dhascall wrote:
bld522 wrote:That's all well and good, ScottMac. But it doesn't overcome the fact that AT&T alone will be providing its customers with monthly usage data. There will be NO governmental oversight, NO independent means of verifying AT&T's data, and NO avenue to challenge AT&T's data other than to AT&T itself. I won't ask you if you're comfortable with that arrangement. But I'd sure like to know how many bridges you've purchased lately.
Amen brother! Gasoline stations have government standards and weights divisions that check the pumps for accuracy, You have gas and electric utilities that have user readable meters. Grocery stores have scales that are double checked but I do agree that some oversight is not only needed, it should be required.
Somejoe7777 pointed out to me that no one can provide who or what was using your bandwidth without deep packet analysis so I guess that i won't get a report that says "sent a 10 mb email at 8:57," "downloaded a 350Mb audio file at 8:59" and so on but how do/can we trust a company who's main line is "trust us?"
AND who would do this oversight? AT&T would fight any government attempst at hardware monitoring. I could see a small box that sets on top of the RG that has an LCD or LED readout with your usage or maybe a new RG with the display. They won't do that. It might not makethem as much money. Maybe an independent auditor. deloitte? Probably not. We'd get the firm called "Cheatem and How."
Well in all fairness this IS a very heavily regulated industry as it is. If Big Oil was regulated as much as your telco's were the price at the pump would go into a free fall over night. That being said, ATT could argue, yell and scream all it wants, but if the FCC says there going to audit each and every broadband "meter reading". They have no choice but to obey, or risk loosing the network. The telecom act of 1996 taught them that very plainly. That and they almost lost the ability to collect there USF fees back then. I am quite sure they aren't willing to risk that either. Those USF Fee's are billions of dollars in revenue which is earmarked for network build out. They know it and they aren't about to risk loosing it. Getting back to the point. If enough people complain to the FCC, then they will investigate. Usually that alone is enough to make ATT cease and desist. But we shall see.