Re: ISPs slowing P2P traffic...

[Stephane Bortzmeyer <bortzmeyer () nic fr>]

On Tue, Jan 15, 2008 at 12:14:33PM -0600,
 David E. Smith <dave () mvn net> wrote 
 a message of 61 lines which said:

> To try to make this slightly more relevant, is it a good idea,
> either technically or legally, to mandate some sort of standard for
> this? I'm thinking something like the "Nutrition Facts" information
> that appears on most packaged foods in the States, that ISPs put on
> their Web sites and advertisements. I'm willing to disclose that we
> block certain ports [...]

As a consumer, I would say YES. And FCC should mandates it.

Practically speaking, you may find the RFC 4084 "Terminology for
Describing Internet Connectivity" interesting:

   As the Internet has evolved, many types of arrangements have been
   advertised and sold as "Internet connectivity".  Because these may
   differ significantly in the capabilities they offer, the range of
   options, and the lack of any standard terminology, the effort to
   distinguish between these services has caused considerable consumer
   confusion.  This document provides a list of terms and definitions
   that may be helpful to providers, consumers, and, potentially,
   regulators in clarifying the type and character of services being
   offered.

http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc4084.txt