Table of contents:

* 1 - [telecom] Verizon's Sponsored Data Shouldn't Hurt Net Neutrality
  [teleocm] - Bill Horne <bill@horneQRM.net>
* 2 - [telecom] Would Verizon's "Sponsored Data" plans violate Net Neutrality?
  - Bill Horne <bill@horneQRM.net>
* 3 - [telecom] T_Mobile slams Verizon to the tune of "Jingle Bells" - Bill
  Horne <bill@horneQRM.net>
* 4 - [telecom] Verizon is about to ruin the Internet - Bill Horne
  <bill@horneQRM.net>

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Message-ID: <n4hjde$1eo$1@dont-email.me>
Date: Sat, 12 Dec 2015 11:55:34 -0500
From: Bill Horne <bill@horneQRM.net>
Subject: [telecom] Verizon's Sponsored Data Shouldn't Hurt Net Neutrality
 [teleocm]

by  Stacey Higginbotham
Fortune

But it is bad for business.

Verizon is planning to follow in AT&T's footsteps with its own plan to
let advertisers pay the carrier for the mobile data consumers use when
watching certain content. This plan, which AT&T introduced back in 2014,
might let a company like Hershey's pay to let a consumer watch a mobile
video ad for the chocolate without having that ad count against the
consumer's mobile data cap. In fact, at one time, Hershey's was an
actual client (using a third-party provider) of AT&T's sponsored data
plan for that exact reason.

In general, the media and open Internet fans hate this plan. The idea
that consumers already pay Verizon for mobile data, and that Verizon
might also get to charge advertisers another fee for the same bits
infuriates them. Some hate the idea of this because carriers are
double-dipping on revenue.

http://fortune.com/2015/12/11/verizons-sponsored-data/

--
Bill Horne
(Remove QRM from my email address to write to me directly)


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Message-ID: <n4hhde$pjp$1@dont-email.me>
Date: Sat, 12 Dec 2015 11:21:24 -0500
From: Bill Horne <bill@horneQRM.net>
Subject: [telecom] Would Verizon's "Sponsored Data" plans violate Net
 Neutrality?

Jeff Ward-Baile
The Christian Science Monitor

Verizon's 'sponsored data' program would allow wireless customers to
access some services without counting against their monthly data caps,
so long as those companies pay Verizon. But net neutrality advocates
say this gives deep-pocketed companies an unfair advantage.

When you watch a video, listen to an album, or visit a website on a 3G
or 4G network, you use up a little bit of your mobile data allotment -
except when you don't. A few wireless companies, including AT&T,
T-Mobile, and now Verizon, have been experimenting with special
"Sponsored" plans in which certain services - such as Netflix or
Spotify -  wouldn't count against customers' monthly data caps.

http://www.csmonitor.com

--
Bill Horne
(Remove QRM from my email address to write to me directly)


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Message-ID: <n4hjsc$3hl$1@dont-email.me>
Date: Sat, 12 Dec 2015 12:03:30 -0500
From: Bill Horne <bill@horneQRM.net>
Subject: [telecom] T_Mobile slams Verizon to the tune of "Jingle Bells"

T-Mobile US CEO John Legere continues aggressive marketing against rival
carriers

by Sean Kinney
RCR Wireless

T-Mobile US, led by colorful CEO John Legere, has pulled no punches in
calling out rival carriers as part of its well-received (by customers)
"un-carrier" ad campaign.

The latest calls out Sprint for not being able to retain customers, and
goes after Verizon Wireless' recently launched streaming video service
Go90. The T-Mobile US holiday greeting doesn't name-check AT&T like it
does the other two carriers.

Legere, clad in magenta, takes a stage, picks up a baton, then begins to
conduct a choir. Here's a sample of the lyrics, set to the tune of the
holiday classic "Jingle Bells."

"Sprint like hell, Sprint like hell, they copy all the way. Their rates
could not get low enough for anyone to stay - hey! Jingle bells, Verizon
smells, Go90 laid an egg. ..."

http://www.rcrwireless.com

--
Bill Horne
(Remove QRM from my email address to write to me directly)


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Message-ID: <n4hl2i$8bp$1@dont-email.me>
Date: Sat, 12 Dec 2015 12:23:53 -0500
From: Bill Horne <bill@horneQRM.net>
Subject: [telecom] Verizon is about to ruin the Internet

by Brad Reed, BGR

One thing that's traditionally been great about the Internet is the way
anyone with a great idea and good business sense can launch an app or a
service that can disrupt incumbent businesses practically overnight.
This model has served us well over the years but Verizon doesn't think
it's good enough anymore since it's not making Verizon enough money. As
Re/code reports, Verizon is going to start rolling out its own
"sponsored data" program next year in which companies can pay money to
have their data not count against customers' monthly data limits.

To be clear, AT&T was the first mobile carrier to pioneer this type of
pricing scheme but so far it hasn't done much to actually push it. From
Re/code's report, it sounds like Verizon is going to get much more
aggressive about getting companies to pony up in exchange for having
their traffic zero rated.

http://bgr.com/2015/12/09/verizon-sponsored-data-plans-net-neutrality/

--
Bill Horne
(Remove QRM from my email address to write to me directly)


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End of telecom Digest Sun, 13 Dec 2015