IP: re: Cisco offering cable+content cartel discriminatory routers!

[Dave Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

> Date: Fri, 28 Jul 2000 18:38:13 -0400
> From: James Love <love () cptech org>


> Joe agrees that the Cisco QoS features could be used to discriminate
> against a competitor.  And, it is worth noting that Cisco has marketed
> the QoS technology to cable operators by telling them that they can use
> the technology to slow down traffic from competitors, and make their own
> affiliated content more attractive.
>
> Certainly these proposals have been discussed for years, but they are
> particularly relevant now that the one finally sees deployment of higher
> bandwidth residential services.
>
> I don't think this is about black helicopters.  It is about what cable
> operators will soon be able to do to content delivered over cable
> Internet connections.
>
> If the "New World Networks" really replace "the Internet" (Cisco's
> words), it raises some obvious public policy issues.  What if the
> companies that control the "New World Networks" discriminate among
> content providers?  And, it is not as if this has never happened on
> cable video services.  No one is saying that technologies for managing
> congestion or quality of service are not important and potentially
> useful.  But it will change the character of the Internet, and there
> should be some discussion of the consequences.
>
> My testimony is on the web here:
>
> http://www.cptech.org/ecom/aol-tw/enbanc.html
>
> One of the more intersting Cisco documents is here:
>
> Cisco 1999 White Paper: "Controlling Your Network - A Must for Cable
> Operators"
> http://www.cptech.org/ecom/openaccess/cisco1.html
>
>   Jmaie
>
> Dave Farber wrote:
> > > From: Joe McGuckin <joe () via net>
> > > Date: Fri, 28 Jul 2000 13:39:00 -0700 (PDT)
> > > To: farber () cis upenn edu
> > > Subject: Re: IP: Cisco offering cable+content cartel discriminatory 
> routers!
>    [snip]
>
> > The QOS features mentioned in Jim Warren's previous message
> > > would provide network
> > > operators with fine grained controls that can be applied to each type of
> > > traffic or even individual
> > > end-users.
> > >
> > >
> > > It's a very long-winded way of saying: QOS features are not a plot by guys
> > > in black helicopters -
> > > they are designed to allow PacBell, @Home, Time-Warner, etc to offer
> > > internet services with
> > > predictable levels of quality even during times of severe network 
> overload.
> > > Could they be used by a network operator to discriminate against a
> > > competitor? Sure, but, so can the
> > > current filtering and bandwidth limiting features that are present in
> > > Cisco equipment. There's nothing
> > > new about this.
> > >
> > > Joe
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > --
> > >
> > > Joe McGuckin
> > >
> > > ViaNet Communications
> > > 994 San Antonio Road
> > > Palo Alto, CA  94303
> > >
> > > Phone: 650-969-2203
> > > Cell:  650-207-0372
> > > Fax:   650-969-2124
>
> --
> =======================================================
> James Love, Director           | http://www.cptech.org
> Consumer Project on Technology | mailto:love () cptech org
> P.O. Box 19367                 | voice: 1.202.387.8030
> Washington, DC 20036           | fax:   1.202.234.5176
> =======================================================