[opendtv] Re: FCC seeks comments on broadband deployment
- From: Craig Birkmaier <brewmastercraig@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 10 Aug 2017 08:13:34 -0400
On Aug 9, 2017, at 2:42 PM, Manfredi, Albert E <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-seeks-comment-information-guide-annual-inquiry-under-sec-706
(Which, parenthetically, is really very little, for those who stream their
TV, even if it's just SD quality. For example, assume you watch 4 hours of
online TV per day at just 1 Mb/s average. That's basically DSL quality TV.
And yet, it still adds up to just about 56 GB/mo.
Probably more, but I doubt many people watch 4 hours of video a day on their
cell phones. But they may mirror the content on their phones to a TV when they
are home.
Some fixed broadband providers are placing 200 GB caps, per month.
This may have been true a year ago, but it looks like 1 TB is now the typical
cap for home internet service. From ARS Technica:
https://www.theverge.com/2017/7/5/15924658/cox-data-caps-expand-four-more-states
The article begins by talking about Cox expanding its 1 TB data cap to
additional states, then tells us:
Unfortunately, home data caps are starting to proliferate. Comcast has placed
a 1TB data cap on most of its customers as well, having raised that cap from
a meager 300GB little more than a year ago. AT&T also places a 1TB cap on all
but its highest-paying home broadband subscribers.
And then it tells us that Century Link, which has about the same number of
fixed broadband customers as Cox, does not have data caps.
Now that we have switched to a VMVPD service I will get some real world
feedback n how much data we will consume for TV streaming.
Apparently, Verizon, although it has no data caps on fixed service, does send
out notices of alarm and consternation, to those gobbling up more than 1
TB/mo. That's why "no mobile data caps" doesn't necessarily translate to
mobile broadband being a viable alternative to fixed broadband. It's a sales
gimmick, it's not an indication of network capacity.)
No, it is a service, if you want to pay for an unlimited data plan. Just as
zero rating of streaming bits is a service feature for AT&T/DirecTV customers.
It will be interesting to see how many AT&T cellular customers use their mobile
data to watch TV at home. In the fine print AT&T tells us that WiFI hot spots
are supported, so it should be easy to stream DirecTV Now to the big screen at
home. But it is likely this will be limited to SD quality.
13% of Americans rely solely on smartphones for Internet access. (My bet is,
those who use only smartphones for Internet access are also those still
wedded to their legacy MVPD STB, for their regular TV fare.)
My bet is you are wrong. If they have a MVPD set-top box they probably
subscribe to fixed broadband from the same provider. I believe you will find
that most of this 13% are Millennials who don't spend as much time watching TV.
The FCC has already had a similar inquiry on broadband, not so long ago. Not
sure why they are asking all these questions again.
Did you read the announcement Bert. It is required by law.
I get the impression that Chariman Pai thinks that the public has had a
dramatic change of opinions recently, in spite of evidence to the contrary.
What evidence? Millions of identical submissions that ask the FCC to retain the
Title II rules?
That's not a meaningful metric.
Here is a poll that took place before the current Net Neutrality proceeding was
started:
http://thehill.com/policy/technology/332948-cable-industry-poll-majority-support-net-neutrality-rules
The survey found that 61 percent either strongly or somewhat support net
neutrality rules, while 18 percent either strongly or somewhat oppose them.
Another 21 percent either did not know or had no opinion.
The poll comes a week before the Republican-led Federal Communications
Commission is scheduled to take an initial vote on repealing its 2015 net
neutrality rules. The survey did not specifically ask respondents about the
FCC's regulations, but rather whether they supported a set of rules in
general.
It then provides a result that Bert will not Ike:
And 51 percent said that the internet should not be regulated like a public
utility — one of the GOP’s main arguments against the net neutrality rules,
though Democrats argue that the rules are not that heavy-handed — while 33
percent said it should.
Looks like your evidence is invented as usual...
It is just your active imagination, trying to justify your heavy handed
regulatory agenda...
Regards
Craig
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