Should Virgin Media Throttle p2p traffic?

[_wtf_]

Isn't it amazing how we all have electricity and gas in our homes judging by how much people seem to think bandwidth costs we should not be able to afford them at all! I mean after all electricity has to be made then distributed gas has to be collected then distributed yet bandwidth just needs the distribution system which also does not need the safety measures gas or electricity require. Yep, I fail to see how we can afford such items.

BTW, rent a server for anything from £25 and you get that very expensive bandwidth for free!

[Chrysalis]

Originally Posted by roughbeast

*BT's TV campaign is inspirational and clever, but is essentially a lie.

indeed, for sure every AD I have seen before the infinity ones are blatant lie's, the infinity one is more questionable but to me all the others are clear cut. BT having to lie to market their product.

[Ignitionnet]

Originally Posted by _wtf_

Isn't it amazing how we all have electricity and gas in our homes judging by how much people seem to think bandwidth costs we should not be able to afford them at all! I mean after all electricity has to be made then distributed gas has to be collected then distributed yet bandwidth just needs the distribution system which also does not need the safety measures gas or electricity require. Yep, I fail to see how we can afford such items.

BTW, rent a server for anything from £25 and you get that very expensive bandwidth for free!

Feel free to write to your ISP recommending they follow the example of gas and electricity and go with a fully metered system of usage.

While you're at it have a chat with them and ask them about their costs then talk to the gas and electricity distributors and ask them theirs, and while you're at it check out how much you are paying each per month and look at the profits each is making.

You could move to a data centre rather than expecting an operator to build network out to you then let you use it for virtually free. Those server hosting companies didn't have to spend hundreds of pounds per hosted customer digging trenches, building cabinets, etc. Total invalid comparison, about as relevant as expecting it to cost the same to plug an appliance directly into a power station compared with a plug a few hundred miles of pylon mounted cable, substations and underground feeds away.

[_wtf_]

Originally Posted by Ignitionnet

Those server hosting companies didn't have to spend hundreds of pounds per hosted customer digging trenches, building cabinets, etc. Total invalid comparison ...

Didn't the electricity and gas companies have to do the same? Which is the point I was trying to make.

[pip08456]

You cannot compare the supply of gas and electricity to VM. It is a wholely different structure.

Originally Posted by _wtf_

Didn't the electricity and gas companies have to do the same? Which is the point I was trying to make.

I am not sure what your proposition is?

I pay a lot more each month for my gas and electricity than I do for my broadband.

Also, VM (well, it's predecessors) had to start from scratch in the 80s and 90s - the Gas and Electricity companies started their infrastructure when they were state-owned institutions.

[pip08456]

Originally Posted by Hugh

I am not sure what your proposition is?

I pay a lot more each month for my gas and electricity than I do for my broadband.

I don't.

[Ignitionnet]

A really long time ago, with the money on those investments having been made back more than once since.

Per the above, why not ask how much they pay for use of the national grid, ask the national grid how much profit they are making?

Note the difference in charging methods, pure pay as you use on these, along with the rather limited technical support and additional services involved. They buy the power, they pay for use of the distribution network, they sell you the power.

People have a good complain about the profits the power companies are making, they obviously aren't doing that badly.

I'm pretty sure these guys don't need to invest in 'substation splits' to supply additional current to customers as part of upgrades, upgrade CPE, manage increased demand, etc, etc. The two really aren't comparable.

[pip08456]

Originally Posted by Ignitionnet

A really long time ago, with the money on those investments having been made back more than once since.

Per the above, why not ask how much they pay for use of the national grid, ask the national grid how much profit they are making?

Note the difference in charging methods, pure pay as you use on these, along with the rather limited technical support and additional services involved. They buy the power, they pay for use of the distribution network, they sell you the power.

People have a good complain about the profits the power companies are making, they obviously aren't doing that badly.

I'm pretty sure these guys don't need to invest in 'substation splits' to supply additional current to customers as part of upgrades, upgrade CPE, manage increased demand, etc, etc. The two really aren't comparable.

IIRC the National Grid is jointly owned by the electric companies via a holding company, no doubt for accounting purposes and tax evasion.