Depatie and Stevens: Bosom Buddies
Clearly Robert Depatie has been spending too much time in Alaska. His arguments for why studios and content producers should subsidize his network were put forward by US Senator Ted “It’s a series of tubes” Stevens months ago. They’re just as wrong now as they were then.Â
Depatie wants content providers to pay extra for access to the Videotron Network. He calls it a “transmission tariff”. Mais, Robert, mon frère, we already pay! Content providers who wish to put their content on the network pay a fee to be connected. Content consumers who wish to consume that content pay another fee.
What it really boils down to is that Monsieur Depatie doesn’t have the stones to pass a price increase on to his customers.
November 2nd, 2006 at 5:36 pm
[...] Couldn’t agree with Mr. Saunders more on this Ted Stevens/VideoTron business. The network carriers in North America are in an identity crisis. They can’t figure out if they’re content vendors or access vendors. They need to figure it out quick. But the point is, everybody who has access to the network is already paying a fee for that access. Certain customers of the network shouldn’t be penalized because of who they are. [...]
November 3rd, 2006 at 7:58 am
[...] Mark Goldberg has weighed into the debate on Net Neutrality, touched off by Robert Depatie’s comments in the Globe. Rob Hyndman has written a lengthy rebuttal of Mark’s position.  Both positions are worth a read. [...]