AT&T’s Sponsored data scheme is actually just a win for AT&T. This plan is a tremendous loss for everyone else.
Yet More Media Consolidation is not the Cure to the Problems Caused by Media Consolidation
Filed Under: Benton Headlines
People are buzzing about possible new consolidation in the cable industry. The reason isn't hard to see: in a market that is already very concentrated, only the strong survive. Programming costs keep rising and larger cable companies would have more leverage in negotiations against media giants like Viacom and Disney. As ISPs, larger cable companies would be better able to drive hard bargains with Internet content companies when it comes to interconnection agreements, or operate their own online video services. But bigger is not better for the public.
AT&T CEO: Data Caps Are About Charging Content Providers
Filed Under: Benton Headlines
The quest to determine why data caps really exist may be starting to wind down. Internet service providers (ISPs) have admitted, either explicitly or implicitly, that monthly data caps have nothing to do with network congestion. And, while some have started to portray data caps as legitimate forms of price discrimination, that argument did not hold up to close scrutiny either. So what's left?
Lessons from the Derecho: When Industry Self-Regulation Is Not Enough
Filed Under: Benton Headlines
The Federal Communications Commission released a fairly thorough report on the widespread 9-1-1 failure that followed the June 2012 “derecho” windstorm. The report concluded that both Verizon and Frontier failed to follow industry best practices or their own internal procedures.