Young Women beaten in streets of Tehran while protesting

Iran is about to change.

The Real World from Jack Swift on Vimeo.

Eric Lewis: Striking chords to rock the jazz world

I wish I could come up with words to describe this. I have none.

I will assume you are familiar with Time Warner Cable’s attempted plan to implement consumption based billing.  If you are not, I suggust you take a few minutes and visit StopTheCap.com’s resource page, then take a glance at my long winded analysis of the situation.  The short version is, TWC might be attempting to protect it’s cable TV profits from being eaten away by internet services such as Hulu, or they simply do not intend on meeting consumer need.  Either way TWC fails.  Even if you are not a Time Warner Cable internet customer, or do not live in an area served by Time Warner’s this is an ominous trend for consumers.  However, it should not only be TWC’s consumers that should be angry; TWC’s shareholders are going to get kicked in the rear.

I will give TWC credit for one thing, they are brave.  The bandwith caps are clearly anti-competative and essentially a price increase.  To take such actions in the  middle of an ecconomic downturn, with a political administration that has already concluded that Internet access is paramount to a utility as important as electricity, is a huge act of courage.  Consumer advocates are now prying as deep into TWC’s books as they can.  The more we look at it the more we realise that TWC is taking advantage of its oligopoly position.  TWC is also in the middle of taking part in the highest of anti-competative shenanagins I have ever seen!  Going after a community based internet service provider is not the way to protect your proffits.

So, why exactly should TWC’s share holders be up in arms?  The answer is simple.  This anger and new information has led to a belief that Internet access prices and service levels should be more closely regulated, or that forced sharing of infrastructure should alow for a semi-competative market.  Both possibilities lead to one thing, a huge hit to TWC’s margins.  I believe that right now, I should have access to a 20 megabit upload and download connection to the internet for less than $30 a month.  I know that sounds rediculous, but if this were either a competative market, or a market regulated to simulate competition (as is done with other utilities) I bet we would see that level of service at such a price.

TWC is really rolling the dice here.  If I were a stock holder I would be very unhappy with such a poor choice.  Yes, there is a chance that TWC will see a huge bump in proffits.  The other and increasingly likely side is that TWC will loose its current margins and be stuck with a small regulated margin.

OHS & Denis DiBlasio “Sesame Street”

This is my old high school’s jazz band with legendary barry sax player Denis DiBlasio.

Jack Swift Band – River’s Child

I joined this band a few months ago. This is the first recording I I have with them. I hope you enjoy.