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Comment by ajb | Hacker News Reader

Wow. So, if we work out a way for carriers to fund content (in return for increased marginal data consumptiom) then we can ditch the ad-funding model?

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Nope. We'll just get ads as well. Companies tend to maximise their profits with whatever they can get away with. Once upon a time, pay TV argued "no ads" as a reason for purchasing. Then, once they had a base of users... along came the ads.

If they fund it, they'll be able to tell us where we can get our news.

Isn't this exactly what net neutrality is fighting?

I thought it was fighting the reverse: content creators/publishers pay to have priority access to consumers. Or is it fighting both directions?

Or rather, if we work out a way for users to spend their money on content instead of the ad traffic, we can ditch the ad-funding model. This shows that viewer-pays web content is economically feasible, we just need some technology to get the money from the user to the content provider.

Of course viewer-pays web content is economically feasible. Because we are already paying for it! Where do you think the advertisers get their money from? The idea that ads give us things for free is an utter lie: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8585237

You're right about the need for technology innovation around payment. The problem is, there is more money to be made under the current ad regime. When you ask people to pay for things, they will only pay for the things they truly think are worth it (That's key to the idea of the free-market!) But when you get people to use your product by fooling them into thinking its free, but while they are mesmerized by their good fortune at all this free stuff your accomplice the advertiser is on the other side picking their pocket, who then gives you a hefty cut, you can make gobs of money! https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10047706

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