Re: Broadband truth in advertising, redux

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Richard Forno <rforno () infowarrior org>
Date: February 8, 2010 9:09:15 AM EST
To: dave () farber net
Cc: "ip" <ip () v2 listbox com>
Subject: Re: [IP] Re: Broadband truth in advertising, redux


True.  I would be okay with 'unlimited' translating into 'lots and lots but not abusive in nature'.   To wit, if I have 
an 'unlimited' Cricket card and every now and then I use 6 or 10GB but the rest of the time I'm under the 5GB cap, I 
would not expect to be charged.  Conversely, if I routinely and regularly use 10GB+ that could be considered abusive.

I am reminded of the early days of cellphone carriers - remember how we used to fawn and fret about "how many minutes" 
we used per call? And then recoiling in shock when we saw our bill for "overages" that month? Or how about years ago 
when we'd have to watch the clock when dialing long-distance via our home landlines?  I fear we're going back to the 
future with the current wireless broadband business model.

-rick


On Feb 8, 2010, at 08:52 , Dave Farber wrote:

> Begin forwarded message:
>
> > From: Chris Beck <cbeck () pacanukeha net>
> > Date: February 7, 2010 11:41:41 PM EST
> > To: dave () farber net
> > Subject: Re: [IP] Re: Broadband truth in advertising, redux
> >
> > On 7 February 2010 20:03, David Farber <dave () farber net> wrote:
> > > > Just saw a TV ad for 'unlimited mobile broadband' via Cricket for $40/mo.  Sounds awesome, right?   But if you 
> > > > quickly scan the fine print during the commercial, Cricket's service, like everyone else, is capped at 5GB/mo.  So 
> > > > again, what does "unlimited" mean for mobile broadband?
> > >
> > > It means unlimited connect time. Just like DSL or cable.
> >
> > That made sense when they were selling in comparison with dial-up. Not
> > in comparison with other always-on services many of which have no
> > stated or only hidden limits.  A reasonable consumer, not even the
> > moron-in-a-hurry, would not expect "unlimited" to be used to describe
> > the time aspect of a service that is a priori always available.
> >
> > Cheers,
> > Chris
> > -- 
> > [Christopher Beck] [http://pacanukeha.wordpress.com]
> > http://icanhascheezburger.com/2009/12/17/funny-pictures-get-right-on-that/
> Archives





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