- By Dan Veaner
- Opinions
Print 
Computer programs were invented. But crackers decided to ruin them with virus infections and other malware, causing huge and expensive problems for individuals and large corporations, and spawning an industry of anti-virus software companies that just make computing slower and more expensive.
The World Wide Web was invented, which would have been great except for hackers that constantly destroy Web sites as fast as you can blink.
And now the Internet itself is at risk because some large companies want to charge content providers to let their content through to consumers at a fast rate, rather than slowing down or blocking those who don't pay.
The issue is Net Neutrality, which means that once you pay for Internet access you should be able to access any content you want without restriction. Companies like Time Warner and Comcast not only provide Internet access, but they are also content providers. You would think it would be a conflict of interest for companies to be allowed to be both, because as Internet providers they have the power to slow down or entirely block content from competitors.
Or hold it hostage for payment, which is what happened Sunday. Last Sunday a major blow was dealt to Net Neutrality when Netflix caved and agreed to a deal with Comcast that will mean fast streaming of Netflix content on Comcast -- but Netflix has to pay. In the worst case scenario all content providers including personal Web sites and those of small businesses may be forced to pay to be seen. And that will take a great thing and make it terrible.
When you choose a plan with your Internet Service provider (ISP) you are paying for certain download and upload speeds. ISPs can control how well or poorly content is delivered by regulating its speed. They want to deliver less than what you are paying for if the content providers don't pay up.
Why does this matter to us? Because Comcast wants to buy our own monopoly, Time Warner. Now, Time Warner is not at the top of the list of companies with satisfied customers by any means. But Comcast is pretty much at the bottom. They have reportedly been throttling (slowing down) content including Netflix streams, and customers grouse that they are paying high prices for a low level of service.
In fact, Comcast won the Consumerist Worst Company In America ("Golden Poo") award in 2010. A gold trophy in the shape of a pile of human feces was delivered to Comcast Corporate Headquarters to commemorate the unmatched level of enmity flowing from their customer base to their business. Last year Comcast had improved. It was voted the third worst company in America.
Here is the letter that came with their trophy in 2010:
| 10/5/2010 Dear Comcast,  Comcast received the Golden Poo Award in 2010 along with this letterCongratulations on winning the coveted Consumerist.com reader-awarded Worst Company in America prize. Mazel tov! (We apologize for the delay in sending this letter. We know how frustrating it can be to wait around for something that never shows up.)Your consistent dedication to providing low-quality service at ever-rising prices, and aversion to upholding basic internet principles while also buying off Washington and lobbying against net neutrality has earned you a place in our hallowed pantheon. Kudos! After several years of making it to the final rounds only to be squeezed out at the last minute, in 2010 you leapt ahead to clinch the brass ring, represented herein as the Golden Poo. We hope that it may find a place as special as the one reserved in our hearts for you. Perhaps on a mantel over a perpetually burning fireplace, or next to the Newton’s cradle on Brian’s desk. On behalf of the entire staff at and readers of The Consumerist, I salute you. Sincerely, Ben Popken Managing Editor The Consumerist P.S. Why’d you get rid of that Frank guy? He was great. |
Last May Consumerist reported that "Comcast and Time Warner Cable may be two of the largest cable and Internet providers in the country, but they’re also the two worst, according to the latest American Customer Satisfaction Index."
By the way Verizon FiOS came out on top of the rankings, with DirecTV and AT&T close behind in satisfied customers.
I have been a Time Warner Internet customer since Roadrunner first became available in Tompkins County, and I have to admit that I have been generally happy with the service. I am not happy about what will happen to it if the government approves the Comcast deal. It will make a big monopoly bigger. It will make a set of services that customers are generally unsatisfied even more unsatisfactory. And it will force many of us to be customers of a company that Sundy threw the first major punch to the jaw of Net Neutrality.
I am with Consumerist: poo!
v10i7