The big ISPs and wireless carriers keep promising to build out their networks, which we all want. But while they make those promises with one side of their mouths, they talk to Congress and the regulators in Washington, D.C., with the other, pushing for policies that discourage more investment in their networks.
Yeah, you've heard some of this before. But before you tune out, consider this: The less money the carriers and ISPs invest, the more congestion users at home and at work will experience. That's the risk we face.
You're already facing data caps and data throttling when you fire up your smartphone or tablet. On the wired broadband side, few people have more than a couple of choices of providers, and the backbone is controlled by a handful of companies with the potential to decide what type of content can move across their networks. Telecommunications policy can be snore-inducing, but it affects us all in what we do every day.
What prompts me to give this little lecture is a research paper by profs at the University of Florida and Notre Dame offering solid proof that when providers are allowed to favor one type of content over another -- the opposite of Net neutrality -- they have little incentive to invest.
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http://www.infoworld.com/d/the-industry-standard/why-the-big-carriers-wont-build-out-their-networks-179242