Comcast starts throttling mobile video, will charge extra for HD streams
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The short version is that videos will be throttled to 480p (DVD quality) on all Comcast mobile plans unless you pay extra, while Comcast's "unlimited" plan will limit mobile hotspot speeds to 600kbps. Only customers who pay by the gigabyte will get full-speed tethering, but the cost would add up quickly as Comcast charges $12 for each gigabyte.
Comcast last year began selling mobile plans with data, voice, and texting. Comcast doesn't operate its own cellular network, so it resells Verizon Wireless service.
The new speed limits could help Comcast save money on the reselling fees it pays Verizon. In a statement to Ars, Comcast said it's making the changes "to help us maintain the low price point of Xfinity Mobile." While Comcast doesn't control the Verizon network and thus can't impose speed limits directly, Comcast told Ars that Verizon offers resellers an option to limit video resolution.
Comcast said that 480p "is consistent with standard unlimited plans across carriers," and that it's making the changes to bring Comcast's offerings in line with the rest of the industry. Verizon began throttling mobile video to 480p or 720p on smartphones last year; the system limits the amount of bandwidth available to anything identified as a video. Carriers argue that many consumers can't tell the difference between 480p and higher quality on smartphone screens.
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Apparently Verizon were doing the same thing even before Net Neutrality was repealed, so they probably would have done this anyway. And that's Mobile data being throttled, Mobile has always been tiered even with Net Neutrality, so this really has nothing to do with Net Neutrality.
Edited by Wariolander on Jul 3rd 2018 at 12:01:59 PM
Any chances that traitorous DINO Santiago who neutered the original bill after it actually passed could pull off a similar stunt on this one?
Edited by MarqFJA on Jul 6th 2018 at 6:20:31 PM
Fiat iustitia, et pereat mundus.It takes 50 Republicans to confirm him and the entire Republican Party is against net-neutrality, so no.
There are simply vastly more important issues that the judge will make desicions on that might sway votes, but no senator cares more about net neutrality than they do Roe, the possibility of Trump pardoning himself, Gerrymandering, Gay Marrige or similar.
“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ CyranMost of the people who care passionately enough about net neutrality to care about a Supreme Court Justice’s opinion on it are either activists with a laundry list of complaints about the nominee, or people who make a big thing about not caring about Supreme Court nominees and feeling that they shouldn’t have people trying to scare them with Supreme Court stuff.
“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ CyranNope. The Senate does. The only way we as a people can affect judicial nominees is through the use of protests or calling your Senators.
And Mc Connell nuked the Supreme Court filibuster with the nomination of Gorsuch (meaning the Senate only needs a simple majority to confirm rather than the 60+ needed before), and the Senate will likely go 50-49 for unless we can flip a Republican Senator, two to be safe, if they decide to pull Mc Cain from his cancer treatment and then use Pence for his vice president tie breaker.
"We're all paper, we're all scissors, we're all fightin' with our mirrors, scared we'll never find somebody to love."Per the Verge, Democratic Sens. Frank Pallone and Mike Doyle of the House Energy & Commerce Committee have penned a letter to Pai saying they are “deeply concerned” with the proposed rules change, which would allow the FCC to route free informal complaints directly to service providers’ customer service departments without being viewed by FCC staff. (The FCC says this is “streamlining” the process.) A separate, formal complaint system that is routed to FCC employees would remain in place, but it costs $225 to use.
Edited by TuefelHundenIV on Jul 11th 2018 at 5:53:44 AM
Who watches the watchmen?

edited 22nd Jun '18 1:50:44 PM by Wariolander