| > Will there be ISPs that offer packages that we have now? (I.E bandwidth only restriction) Cynically? Market segmentation. Segment the market into sub-communities along demographic lines as well as producers and consumers. Figure out how to charge both small businesses trying to start a shopify store and the consumers who're likely to visit them. > How will ISPs decide what websites I can not visit? Will they have a whitelist/blacklist? If they don't have to treat all traffic passing through their lines equally, then they can choose to downgrade traffic from say Google unless El Goog pays up the fee. And, probably, ask you to pay up too. > Will there be ISPs that offer packages that we have now? (I.E bandwidth only restriction) To quote myself; What makes you think they won't take full advantage of the power that you've given them? Once you give them that power, do you think they won't use it to make more and more? To squeeze every last dime from your pockets? That's what they've done in the past. They've carved up territory like drug gangs to maximise profit. (Look at the maps - notice how they don't overlap? https://www.publicintegrity.org/2015/04/01/16998/us-internet... ). At the same time, they've often colluded to pass legislation that locks out competitors (https://www.theverge.com/2015/5/1/8530403/chattanooga-comcas...). And they've gotten so good at it that even the almighty El Goog couldn't break into their territory - I mean, market. What makes you think that these rent seekers won't extract their pound of flesh and then some from you and your customers? After all, past behavior is indeed predictive of future results. > I've seen good arguments both for and against net neutrality and I really don't know which would be better. When all else fails, go with enlightened self interest. Do you really want to pay some "ISP-fee" in the future to start your startup? Do you think consumers will be able to find your company or bother to do so if they have to pay $5 extra for the privilege of seeing your website? It's in everyone's enlightened self interest over here to oppose this, because in the long run it will kill the consumer internet as we know it. |