Just read an article about the deal Google & Verizon made on MSNBC (found here). It seems they’re blaming Google for a lot of what Verizon wants to do. So here’s my take on it.
Verizon wants to be able to control what goes on on their network (ala AT&T). Not once in this article did I see anything about Google blocking network access or telling users what they can’t view. It’s all Verizon.
“But the domain with the most intensive growth potential for new audiences — mobile and data-heavy services — would be locked down and controlled by Verizon.“
“Verizon could discriminate all it wants…”
“Verizon, as a wireline broadband provider, wants maximum control over are those data-heavy ‘special services.’”
“…Skype would not have a chance to compete with any video telephony service Verizon might develop in the near future.“
“Netflix would be at a disadvantage trying to move high-quality video over Verizon’s fiber-optic pipes if Verizon decides to offer its own service.“
It seems, to me, that this is ALL about Verizon. Google is just standing in the background saying, “Hey, if you want to do that, we’re not going to stop you.” Which doesn’t bother me a bit.
This brings up Sprint’s network. While Verizon claims to have unlimited data transfer, they really cap it at 5gb because they assume that that’s all people are going to need since they have another ISP at home. Sprint offers a completely unlimited data plan & I can prove this as I used 35 gigabytes last month. I actually dropped Comcast in favor of using my Evo’s tethering for my Internet access. Now this may seem silly to some, but to be able to drop a company like Comcast, who may say they care about their customers, but, let’s face it, they don’t, was a huge weight off my shoulders.
And about Skype not being used, Skype is already in bed with Verizon by brining their retarded app exclusively to them. (I say retarded in the literal meaning here. It’s absolutely horrendous & a shred of what it could, and should, be.) But if more people supported an open protocol (IE SIP), people wouldn’t have this problem. Skype made Fring take the ability to video chat off of their (Fring) app. However, you can still video chat using Fring or SIP. But because no one uses either of these, Fring is essentially dead in the water in the Android market.
Eventually people are going to wise up & realize that open source not only helps them, it helps the entire Internet. Closing things off like Verizon, not Google, wants to do is only hurting Verizon. There are always going to be hackers & geeks that put custom roms on their phones & will figure out a way to make a protocol work when it shouldn’t.
