17 February 2005
Russell's Blog can be found at http://publicaddress.net/default,hardnews.sm
I was wrong this week about TelstraClear not peering with the Wellington Internet Exchange. They haven't pulled the plug on the WIX yet - but it seems they'll do so in the next few days - at which point the local Internet will promptly get worse.
If you're on an ISP on TelstraClear's network, every time you connect with a content provider that connects to the WIX (Stuff, Radio New Zealand) or its counterpart, the Auckland Peering Exchange (TVNZ), the content will reach you via Australia. Can anyone confirm for me whether such traffic to Xtra customers is already taking such a route?
Looks like Radio New Zealand is starting to get hard-nosed about the problem. The new text accompanying its Enzology web programmes reads:
Please note that if you are an XTRA customer then these programmes may not play. This is not due to a fault on your machine or a fault with our audio server.
This is due to XTRA not 'peering' with our NZ content audio server at the Wellington Internet Exchange (WIX). Our international content server is not affected.
You will need to contact the XTRA help desk and lodge a complaint.
We also understand that another ISP may soon remove access to this content by 'de-peering' from WIX. If you previously could access the programmes and now cannot please contact your ISP's help desk and lodge a complaint.
You might think that when you pay your Internet bill, you're paying to connect to the rest of the world. That, unfortunately, is not how the big two see it. They want to bill you and charge content providers for delivering the traffic you have requested. It is, I am afraid, bullshit.