Senate Panel Rejects Net Neutrality.

[Martin]

http://www.cio.com/blog_view.html?CID=22583

Quote:

A U.S. Senate committee on Wednesday, with a tie vote, rejected a proposal that would have required broadband providers to give their competitors the same speeds and quality of service as they give to themselves or their partners.

Here's a scenario. Bell makes some new VOIP software to compete with Skype. It's not as good as Skype, but fortunately, it doesn't have to be. They simply charge Skype for the bandwidth, and American Skype users now have to pay $1 a minute to use the software. Their alternative, of course, is to start using Bell's less powerful (but free) VOIP software.

[Tony]

so does this mean that we have to start encrypting all of our sygnals so that Bell can't tell if it's generated from Skype or MSN or whatnot?

A bigger problem I imagine is this whole "cheap bandwidth between Bell members and crazy charge if you want to IM your buddy on Rogers". Very similar to current practices over the cellphone networks.

"Are you in?"

[Martin]

But see, it's bandwidth going the other way that's getting charged for now.