more on Coalition Asks FCC to Ensure End-to-End

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

------ Forwarded Message
From: Karl Auerbach <karl () cavebear com>
Reply-To: Karl Auerbach <karl () cavebear com>
Date: Sat, 14 Dec 2002 10:09:36 -0800 (PST)
To: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>
Subject: Re: [IP] Lessig: Coalition Asks FCC to Ensure End-to-End

On Sat, 14 Dec 2002, Dave Farber wrote:

> Lawrence Lessig: A threat to innovation on the web
...
> The proposal is to get regulators to help preserve the
> neutrality of the internet.

What about net services, such as IP telephony, that require low end-to-end
transit times with low variation in those times (jitter)?

With the edges of the Internet still dominated by relatively low-speed
links (dial-up, *DSL, cable TV) backed by often inadequate bandwidth
back-hauls or skinny connections to the bandwidth rich inner mesh of the
net, it is easy for a voice packet to get caught, and delayed, behind a
train of long-occupancy HTTP packets (probably carrying pop-up ads) or
other some other bit-hog packets.

In the absence of quality of service/traffic priority mechanisms on these
slow edge circuits IP telephony could find itself with a jitter/delay
caused "last mile" problem of its own.

If we had real broadband at the edges (100mbits full duplex, and above)
instead of the wallyworld faux version (DSL and cable TV) that are offered
as euphemistic alternatives that are "fast" only when compared to dial-up,
then perhaps such packet priority mechanisms might be obviated.

We have seen how ILECs squished CLECs in order to protect the ILECs' core
telephone business.  It seems to me that we will see resistance to the
freedom of end-to-end concept coming from legacy local loop (telephone or
cable tv) providers.

        --karl--



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