The internet is over!

[Undertoad]

He said Skype is blocked on some wireless carriers. But it turns out Skype is making deal$ with carriers, and three days after the Times story, Skype signed an exclusive deal with Verizon for Verizon to embed a free Skype app on their phones. Nothing to download, it's just there and works.

[tw]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

But it turns out Skype is making deal$ with carriers, and three days after the Times story, Skype signed an exclusive deal with Verizon ...

Mobile (cell) carriers that see the future must do this.

In earlier days, a mobile phone contained functions that the mobile carrier might disable before selling it. For example, a wireless carrier might not want a working timer that let you know how many minutes are available before paying 'excess use' penalties. That worked when the Nokia phone was only sold by your carrier. Today, phones from Google, Apple, etc mean any phone must work on any carrier. Phones that permit third party apps.

Carriers are losing more control of their network. Carriers are becoming more data transport companies - less information providers.

Carriers will resist this 'net neutrality' on their networks as much as possible. But the Verizon deal with Skype suggests resistance is futile.

Once you could only connect AT&T equipment on the phone system. Then a court ruling said anyone else's phones could be purchased and used. AT&T tried to restrict modem access by requiring an expensive network interface. Eventually that also went away. Since AT&T made inferior (overpriced) modems, suddenly an entire industry prospered making better, cheaper, and faster modems. Back then it took a Supreme Court ruling to permit innovation. Today (and hopefully), free market forces will change mobile carriers into nothing more than data transport providers.

That is a characteristic of net neutrality - expanding from the internet into telephones.

[tw]

The FCC has tried to regulate net neutrality. As expected, a Federal court says nobody can require net neutrality. From the NY Times:

The decision, by the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, specifically concerned the efforts of Comcast, the nation's largest cable provider, to slow down customers' access to a service called BitTorrent, which is used to exchange large video files,

This means Comcast can now subvert Skype telephone calls. Means that without congressional action, Comcast and the other duopoly players - the last mile providers - can now subvert internet access to maximize profits. Net neutrality is at risk in with a Congress driven by the objective of "want Obama to fail." A problem created starting in 2000 when Powell and the FCC decided to protect big internet businesses (Verizon, Comcast, Time Warner) at the expense of Covad, NorthPoint Communications, Rhythms NetConnections, etc. A problem made worse because the last mile providers can now subvert and control the newest technology - interactive TV.

As posted earlier, this is the data transporters attempting to subvert the information providers. People who wanted to surcharge Google now have the right to (barring a Supreme Court review). Or as the NY Times notes:

The ruling would allow Comcast and other Internet service providers to restrict consumers’ ability to access certain kinds of Internet content, such as video sites like Hulu.com or Google’s YouTube service, or charge certain heavy users of their networks more money for access.

This ruling was expected.

The FCC really had little right to demand net neutrality. Having subverted the 1996 Federal Communications Act (Clinton's effort to created net neutrality and what made a 15 year old technology called DSL possible) and now undermining the FCC, big business has the right to increase America's internet prices which have been rising significantly compared to the rest of the world. Another legacy of the George Jr administration. Despite wacko extremists who will reply, that is when attackes on net neutrality started and were encouraged by the White House.