> I doubt it will get better. Lots are into nickle and dime'ing for > everyone to get an extra buck. Look at wireless, they charge for x > Mega/giga bits per month from your hand help device (phone). Oh you > want to tether, that will be more? Say what? Bits are bits but somehow > tethered bits are different. Oh, its cause we can pretend and charge > more for them....
I don't think it's a matter of pretending that some bits are different than others. The simple reality is that for the vast, vast majority of cell phone users, they will generate a tiny number of packets untethered, and a fair number of packets tethered. Given that many tower backhauls, especially in metropolitan areas, are already far above their data/channel capacity, it's obvious that this is (and always has been) an attempt to discourage tethering. As for charging for residential static assignments, I don't think it's all that odd, or 'despicable'. Allocating static assignments consumes engineer time for configuration and documentation. On a business class service, you can eat that cost fairly easily. On a low-yield residential circuit, there has to be some long term ROI because that work probably takes the margin out of the service for months. Nathan As always, these are my own views, and not that of my employer.
