2008 Woodie Awards
Money Bytes
Internet providers consider Web costs
M. Antonio Silas
Business & Technology Editor
Issue date: 1/28/08 Section: Business
According to a New York Times report and reports from several other news outlets, Times Warner is testing the concept of charging its users for the amount of bandwidth they use.
For the technologically illiterate, this basically means that users will be charged according to how long they spend online and how much they download.
All of the "free" music and movies that are downloaded could now actually cost in the future.
If all Internet service providers went to this method of charging users for their time, it could mean a number of things.
For a technological generation, it could mean more careful rationing of time on the Internet. Imagine graduating from college and having to pay for your time on the Internet per gigabyte.
The free file sharing programs would still require users to pay for whatever they download.
This brings up the question of whether companies are more concerned with what would be in the best interest of their company or the consumers.
Instead of having a flat rate with unlimited service, we could all be limited in how we use the Internet. Time Warner could possibly be testing out this plan to cash in on users who watch television over the net.
While this possibility is still in the planning stages, it could very well be a stable payment plan in the future. It could add various amounts to monthly bills, and in a college aspect, many of the fees that students already have to dish out on a constant basis.
This idea isn't written in stone just yet, but being mindful that it's possibly on its way is a good decision. Consumers should enjoy the flat rate while they can; it might actually cost to bootleg that new movie next time.•
For the technologically illiterate, this basically means that users will be charged according to how long they spend online and how much they download.
All of the "free" music and movies that are downloaded could now actually cost in the future.
If all Internet service providers went to this method of charging users for their time, it could mean a number of things.
For a technological generation, it could mean more careful rationing of time on the Internet. Imagine graduating from college and having to pay for your time on the Internet per gigabyte.
The free file sharing programs would still require users to pay for whatever they download.
This brings up the question of whether companies are more concerned with what would be in the best interest of their company or the consumers.
Instead of having a flat rate with unlimited service, we could all be limited in how we use the Internet. Time Warner could possibly be testing out this plan to cash in on users who watch television over the net.
While this possibility is still in the planning stages, it could very well be a stable payment plan in the future. It could add various amounts to monthly bills, and in a college aspect, many of the fees that students already have to dish out on a constant basis.
This idea isn't written in stone just yet, but being mindful that it's possibly on its way is a good decision. Consumers should enjoy the flat rate while they can; it might actually cost to bootleg that new movie next time.•
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