Last Edit: April 18, 2008, 04:31:57 pm by makosira »
360 Live Gamertag: SulkiestSun

Someone had already taken makosira and sira... Who the heck uses 'makosira' besides me? o_O

slipknot0129

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Re: Net Neutrality (or whatever it's called)
« Reply #2 on: April 18, 2008, 01:52:28 pm »
i dont have to worry about it since my internet is the best.

Offline Rislone

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Re: Net Neutrality (or whatever it's called)
« Reply #3 on: April 18, 2008, 04:02:12 pm »
i dont have to worry about it since my internet is the best.

I think you fail to recognize what this means. Telecom industries want to charge more because network users are using their lines to transmit info and they don't get more out of it then they want. If this comes to pass then that means no matter what ISP you use your going to get the bad end of the stick.
GT: Eighty8keyes Haloez and anything else I might be playing.

SkizsM420

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Re: Net Neutrality (or whatever it's called)
« Reply #4 on: April 18, 2008, 04:04:06 pm »
Wow Mako, that's a lot of useful info.  Well put man.

Offline makosira

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Re: Net Neutrality (or whatever it's called)
« Reply #5 on: April 18, 2008, 04:29:48 pm »
Wow Mako, that's a lot of useful info.  Well put man.

I was just wandering along the Scorehero forums at the time, and at first I didn't read it fully and skimmed it because I didn't think anything of it, but seeing replies to it caused me to go back and /really/ read it. Thought that since this is a pure gaming forum for any kind, and alot of people use the internet for the use of gaming, that this would be quite important to spread word about. :) I think I'm going to go figure a way to get the file link posted here.

Edit: The freepress.net file link is now up, and it works. Take a look at that too.
« Last Edit: April 18, 2008, 04:32:41 pm by makosira »
360 Live Gamertag: SulkiestSun

Someone had already taken makosira and sira... Who the heck uses 'makosira' besides me? o_O

slipknot0129

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Re: Net Neutrality (or whatever it's called)
« Reply #6 on: April 18, 2008, 11:20:28 pm »
i dont have to worry about it since my internet is the best.

I think you fail to recognize what this means. Telecom industries want to charge more because network users are using their lines to transmit info and they don't get more out of it then they want. If this comes to pass then that means no matter what ISP you use your going to get the bad end of the stick.
my internet isnt with a telecom or a middle man that why mine is the best.

Offline TH3 R3LIGION

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Re: Net Neutrality (or whatever it's called)
« Reply #7 on: April 19, 2008, 01:37:36 am »
i dont have to worry about it since my internet is the best.

I think you fail to recognize what this means. Telecom industries want to charge more because network users are using their lines to transmit info and they don't get more out of it then they want. If this comes to pass then that means no matter what ISP you use your going to get the bad end of the stick.
my internet isnt with a telecom or a middle man that why mine is the best.


You are just flat out a complete and total idiot i wish you would stop posting
« Last Edit: April 19, 2008, 01:40:09 am by TH3 R3LIGION »
DO NOT SEND ME A FR UNLESS I KNOW YOU PERSONALLY

SEMI-PROS ARE HORRIBAD

DarkWraith56

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Re: Net Neutrality (or whatever it's called)
« Reply #8 on: April 19, 2008, 01:39:11 am »
i dont have to worry about it since my internet is the best.

I think you fail to recognize what this means. Telecom industries want to charge more because network users are using their lines to transmit info and they don't get more out of it then they want. If this comes to pass then that means no matter what ISP you use your going to get the bad end of the stick.
my internet isnt with a telecom or a middle man that why mine is the best.

YEAH buddy unless you create your own internet then there is no way that this cant happen to you this can happen to anyone all they have to do is limit your bandwidth there you go trust me, and what is your ISP and i bet i can point out every flaw that they have trust me there is not good ISP in the US compared to those in europe and some parts of asia....

slipknot0129

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Re: Net Neutrality (or whatever it's called)
« Reply #9 on: April 19, 2008, 09:46:01 pm »
i got fiber optic 20mb up 20mb down.

Offline makosira

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Re: Net Neutrality (or whatever it's called)
« Reply #10 on: April 19, 2008, 09:57:39 pm »
i got fiber optic 20mb up 20mb down.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand you still don't quite understand this, do you?
360 Live Gamertag: SulkiestSun

Someone had already taken makosira and sira... Who the heck uses 'makosira' besides me? o_O

slipknot0129

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Re: Net Neutrality (or whatever it's called)
« Reply #11 on: April 19, 2008, 10:00:50 pm »
i guess im the only one safe from them slowing down your downloads.

Offline makosira

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Re: Net Neutrality (or whatever it's called)
« Reply #12 on: April 19, 2008, 10:45:01 pm »
i guess im the only one safe from them slowing down your downloads.

Yeah, you don't understand this.
360 Live Gamertag: SulkiestSun

Someone had already taken makosira and sira... Who the heck uses 'makosira' besides me? o_O

SkizsM420

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Re: Net Neutrality (or whatever it's called)
« Reply #13 on: April 19, 2008, 11:55:33 pm »
i guess im the only one safe from them slowing down your downloads.

Who do you pay for your internet?

DarkWraith56

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Re: Net Neutrality (or whatever it's called)
« Reply #14 on: April 20, 2008, 01:24:46 am »
i guess im the only one safe from them slowing down your downloads.


WOW you do not understand how netowrking works nor have you read this and i know that for a fact because i know that your not smart enough to create your own internet and even if you do have fiber optics running through your house ( talking about 100s of dollars worth of work) it doesnt even matter if you have what you have they can still limit your connection with ease...so please just shut up

kthxbai