[AusNOG] Netflix, AWS and Softlayer vs. Australia

[Mark Newton]

On 4 Dec 2014, at 8:37 pm, Alan Maher <alanmaher at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> The analogy with motorways/highways is quite reasonable.
> During peak hours, the traffic is slow, and at other times flows quite well.
> Depending on your journey and location, or an accident up ahead.

The analogy is only reasonable if you can add a virtually limitless number of extra lanes to highways, cheaply, as demand increases.

Because that's what ISPs do with networks.

> In this present situation where the content is user driven, and is traffic
> intensive, we may find "roadblocks" more often.

Only if your ISP is shit, and you don't spend your money smartly enough to shop elsewhere.

> fact remains that the average punter at
> home who just does Facebook, or Youtube entertainment, or watches the
> news videos, is likely to find their network connection turning into a snail
> because the kid next door is watching the latest video in HD while simultaneously
> playing a mega game on the Steam engine.

Hard to see how that's going to happen. That's not really how broadband networks in Australia work.

> The change will not be driven by you, the network gurus, but will be driven by
> consumer demand and angry letters to the local Member of Parliament because
> number 1 son/daughter can't do his/her homework when the internet goes so slow.

MPs have already received their quota of angry letters about broadband, and they've shown that they're prepared to ignore them.

Given that the government doesn't own any significant last mile infrastructure anyway, there's a limit to how much Australian ISPs need to pay attention to dumb angry politicians. Let them fume.

> Quotas are a mysterious beast, invented by Telcos/ISP's (here in NZ) to create a
> series of layered marketing "opportunity".

That's not what quotas are for. 

Quotas are to put a price/value on usage, to avoid the tragedy of the commons. Want to use more? Pay more, to find another lane on your highway. Avoids the endless silly arguments the USA and Europe has about net neutrality, because in this country everyone gets their ticket clipped all the time.

    - mark