Dirk Bently's Techdirt Profile

Dirk Bently

About Dirk Bently

Dirk Bently's Comments comment rss

  • Mar 11, 2015 @ 06:54pm

    Tried and true technique. When getting your backside handed to you in a public debate simply associate the opposition with an extremist and undesirable group.

  • Dec 18, 2014 @ 05:34pm

    Ah the MPAA, the organization that never fails to disappoint....or is it always manages to disappoint? Regardless I am most disappointed.

  • Dec 11, 2014 @ 08:16am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: TWC: Pot calling the kettle black

    Richard forgive me for not reading the report cover to cover but I am unable to locate data usage stats on wired broadband beyond a reference to Cisco estimate ratios and a projected growth graph, that somehow justifies data caps on wired broadband. A quick ctrl+f found 5 mentions of data usage and 1 mention of data cap. Not even considering the fact that short of mobile data like pricing, aggregate data caps have been found a most ineffective form of network management. Not unlike using antibiotics to treat a cold.

    Other parts seem to rely on using the pedestrian 4Mbps broadband standard to boost feel good wired US metrics, particularly for adoption rates.

    The closest I found was mobile data usage which per your report between the US and UK certainly wasn't anything to write home about (1.8 vs 1.4 GB). Though much more substantial once you go towards the Germany, France portion of the graph which once again focuses on mobile data. In fact a significant portion of favorable statements in regards to US broadband focus heavily on mobile. Which would be encouraging if mobile was a viable candidate to replace wired connections in the near future but the laws of quantum physics is proving to be quite an opponent for such a crusade.

    Most of all though your organization AEI seems to have a credibility problem. You've declared yourselves nonpartisan yet looking at your front page suggest an organization that is anything but. Honestly I had never heard or looked into your group specifically until today but your headlines from 2012 means I can't claim to not be familiar with your work. I could certainly respect right leaning but most definitely not nonpartisan.

  • Dec 10, 2014 @ 06:11pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: TWC: Pot calling the kettle black

    You are banking on a lot of 'if' factors to justify the fact that a random town in the UK has 8 viable high speed broadband providers while I'm stuck with 2 in a major affluent market if I go with 18Mbps being the standard for high speed broadband instead of 25Mbps.

    Honestly it seems pretty far fetched that even on a bad day Virgins 152Mbps service would loose out to Comcast's 105Mbps (who is also very prone to 'bad days') or that 76Mbps would loose out to the 50Mbps service I get from Comcast (once again prone to bad days).

    Finally I'm going to have to ask for the data usage statistics that require that data caps be practically mandatory stateside while completely unnecessary in the UK due to differences in average data consumption.

  • Dec 10, 2014 @ 05:30pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: TWC: Pot calling the kettle black

    Side Note: Forgot to sign in when I wrote it but the above price comparison was written by me.

  • Dec 10, 2014 @ 10:23am

    Re: Re: TWC: Pot calling the kettle black

    Where to begin. Well perhaps we should start with the fact that a cable company exec is calling anyone out on chronic underinvestment. A figure that has fallen by an average of 5 billion per year per the NCTAs own data in the face of rising revenue and profits. Basically piggybacking off the lesser known telecom companies who have built extensive fiber networks for B2B use with the exception of maybe AT&T who also does a decent bit of work on the non residential side.

    As for Europe there are more then enough stories out particularly those from wide eyes Americans shocked at how they were able to buy uncapped high speed internet from various providers at a fraction of what we pay stateside. Even more saddening when you see more of those stories coming from the former Soviet Bloc with each passing day.

  • Dec 09, 2014 @ 06:24pm

    TWC: Pot calling the kettle black

    I recently came across this instant classic quote from the Time Warner CEO in an article yesterday about how he felt good about the chances of the Comcast-Time Warner merger being approved

    ----------------------------------------------------
    "U.S. consumers need only look at Europe, where "heavy-handed regulation has proven to deter investment and has hampered the delivery of products to customer," Marcus insisted."
    -Rob Marcus (CEO Time Warner Cable)
    ------------------------------------------------------

    I mean is it unfair to go after them when the setup is as easy as this?

  • Oct 09, 2014 @ 12:30pm

    I'm just so happy that far right conservatives are able to overcome their hate for the liberal media and basically hand them (cable companies that own networks like MSNBC) a blank check to throttle or outright block anything they want on a whim. Especially in a market where most customers can best be described as members of a captive audience. That's really big of them.

    Maybe now we can finally rid the internet of pro-traditional marriage sites or better yet since it won't be illegal, pay ISP's to have users redirected to gay porn. With Net Neutrality dead the possibilities for trolling Neocon's literally become endless. We could even have sites like Drudge report be redirected to The New York Times.

    After all what are you going to do, switch to another ISP? Don't make me laugh.