Crackdown on Heavy Internet Users
 

From today's LA Times:

"In a move intended to curb heavy users of its cell network, AT&T Inc. is phasing out its unlimited data plans for mobile phone subscribers — a move likely to be adopted by other major mobile carriers.

"The fee structure that goes into effect for new subscribers on Monday — the same day Apple Inc. is expected to unveil its new iPhone — will cap use of e-mail, Web browsing, social-network posting and streaming video under two pay plans."

The effect of this crackdown is of course to limit freedom of choice. To choose, you have to try out, and the more you have to pay to try out alternatives, the more incentive you have to stay with one provider, one distro, etc.

For example, let's say you are interested in trying out Linux. Many people recommend that you try out various versions of Linux and see which version you prefer. But if your ISP might penalize you from downloading several distros, you will have a tendency to try fewer and stay with mainstream choices.

By the way, I don't think it is a coincidence that this is happening at the same time Apple is releasing a new iPhone.

Note that when the iPad was released, newspapers immediately increased their subscription fees.

It appears that Apple is encouraging its allies to increase prices and force users to choose between which companies they want to belong to. The higher prices are, after all, the fewer choices customers can afford to make. This has the effect of driving customers away from less known alternatives and into the waiting tentacles of companies such as -- Apple and ATT.

The overall effect is to chill out and control the Internet, to drive customers in herds to more mainstream companies.

Re: Crackdown on Heavy Internet Users
 

Easy, it's a free market. Switch operators. I'm sure someone will give you a better deal for that iPhone.

Oh, wait...

Re: Crackdown on Heavy Internet Users
 

[Citation needed]

Where did subscription prices go up when the iPad went for sale? I'm still getting my Times, and no price difference there, buddy.

No, what's different is that the iPad versions are more expensive. You might first think "what the hell? they don't pay for print, ink or shipping, it should be cheaper". Then you calculate in the cost of interactive designs and features, researching new technologies, and creating new workflows, and creating an iPad version of the magazine starts to get more expensive. Throw in that publishers are wary of pricing their content too low, and you get a higher price than a print subscription.

The exact same thing happened with the Amazon-delivered Kindle version of most magazine and newspaper subscriptions, with the difference that the Kindle didn't require multimedia features embedded into newspapers. Don't forget that suddenly newspapers have to take on a whole new job. They used to keep you reading with witty headlines and insightful, thoughtful comments about [whatever]. Now they have to compete with the brainless YouTube videos.

Please stop your "OMG Apple wants to control the world" drama topic. You're trolling, again. Apple has nothing to do with the subscription fees, really. Again, look at the prices for Kindle when it originally came out. They were halved multiple times since then.

Also, how the feck do you go from AT&T killing the unlimited plan to downloading Linux to Apple controlling the internet? Go back to the mental institute mate.

Re: Crackdown on Heavy Internet Users
 

AT&T raised the price because they want more money. It's that simple. Hopefully some of that money will be used to create a better network.

The pricing on eBooks did slightly raise, but the disputes with some publishers and Amazon's Kindle probably sparked that months before the Apple iPad.

The electronic periodicals though - Wired, Wall Street Journal, USA Today and the others are just too damn high to begin with.

But this is a move on AT&T's part. Ma Bell is always out for more money. Oh... and if you have unlimited plan now, you can keep it even if you upgrade. But if you want to tether (not applicable to the iPad, only iPhone) then you have to pay more and switch to the new two-tiered, limited plans.

Just wait until Skype hits people for 3G calls in 2011 and other deals that are being worked out - Conde Nast, Hulu, O'Reilly press (rumored), MTV (rumored), Joost (rumored) and some others all come out with their increases for periodical and/or subscription based stuff changes next year or so.

It's all about making people richer.

Re: Crackdown on Heavy Internet Users
 

Am not sure in the US but we certainly have a problem with unlimited data plans as they bring in channel stickiness [still in 2.5G] and tend to screw up capacity planning on the Radio access network. Remember telcos have to meet certain SLOs set by the regulator and capacity/coverage planning play a major role in that. Revisiting these phases would add a substantial cost onto the network.

So telcos would prefer to control the TCO
a) by offering fixed usage models and
b) pricing very high on the exceeding bytes to offset users from the network.
c) Not allowing Packet calls during Peak periods

Re: Crackdown on Heavy Internet Users
 

They read TechCrunch at the mental hospital, and

" TechCrunch reports that the New York Times is raising its rates for electronic delivery. The “E-Edition” of the paper is going from $14.99 to $19.99 per month, and the Kindle version is going from $13.99 to $19.99 per month for new subscriptions and starting in 6 months for existing subscriptions. Presumably, the iPad edition will be at the same $19.99 monthly rate.

PaidContent points out that this is still less than half the cost of having the print edition delivered ($46 per month), but it’s still a hefty bump for people used to the older pricing."

Hopefully, it's all lies.

Re: Crackdown on Heavy Internet Users
 

BTW: Apparently it's not all lies. The current price for the NY Times e-edition subscription is $19.99 a month, just as TechCrunch says. Source: NYTimes.

Another BTW: According to PaidContent.org, the day the subscription price increase went into effect was April 2. The first day the iPad went on sale was April 3, according to press reports.

Re: Crackdown on Heavy Internet Users
 

It's gonna get to the point where getting truly open and usable internet service will require government provision. And governments tend to throttle the other commodity involved: information.

Re: Crackdown on Heavy Internet Users
 

Re: Crackdown on Heavy Internet Users
 

Maybe this is a bit off- off-topic, but I subscribe to the New Yorker and Atlantic Monthly on my Kindle, and the total for both subscriptions is about $5 a month or even less. Well worth it, I think. Even though the New Yorker is much nicer as a physical presence, the Kindle copies don't pile up endlessly in your living room.

Re: Crackdown on Heavy Internet Users
 

If I may play devil's advocate (and I do so on a pretty regular basis)...
Why not charge people who use the internet and draw more data than other users? Sure, while the cost of shaking electrons and sending packets is minimal, there is still the limitations of the network. And charging the end users (indeed, "the consumers") directly for the data used would be a good way to either curb certain habits, or to more fully fund the service they use.

We get charged by the watt for our electricity, we get charged by the gallon for water and fuel, and data is another resource that we should regard in the same manner. Sure, the website isn't going to run out, but it takes energy (real measurable energy) to run the networks and host the sites; maybe those who draw the most energy should pay for it.

Plus, if we moved to an incremental charge, light users would have less of a barrier to data plans, or internet access. Potentially, with the end users paying for their actual traffic, this would lead to true net neutrality, since you pay for what you use and the carriers would be less inclined to force every content provider to pay for their traffic (which would risk crippling every small homepage that gets too many "diggs").

In addition, people who write lean/economicial code would be rewarded by more people using their efficient creations instead of resource and bandwidth hogs.

Now, I do agree that there needs to be more competition in the market place. One company setting prices is going to hurt consumers enough. But charging "by-the-byte" will not be the end of the world.

Re: Crackdown on Heavy Internet Users
 

I reported your post and hope some current moderators takes action.

I am also VERY surprised to not see any warning about how you worded yourself here from moderator(s) posting in this thread as that is common when someone is abusing other members.

Re: Crackdown on Heavy Internet Users
 

Re;

CrashAndDie, my email box is filling up with complaints about this comment and similar ones elsewhere. If for no other reason, consider cutting the thing some slack. Please be more civil to other members.

We do what we can, when we can.

My plate overfloweth right now. There's no way of overstating that.

Re: Crackdown on Heavy Internet Users
 

Your PM inbox is full.

Re: Crackdown on Heavy Internet Users
 

I'm well aware of course. I'm so swamped lately that pruning it is just not an option. I do what I can, when I can.

Re: Crackdown on Heavy Internet Users
 

i agree at&t is out for cash jut iek every one else..however they cant control the market single handedly. there is waaaay too much competition for that kinda price fixing (i call it price fixing in my opinion). new tech comes out. its expensive at first but just like everything else it eventually comes down. if they do start charging for data and doing away with the unlimited it wont last long. too much comp out there.

I could see if they were a health insurance company or a petroleum copany or something where there isnt that much to compete with and the four of these companies can get together and set the bar for prices but thats not the case here. not when you have boost mobile. cricket. tmo and all the other lil guys out there just waiting to take a part of the market.

i woudln't be too concerned with this. it wont last long.


prime example i left at&t. not just for the n900 but because tmo was waaay cheaper ! when it comes down to it the "have nots" out number the haves and the majority of people will go for certain sacifices in the name of stretching the all mighty dollah dollah bill yall!

Re: Crackdown on Heavy Internet Users
 

y not just keep things as they are? its not like the cell phone carriers are barely making it and struggling like some mom and pop store. they are getting over anyway. and perhaps if they start selling service plans (i know that sounds like a radical idea) instead of getting customers based on the merits of the cell phone manufactures and the latest new gadget from apple there would be good honest competition and prices would stay reasonable. they wouldn't need to find other ways to make even more money if they just sold good service at a reasonable price. its not fair to charge people by the byte for internet service and give them no option for unlimited. have you visited the internet lately? how the heck are you suppose to track data transfer in real time or even better before you actually visit the page to keep track of your money? it would be a pain in the butt. and it would not be an enjoyable experience. what is the point in having a iphon or nokia n900 or mytouh slide if you dont have full freedom over the internet.

not to shoot down your idea though. for some it would be great. those of us who are not that data heavy probably wouldnt care. but for the rest of the world who got smart phones for there wonderful capabilities which require internet it would totally suck