quote:
Just keep ignoring every time companies do this stuff, and imagine you live in a world where companies do the "right" thing even though the "wrong" thing increases profits.

companies do what consumers demand of them

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Posted by jeff5891

Member since Aug 2011

15761 posts

Posted on 5/19/14 at 4:08 pm to SlowFlowPro

quote:
companies do what consumers demand of them

quote:
well if they're corporate sponsored and allow superior access to sites associated with sponsors, that would violate N/N

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if it gives Comcast an advantage over Turner or Cox or SuddenLink then that is teh definition of competitive

Next year AT&T is going to offer their own service like Netflix, but provide access to their own service in the "fast lane" while keeping Netflix in the "slow lane" and you will be here arguing how this isn't anticompetitive

This post was edited on 5/19/14 at 4:10 pm

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Posted by TigerinATL

Member since Feb 2005

61661 posts

Posted on 5/19/14 at 4:11 pm to SlowFlowPro

quote:
companies do what consumers demand of them

The threat of competition and buying an alternative is the leverage consumers use to demand things of companies. The government created lack of competition is a big problem in this space that shouldn't be dismissed just because there is some minor level of competition between the oligopoly. But I do think people are greatly overestimating how much this will actually affect things.

It's not like people are literally running their garage business out of their garage with a home web server and couldn't get to customers without negotiating deals with ISPs themselves. Most people use web hosts who will do the negotiating for them. Does this mean cheap webhosting will be less cheap? Yes, but it's not like it will double in price. Something like SquareSpace going from $25 per month to $30 per month isn't going to kill small startups. Even if it doulbed, if you can't handle an extra $300 in start up costs, you probably weren't going to change the world very much.

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Posted by Korkstand

Member since Nov 2003

28745 posts

Posted on 5/19/14 at 4:34 pm to SlowFlowPro

quote:
well if they're corporate sponsored and allow superior access to sites associated with sponsors, that would violate N/N

Wait, exactly how, in your mind, would these cheap internet plans work? I don't think you have fleshed out the idea very well, and you haven't thought about the logical and economical hiccups.

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Comcast contracting with Netflix to the detriment of other services is anti-competitive, no doubt about it.
if it gives Comcast an advantage over Turner or Cox or SuddenLink then that is teh definition of competitive

You can't just look at one side of the deal and call it competition, when the other side of the deal is blatantly anti-competitive. Especially not when the competitive side of the deal doesn't even compete in the same markets.