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.
Some fixed broadband providers are placing 200 GB caps, per month.
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.
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.)
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.)
The FCC has already had a similar inquiry on broadband, not so long ago. Not
sure why they are asking all these questions again.
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.
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.
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.