[LandoCalrissian]

It's completely crazy and just blatant extortion on Comcast's part.

The current system is pretty straight forward.

Level 3: Server(Who Level 3 Charges) -> Level 3 -> Comcast -> End User

Comcast: End User(Who Comcast Charges) -> Comcast -> Level 3 -> Server

Now Comcast wants to charge everyone in the chain that isn't them. They are attempting to do this by degrading (or at the very least not upgrading) their services for their customer.

The techno-libertarians that try to defend this nonsense are going to sink the whole ship and make every pay to receive even less.

[erichocean]

Ahem. "Techno-libertarians" aren't the ones who gave Comcast its monopolies on the last mile. Please leave them out of this.

[nullc]

No, physics and economics did. When you're talking about building infrastructure that will take 20 years to pay itself off _absent_ competition, only the most profitable of the profitable locations can afford extensive physical plant competition.

In communications networks monopolies are natural, especially in last mile networks, and will exist absent any government action. That in some cases some governments have mildly strengthened these monopolies in exchange for commitments to cover otherwise unprofitable areas, its not really that important this subject.

[wpietri]

They have been a strong voice for less regulation, especially less regulation of technology. We reined in AT&T through regulation, forcing them to share their last-mile plant with others. We could (and should) have done the same with monopoly cable providers, but the anti-regulation fever in the US prevented that.