You Can Trust Our Reviews
Deeper Dive: Our Top Tested Picks
Buying Guide: Winter of My Discontent
Contents
- Winter of My Discontent
- It's Not Just The Techies
Maybe I'm just feeling blue because winter has dragged on, but I seem to be even angrier with tech companies these days—starting with AT&T. Why am I mad at Ma Bell? Because of the way she's corrupted and perverted the concept of Net neutrality.
When I first heard that the FCC had approved the merger of Bell South and AT&T, ramming things through on December 29 while the rest of us were napping, I was cautiously optimistic. The companies sealed the deal by promising unfettered access to their broadband lines. But then I read an analysis of the merger, done by my friend Dave Burstein, editor of the highly regarded DSL Prime newsletter and Web site. It turns out that AT&T's version of Net neutrality is a chimera. Why? Because it specifically omits HD video.
Net neutrality means that you should have the right to transfer whatever you want over the broadband connection you pay for, and at the advertised speed—regardless of who provides the content. If you're connected with Yahoo!/AT&T DSL, for example, Google and Ask.com should be just as speedy and just as capable as Yahoo!'s Web site. Yes, AT&T will guarantee that for text and photos, but when it comes to high-definition video, AT&T reserves the right to restrict what you watch. That means AT&T can prioritize its own bundle of HD channels, preventing other HD content from flowing smoothly down those pipes that you're already paying for. That's just wrong.
I'm hopping mad at Verizon, too. I really wanted to get my 7-year-old son a cell phone, and I'd decided that the cute Migo, with built-in GPS, was just the right product. Parent-programmable buttons on the front let you preconfigure who can call in and out, and you can track exactly where your child is at any time, via the Internet. I'm not a Verizon customer, though, and it would've cost me close to $100 a month to use the phone. Why? To get access to that cool GPS tracking ability, the parent has to have a Verizon cell phone, too. That would mean buying yet another phone, paying for the monthly family plan, and, on top of all that, paying a separate fee for the GPS service. No thank you. — next: It's Not Just The Techies