[arin-ppml] "Could the Internet run out of space?" (CNN; quotes from Ben Edelman)

[Ted Mittelstaedt]

This is Executive Education?  (see the top of the webpage) 

Some of my favorite quotes from the article:


"...much of the technology which supports it has grown organically ..."

And the directors spoke amongst themselves, saying one to another: "It
contains that which aids plant growth, and is very strong." - from "How Shit
Happens"  (available at all fine humor websites)


"...This isn't just a theoretical debate, but something experts warn could
become a real issue within a few years..."

Hey, we're experts, we're experts!  COULD become?

"...the so-called IP addresses..."

Who you callin a so-called IP address!!!

"...could seriously hamper the Internet, saying the Web is in danger.."

Repeat after me: The Internet == Web.  The Internet == Web.  The Internet ==
Web.
Forget that man behind the curtain with a Linux box running secure
shell!!!!!

"...existing providers can't hold customers hostage..."

Hello!  Anyone heard of non-portable numbers?  Like what most customers
have?  Clue phone ringing!  Already happening!!

"..The bigger worries come if Internet Service Providers just cannot expand,
or just cannot enter the market. If that were to come to pass, I wouldn't be
surprised to see effects on service price and quality..." 

YES.  It would GET BETTER.  Did the author of the article ever stop to
reflect that consumer Internet access prices have stood at the venerable
$20 a month for the last FIFTEEN YEARS, and at the same time, bandwidth
has grown for the same dollar amount?  Every other industry has periodic
price increases EXCEPT US.  The ONLY WAY that this was sustainable was
by prices for upstream bandwidth dropping every year, which they did,
and ISP's buying more bandwidth and bringing on more $20-a-month
customers.  As a result the ISP's dollar sales increased which covered
all the other price increases ISP's have to pay, such as labor, office
rent, increased health costs, etc. etc.  PROFITS stayed FLAT.

But in the US the consumer access market hit saturation a while ago.  So
now, the only way to continue to grow revenue is stealing customers from the
weaker players.  As a result the number of ISP's in the US has been
shrinking, smaller ISP's are squeezed more at the expense of larger ISPs.
Eventually it will be all larger ISP's who will continue to consolidate
until they run up against anti-trust barriers, and then prices will
finally rise DESPITE WHAT IS DONE WITH SALES OF IPV4.  And then
once no customer growth is possible, the mega-ISP's will have customers
hostage and
ALL of them will jack rates WAY up.  Just like the soft drink manufacturers
have done - it's no coincidence that a 2-liter of EITHER Coke or Pepsi
costs the same $1.20 a bottle - and the contents of said bottle, wholesale
out to about 2 cents.  "but we have competition in soft drinks"  Yeah,
sure we do.

Obviously, this article came from a bunch of conservatives still stuck 
back in 1980 who can't admit their own incompetence.  Kind of what I
expected
from CNN.

Ted

> -----Original Message-----
> From: arin-ppml-bounces at arin.net 
> [mailto:arin-ppml-bounces at arin.net] On Behalf Of Paul Vixie
> Sent: Thursday, April 02, 2009 6:28 AM
> To: ppml at arin.net
> Subject: [arin-ppml] "Could the Internet run out of space?" 
> (CNN;quotes from Ben Edelman)
> 
> http://www.cnn.com/2009/BUSINESS/03/28/execed.websites/index.html
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