Topic: Throttling

The claim that Verizon throttled Santa Clara firefighters during a wildfire is revisited. While used by the FCC to justify net neutrality, the incident is described as a data plan limit issue rather than a violation of open internet principles.

The European Union is considering a temporary suspension of net neutrality laws to manage network congestion as millions of people work from home. The surge in traffic from streaming services like Netflix and online gaming threatens the bandwidth needed for essential services like telemedicine. The hosts argue this proves their long-standing point that ISPs must be able to manage their networks during emergencies.

Facebook is reportedly developing a trustworthiness rating for its users, which the hosts compare to China's social credit system. In a separate story, Mendocino County firefighters are suing Verizon for throttling their data during a wildfire. The hosts argue that net neutrality would actually prevent the priority access the firefighters are seeking.

Frustrating interactions with T-Mobile customer support reveal that international roaming speeds are often throttled to 128 kilobits per second despite paid upgrades. After escalating the issue via Twitter to CEO John Legere, the user is asked to install a social media help app with invasive permissions, highlighting the inefficiency of standard troubleshooting scripts.

The FCC announced a $100 million fine against AT&T for allegedly deceiving customers on unlimited data plans by severely throttling their internet speeds. The government claims the company was not transparent about the extent of the slowdowns, which made streaming and video calls difficult for high-usage subscribers.

The new FCC rules introduce the term "lawful content," which the hosts suggest could allow for government-mandated blocking of specific IP addresses or services like Pirate Bay. The ban on "paid prioritization" and "consideration" may disrupt existing peering arrangements where companies like Netflix or Google place servers within ISP facilities. This regulatory shift is compared to the "Carterphone" decision, though the hosts argue the comparison is technically flawed and intended to confuse the public.

Tumblr CEO David Karp appeared on CNBC to advocate for net neutrality, using terms like "separating the layers of the stack" and "bright line rules." During the interview, Karp was challenged by Joe Kernan regarding his claims that internet service providers are "throttling" bandwidth. The hosts criticize Karp's performance and suggest his platform is primarily designed for pornographic content, which may face future regulation.

The discussion shifts to "throttling" and the technical reality of peering agreements. The hosts explain that Netflix provides free appliances to ISPs to cache content locally, and they argue that net neutrality rules might actually ban these efficient arrangements by labeling them as "unfair" prioritization.

In a protest against the FCC's net neutrality proposals, the web hosting service NeoCities identified the FCC's internal IP range and throttled their connection speeds to 28.8kbps. This "slow lane" treatment is intended to give the agency a firsthand experience of the packet inequality that critics argue their policies will create for the general public.

The hosts discuss a Guardian article criticizing the UK's pursuit of expensive high-speed rail lines while basic train services remain unaffordable. In the US, 74 Democrats signed a letter to the FCC supporting internet throttling by major carriers like Verizon and AT&T. The hosts argue this is a direct attack on net neutrality and share personal experiences with unreliable cable internet service.

A report from the UK Aircraft Accident Investigation Board details a 2007 incident where a Boeing 737's auto-throttle disengaged, nearly causing a stall at Bournemouth Airport. Adam Curry compares this to the recent Turkish Airways crash near Schiphol, suggesting a systemic software or subsystem fault in the Boeing 737 series. The hosts express concern over increasing automation in aircraft.