Cable Choice

Next Generations of Internet

Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix, has some interesting thoughts (via GigaOm) on the next generations (yes, "generations" with an "s") of the Internet. Web 2.0 is the term-of-art for the emerging broadband world that we frequently talk about on this blog. Over Web 2.0, web-based applications that function in the several (3-8) Mbps range already seem futuristic to many consumers today. Hastings looks over the next hill and discusses what will be possible with Web 3.0 and the amazing speeds that will be available:

"We are seeing the beginning of things," said Reed Hastings, chief executive of online DVD rental company Netflix at the TechNet Innovation Summit in San Jose, of video on the web. "Web 2.0 is broadband. Web 3.0 is 10 gigabits a second."

Competition by providers like the phone and cable companies will spur technological advances that will make Web 3.0 reality. The amount of time it will take to achieve the speeds Hastings is talking about is dependent on how soon competition comes into the marketplace. As we’ve seen in selected markets across the country, when a competitor comes in, speeds go up.

Competition is Good

We’re not the only ones in the blogosphere who think having a choice for cable is a good thing. Popular blog RedState has a pretty good run down of how a competitor comes into a market and speeds go up, choices are added and, best of all, prices go down or remain flat with new services added. Broadbandblog thinks the same way – make the big companies compete and let the consumer choose.

Get Comcast Installed for $10,000

Ed Foster’s Gripe blog has an amazing story from a consumer who feels like he’s being ripped off. Here’s a clip:

After Comcast took over the previous cable company, it decided it was not bound by any commitments to extend service to neighborhoods it doesn't consider profitable enough. "For over two years now, I've been trying to get Comcast to return to the area and finish the job started originally," the reader wrote. "Comcast officials have told me that under their current 'guidelines' our whole community -- let alone my street -- should not have had cable service in the first place because the housing is not dense enough. In no way will they extend to my specific house unless I pay an extortion fee -- $9,885 was what they said in a recent letter sent to me. Of course they don't call it extortion, they call it 'costs'."

Read the entire entry and let us know if you think the consumer rightly feels he is being ripped off.

The Building Blocks of Your Own Internet TV Channel

The Participatory Culture Foundation website gives just about anyone with a computer who wants to put video content on the Internet the tools they need and the training. The goal of PCF is to “to create an independent, creative, engaging, and meritocratic TV system for millions of people around the world.”

One of the distinct advantages of true broadband is the capability to have fully interactive media. Content can be generated by anyone and viewed by anyone. With true broadband and PCF tools, consumers can become the programmers and take control of what’s available to watch.

Broadband, Broadband, Broadband...

IPTV and video over broadband are hot topics among a lot of technology bloggers these days. Russ Taylor of Digital Lifestyle (via PSFK) really says it the best:

"Broadband, broadband,broadband. The number one priority for policy-makers should be to get faster, cheaper broadband to more areas of the country. With these types of services … is there any policy goal more important than broadband if you really have the interests of consumers at heart?

Broadband Content Online Growing Rapidly

A few weeks ago Jim wrote about how Comedy Central was launching a new content channel, MotherLoad, specifically for broadband delivery. Since then, a variety of other smaller cable based channels announced similar broadband content. Now the major networks are joining in. NBC and CBS (via CNET) are going to provide their programming (for a fee) over broadband.

What makes this interesting to us is that it foreshadows the coming broadband age where true broadband is the norm. This new broadband era will take off when true competition to cable takes place. And with competition, consumers get more choices and more control over the content they watch whether they have cable or truly high-speed Internet connections.

All Things IPTV

The future of broadband and video is one of our main themes in our blog.  Another great site with a great deal of interesting material and links is TVOver.Net, a blog about IPTV.  From their site: “TVover.net aggregates news on Internet TV and Internet Protocol TV (IPTV). We also contain a comprehensive list of Internet TV stations.”  Click on over and check them out.