IP: Will Cable Unplug the File Swappers?

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

Nd unplug a lot more. Djf


------ Forwarded Message
From: Bill Keeshen <keeshen () pacbell net>
Reply-To: keeshen () pacbell net
Date: Wed, 12 Jun 2002 19:42:45 -0700
To: farber () cis upenn edu
Subject: Will Cable Unplug the File Swappers?


Will Cable Unplug the File Swappers?
New pricing plans for broadband use could make downloading pirated music and
movies a prohibitively costly habit

Jon, a computer programmer, is exactly the kind of music lover the Recording
Industry Association of America has in mind as it tries to shut down music
file-swapping services such as KaZaA. He has downloaded about 5,000 songs
off the Internet in the past two years. The vast majority, Jon concedes,
were pirated copies, including the latest album from rapper Eminem.

"I only do it because it's free," he says matter-of-factly. "I don't do it
to sample new music before I buy, like Napster always used to say."

Jon may be heading back to his local Virgin Megastore soon. Not because of
the music-industry's lawyers, but because he won't be able to elude the
Cable Guy. A host of cable companies, including AT&T Broadband (T ), Charter
Communications (CHTR ), and Cox Communications (COX ), are moving away from
the old flat-fee pricing scheme that allowed users to download and transmit
endless amounts of data (especially music, movies, and software) over
high-speed connections. Instead, they're rolling out new pricing schemes
that could put limits on bandwidth usage per month and charge users
additional fees if they go above the limit.

<Snip>

http://www.businessweek.com:/print/technology/content/jun2002/tc20020612_110
8.htm?_unspecifiedFrame

Bill Keeshen
Velocitop Technologies
www.velocitop.com


------ End of Forwarded Message

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