AT&T has lost their minds

[DennisP]

Originally Posted by Blueface

Crap!
I just got my Apple TV and am streaming Netflix movies.

That's the main reason behind this. ATT wants people to buy their movies on demand, not get them elsewhere.

[Kreth]

Originally Posted by DennisP

That's the main reason behind this. ATT wants people to buy their movies on demand, not get them elsewhere.

I'd expect Netflix and other streaming providers to get involved as soon as they start getting complaints from customers who can't download the unlimited content that they're paying for.
This is like a restaurant advertising an all-you-can-eat buffet, then telling you that you're only allowed two trips because 2% of their customers are hogging the King Crab legs.
Posted via Mobile Device

[lbowles2]

It has always been the case that a very small portion of an ISP's customer use most of their bandwidth so I don't blame them for putting a bandwidth cap on. My problem is that 250MB is pretty small even for most users. Most months that would be fine but what about when Microsoft releases a service pack for either Windows or Office? Windows 7 SP1 can be around 100MB. Almost half your bandwidth allotment is gone after that. I think 500MB would be realistic.

[kydsid]

Originally Posted by Kreth

I'd expect Netflix and other streaming providers to get involved as soon as they start getting complaints from customers who can't download the unlimited content that they're paying for.
This is like a restaurant advertising an all-you-can-eat buffet, then telling you that you're only allowed two trips because 2% of their customers are hogging the King Crab legs.
Posted via Mobile Device

how? they both have seperate functions.

what it is really like is a cheap restaraunt that you can only get to via a toll road. who nneds whom more in that analogy or here? att and the provders have all the cards really. content is easy to fill
Posted via Mobile Device

[shilala]

Originally Posted by Kreth

I'd expect Netflix and other streaming providers to get involved as soon as they start getting complaints from customers who can't download the unlimited content that they're paying for.
This is like a restaurant advertising an all-you-can-eat buffet, then telling you that you're only allowed two trips because 2% of their customers are hogging the King Crab legs.
Posted via Mobile Device

Netflix and other streaming providers are actually the source of the issue.
ISP's want a taste of the streaming revenue. It's been a big issue for some time now. As the streaming outfits get more and more customers, the isp's have to dump more and more money into developing infrastructure to support the much greater demand for data.
They really do have a legitimate gripe, depending how you look at it.
Take Netflix, for instance. They are pouring tons and tons of data into the pipe. The more they dump, the bigger pipe the ISP has to provide, and their profits go down while Netflix profits swell.
The only thing they can do to muscle money out of Netflix is to make it inaccessible to their customers. If the consumer can't use it, they won't buy it.
It'll take awhile before this strategy gains any weight, but soon they'll have a gun to Netflix's head, and maybe they'll start sharing revenue.
I think Netflix would be nuts to cave in. If they do, we as customers lose. The isp's will never become competitive until the whole deal becomes completely deregulated, anyway.
This type of thing isn't a problem in other countries because there's true competition between the isp's. The best service wins, and consumers have options. Because of FCC regulation here, providers are left spending all their time and money fighting over their piece of the pie, rather than building a bigger pie.
As demand for data increases, it'll reach a point where the FCC will have to loosen the knoose. Expect that to happen when it becomes a big enough problem that the people are willing to allow a tax on data flow.
As with everything, there's always a big, complicated mess behind what's happening. This thing is a lot more complicated, but it boils down to greed and government, just like usual.
Please excuse me if that last comment sounds political. It's not meant to be at all. It's just my opinion on the condition of the condition.

[Devanmc]

Originally Posted by shilala

Netflix and other streaming providers are actually the source of the issue.
ISP's want a taste of the streaming revenue. It's been a big issue for some time now.

I get everyone wants to make money but one company doesnt need and IMO shouldnt do everything. Cuz then it just creates problems like this one. Do one thing, do it well and people will come...

And doesn't netflix have to pay an ISP for its use of the pipe aswell? I mean its not like they own it or something, they have to pay for internet like i do(in some twisted way, like paying for ISP bandwidth usage). So the ISP would is making money off both of us. Maybe i dont know enough about servers and the web.