[LINK] IPTv

[Richard Chirgwin]

[big snip]
> So how come other countries, *most* other countries, have unlimited  
> domestic internet accounts?  Including the US?  What are we doing  
> differently?  What are we doing so wrong?
>
> Kim
>
>   
This was partly explained to me by Glen Turner of AARNET.

Take Germany: most Germans download content from German servers, because 
they're in the local language. Ditto most non-English speaking 
countries, I guess. By extrapolation ...

But Australia is an aberration - most of our downloads come from US 
servers; 80% by the last estimate I heard. We're non-normal in that 
respect.

That means that 80% of the content delivered over Australian Internet 
connections has to be *bought* from America. We have to pay the US Tier 
One networks - via the gang of four.

A second reason is the un-cooperative behaviour of our ISPs. Some years 
ago now, the ACCC launched an inquiry into whether the "gang of four" 
(Telstra, Optus, AAPT and OzEmail in those days, OzEmail's status in the 
Go4 was inherited by Verizon via acquisition, IIRC) should be forced to 
peer. Should peering be a "declared service"?

The problem was that most of the ISPs who wanted declaration declined to 
take part, in any way at all, in the ACCC process by merely providing 
information. The inquiry died not because of the Go4, but because of the 
ISPs.

So the other thing "we're doing wrong" is that we let most ISPs act like 
spoiled children. They were invited into the adult world of doing things 
according to proper process, and they went to the bedroom and sulked.

(I documented this some years ago when it was going on. All I got for my 
efforts was the finger and a bellyache.)

RC