From Slashdot: Comcast goes after NAT users

[JD Runyan]

I am confused why so many people want to argue their money away.
I am pleased with the value I get for my money with cable, but
I would not be so with some sort of metered access.  I can live
with very little guarantee of quality of service at this price.
If I pay in the price schemes below, I start expecting more, and 
using less.  The cable company gets less of my money.
On Sun, Jan ,  at 10:15:41PM -0600, Monty J. Harder wrote:
> "JD Runyan" <Jason.Runyan at nitckc.usda.gov> wrote:
> 
> > can use the vacated piece of highway.  We pay to have that infrastructure
> > available to us.  The cost to the company is the infrastructure.  The
> cable
> > company incurs no additional cost if the infrastructure is used heavily,
> or
> > recover cost if it is not used.   Sure customers may complain if there
> cable
> 
>   If you've noticed the pricing scheme that most cellular companies are
> using, this fits into the "pay a flat rate for base capacity, with
> additional charge for occasional extra use" theory. As an example, here are
> the Cingular rates as of yesterday (I'm shopping for a new cellphone and
> have the brochure handy):
> 
>     $/mo        Base "anytime" min.    extra minutes
> $29.99                     250                    .45
> $39.99                     400                    .45
> $49.99                     600                    .35
> $69.99                     900                    .35
> $99.99                    1300                    .30
> 149.99                    2000                    .25
> 199.99                    3000                    .20
> 
> And they throw in 3000 night/weekend minutes each month
There are alos unlimited plans that are quite expensive now, but
are coming down.  As that price comes down, then you will see the above
schemes go away.  The reason people still have land line phones in thier 
home, is the fact that wireless tends to be too expensive, unless you 
fall into a certain category of caller.  Once  you pay a flat rate for
that cell phone, and that rate is somewhat comperable with landline 
phones, then there will be a massive switch to wireless only. 
> 
>   How to apply this to computer bandwidth?  Well, let's start with that last
> point first.  The notion of peak/off-peak rates.  Airlines give you a break
I have no problem understanding the pricing structures you advocate.  I just don't
understand why you would want it applied to you.  Not only is the cost become
prohibitive to the consumer, but budgeting becomes harder.  People like flat rates,
becuase their budgets are predictable month to month.  You never have to guess 
what you might use, and then decide where you will go without for a month
when you go over your allotment somewhere.

We live in a capitalist society.  One of the premises that drive this is supply
and demand.  The supply of ISPs to the demad is ballancing out.  The ones that 
will survive are the ones that provide the most "perceived" value to the customer.
If an ISP comes to you, and says that I'm going to start charging you for how
much you use our service now, even though you have never had to think about 
your usage before.  You will see customers looking for an alternative that
provides the flat fee service they had before.  There are customers that will 
seek a service that has more guarantees than the retail version of cable modem
or DSL.  These are the folks that will pay the type of rates you describe, becuase
they are prepared to pay more to get more.
--
JD Runyan
		"You can't milk a point."
			David M. Kuehn, Ph.D.