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Tech News and Commentary
Dave and the team discuss Facebook being used to recruit and train hitmen, Microsoft new product announcements, a Windows 11 compatibility check update, Apple’s new phones, typing patters as diagnostics, TikTok introducing limits for minors under 14 in China, Netflix launching a free plan in Kenya, the demise of Locast, and more.
Larry in Metamora, Michigan listens to the podcast and asked: “I have Charter Spectrum as my cable provider. I had their package of Cable TV, phone and Internet. My son told me about Sling TV, so I got that and canceled the cable TV portion of the Internet bill. IP providers can see what you’re doing. If they can see that we’re watching programs on Sling TV, are they slowing down the Internet on purpose? There have been a couple of instances where I was watching Sling and my wife was watching Netflix and it just stopped in the middle of the program. So I’m wondering if you’ve ever heard of cable TV companies doing that because you’re not paying them the $246 you were paying before?”
Well Larry, we havent heard of it happening yet, but its been legal since former FCC chairman Ajit Pai did away with net neutrality.
Technically right now AT&Ts broadband service can legally set requests to netflix.com at dialup speeds, or make verizon.com so slow that the page never really finishes loading before scripts time out.
Cable companies can also legally charge you for a streaming package to allow you to access Sling if they want to.
In your case, thats probably not whats going on since we havent seen that in the US yet (it does happen in other countries that lost net neutrality protections), so upping your speed may be all you need.
It could happen in the coming years, though, so dont be terribly surprised if it does.
At the moment the only state with net neutrality protections is California, and it had to fight in court to keep them.
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