I would use a better analogy as a tollbooth to the road to the malls and shops across town to properly charge the smartphones a commission for the service.The convoluted pretzel logic that is being used here. A better analogy is a popup stall in a mall that has to pay the mall owner commissions on sales and probably a base amount of rent for the space as well.
Apple asserts that its platform 'enables' transactions, thus justifying commissions.
And I agree. But the ISPs are the ultimate enablers.
No data transmission, no commerce, Therefore:
- Any monetary exchange occurring on a device connected to our network constitutes a 'Network-Facilitated
Transaction' (NFT). - The ISP, as the foundational enabler, is owed a 30% Infrastructure Enablement Fee (IEF) on the gross value of said NFT
This applies irrespective of: - Payment processor (Apple Pay, Stripe, cash-in-a-browser),
- Platform intermediary (App Store, Safari, carrier pigeon app),
- Apple's own commission policies.
user pays $30 for internet and $30 for a Netflix subscription. Apple takes a 30% commission ($9) from Netflix, then ISP can demand the same industry standard 30% commission for the value transaction $9 from Apple. Then they extend it to Amazon physical goods (where Apple takes 0%) and browser-based purchases (where Apple takes 0% but ISP still demands 30%).
The Ironclad Case for ISP Commission Rights
The Sacred Conduit Principle
- Smartphones are inert bricks without OUR networks. Every byte of revenue-generating data be it a Netflix subscription, an Uber ride, or a crypto trade flows through OUR pipes. If Apple can tax apps for existing on their hardware, we tax transactions for existing on our infrastructure. Without our 5G/Wi-Fi lifeline, your 'digital business' is a tree falling in an offline forest. We didn’t lay fiber so you could freeload!"
- Smartphones are inert bricks without OUR networks. Every byte of revenue-generating data be it a Netflix subscription, an Uber ride, or a crypto trade flows through OUR pipes. If Apple can tax apps for existing on their hardware, we tax transactions for existing on our infrastructure. Without our 5G/Wi-Fi lifeline, your 'digital business' is a tree falling in an offline forest. We didn’t lay fiber so you could freeload!"
The Double-Dip Defense
- You say users already pay us for data plans? So what! Apple users pay for iPhones AND get free access to the AppStore . Companies pay for servers? Irrelevant! Those servers connect through OUR networks. If you earn $1 via a smartphone, it’s only possible because:
Step 1: Our network exists (you pay for access).
Step 2: Our network transmits your transaction (you pay for usage).
Step 3: Profit is generated (we deserve a cut for enabling value creation).
This isn’t double-dipping it’s triple-validated value capture!
The Innovation TaxPrecedent
- Apple charges fees to fund R&D. Marvelous! We’ll call our commission the Bandwidth Innovation Surcharge (BIS). Building 6G isn’t cheap! Without BIS, how can we invent latency-free hologram calls or implantable 10G chips? If developers must subsidize Apple’s laser sensors, why shouldn’t Shopify subsidize our quantum routers? It’s basic innovation economics.
- Think Apple’s 'link tax' is bold? We go further! If you so much as mention a website in a text message (e.g., ‘Check out my Etsy shop!’), our AI deep-packet inspectors will detect the revenue intent and apply a 15% ‘Referral Infrastructure Fee.’ After all, that link wouldn’t convert without OUR network. Fair’s fair!
Apple says: 'We built iOS, so we deserve a cut of everything.' Well, ISPs built the internet's backbone! Why should Apple reap billions from our infrastructure investment? If ios is a 'toll road' for apps, then fiber cables are the 'interstate highway' for Apple's entire business. Trucks (data) using the highway (internet) pay tolls (ISP fees) - and Apple is the trucking company profiting from our roads!
Conclusion: By Apple’s own logic, ISPs are the true lords of the digital economy. If a hardware platform can tax software, the network transporting that software deserves tribute too. Let’s call it The Universal Carrier Commission Clause because if you’re not monetizing every value creation you enabled, you’re leaving money on the table.
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