Webuser Forums: ISP coming under some pressure

Hello greysts, been a while, see they made you a mod.

I didn't expect a reply on here I thought it was for article suggestions.

If you want to understand where this is going, perhaps we should title it something like:-
When does an internet service , become just a connection?

ISP free upgrades are they really free, what exactly happens?

Worldwide interest in ISP throttling, how will this change your supplier and service. Is it the future for all?

Why don't things work when I'm on the internet, they used to?

Call centres get you checking your machine, when they know it's their service at fault.

You can cover so many peoples problems with the current use of traffic shaping hardware and software, and the angst it causes, if people are at least aware that it's this that's causing their problems. The time wasting exercise of checking modems routers and blaming third party software for faults, like BBC iPlayer for example, can stop. Even games consoles wont work while this is happening, how many thought it was their box at fault?

Tiscali is used as an example as it is most prolific in this traffic shaping, it's now affecting their group of companies not just Tiscali itself.

Tiscali here are market leading in my opinion, and are showing other ISP's the way to go, especially if noone notices till it's a done deal. (Free upgrades and a slight change in T and C's at the same time, how many noticed unlimited went to unlimited time?)

American ISPs are already watching and ready to go so it seems, will the majority of the UK follow?
Virgin non cable was also afflicted and their ceo has said "we're easing off", why? Almost all ISPs have systems in place to do this, just depends how aggressive they want to be.

Is it the start of tiered internet services? I believe it is. This is just setting the hardware in place.

Don't get me wrong , companies can legally do very much what they want with broadband supplies, the 8 meg mystery shows that, and contracts seem heavily weighted in the ISPs favour to restrict the connection when they want. It's great to have full speed when you're asleep or at work, just not when you need it, the 8 hours you are at home to actually use it.

We also have the fact that many people don't actually know what they are getting, have no idea how to test the speed that is being delivered, and if it's good or bad, distance from this that and the other , lines used etc cloud the issue. Mine is supposed to do 4.5 max, but happily runs at 6.2.
You see examples like, neighbour on the left gets 6.1 and the one on the right gets 6.3 why do I only get 3.6 and 0.7 in an evening, posted on boards.

I do believe we are watching the foundations being laid for the return of metered services maybe, certianly a pay for what you get system is coming, where if you want to do more than look at a webpage , you will have to upgrade and cough up the cash.

I thought broadband would set us free, seems the party may well be coming to an end.

What caused it, a backlash to all the TV and video downloading, ISPs wanting a slice of the market? Or quite simply did people suddenly start wanting what was advertised and they thought they were signing up for , and the ISPs went OMG how are we going to cope?

So greysts, I hope you can see it's a very wide subject, plenty to cover, and people should be made aware this is coming in my opinion, and not sleepwalk into it like so many other things.