Report: Broadband Too Expensive For Many

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Report: Broadband Too Expensive For Many

Posted by ryuzaki0 on Monday September 23, 2002 @01:39AM from the what's-it-really-worth dept.

An anonymous submitter writes "This AP article, citing a study from the U.S. Commerce Department, reports that "Almost all U.S. families live in areas where a high-speed Internet connection is available, but many see no compelling reason to pay extra for it." The article mentions a survey that found that "more than 70 percent of dial-up users cited cost as the main reason they aren't upgrading to faster access."" It's much like digital cable - the cable networks ratch up the price for...music channels? But broadband is a chicken - egg problem. You won't get people signing up until they see a reason, and you won't get compelling reasons until more people have signed up.

22 of 539 comments (clear)

Min score:

Reason:

Sort:

New topic? by Anonymous Coward · 2002-09-23 01:41 · Score: -1, Offtopic

Does anyone else think Slashdot needs a "No Shit Sherlock" topic?
FP by Anonymous Coward · 2002-09-23 01:41 · Score: -1, Offtopic

FP
1. Re:FP by Anonymous Coward · 2002-09-23 01:42 · Score: -1, Offtopic
  
  Too Late!
2. Re:FP by Anonymous Coward · 2002-09-23 01:47 · Score: -1, Offtopic
  
  if (this_post != fp) {
  stop_the_shit_already();
  this_post++;
  }
second post! by Anonymous Coward · 2002-09-23 01:42 · Score: -1, Offtopic

man, and im at school too! You all suck! Me, Niles, Rules!! BOW DOWN TO ME, I AM IN PHYSICS 2!
1. Re:second post! by Anonymous Coward · 2002-09-23 01:45 · Score: -1, Offtopic
  
  damn, will i ever be cool?
Broadband cost by murcon · 2002-09-23 01:42 · Score: 2, Offtopic

Digital cable made inroads around me when they started offering free installation and 3 months at a reduced rate. (Of course, after three months in our house where the only show that got serious attention was "Farscape", we determined that even that wasn't worth the full price, and we disconnected.) So maybe DSL and cable providers should look at making the first few months the same cost as dial-up, just to get people to try it.
1. Re:Broadband cost by DeadSea · 2002-09-23 02:41 · Score: 3, Offtopic
  I tried digital cable and it was far worse.
  
  The worst offender was the time that it takes to change channels. Digital takes almost half a second where my analog is almost instantaneous.
  
  The picture quality wasn't improved. In fact, I noticed significant mpeg like artifacts especially right after you changed the channel.
  
  The programming was almost the same. I never used any of the extra channels I got.
  
  I needed a cable box, but the analog plugs directly into my tv and tivo.
  
  With digital, channel surfing was nearly impossible because of the channel change lag, and that was my biggest reason for switching back to analog.
Nice Monday Morning Fluff by Gimpin · 2002-09-23 01:43 · Score: -1, Offtopic

Is anyone reviewing this crap, or am I not the only one with a hangover still from the weekend?

--
"Simon Says, Fuck You" - George Carlin
what the hell is Google News? by Anonymous Coward · 2002-09-23 01:43 · Score: -1, Offtopic

Is it the way for Google to become Altavista while pretending to remain impartial and neutral to sponsorship? I sure don't see MY news site there, but I certainly see a whole lot of "mainstream" sites linked to. Once again, Google disappoints me by following its "the more links you can afford to your site by advertising, the higher your ranking becomes" strategy.
Yup by Anonymous Coward · 2002-09-23 02:23 · Score: -1, Offtopic

You got it in one! I see you've been reading up with the Klan leaflets. Man, its good to have some well read people around here!
Sad news ... Stephen King dead at 55 by Anonymous Coward · 2002-09-23 02:30 · Score: -1, Offtopic

I just heard some sad news on talk radio - horror/fiction writer Stephen King was found dead in his Florida home this morning. He turned 55 a few days ago, and there weren't anymore details. I'm sure the entire slashdot community will miss him; even if you weren't a fan of his work there's no denying his contributions to popular culture. Truly an American icon.
Re:Broadband? by Anonymous Coward · 2002-09-23 03:41 · Score: -1, Offtopic

My, my, what a potty mouth. You must not have gotten laid this weekend.
NO SHIT! by unicron · 2002-09-23 03:51 · Score: 1, Offtopic

Lemme get this straight: The cost of something being too high is a main factor stopping someone from buying it? What a crazy world we live in!

remember, this post != trolling.

--
Finally, math books without any of that base 6 crap in them.
Re:And you must be on AOL. by dlb · 2002-09-23 06:17 · Score: 0, Offtopic

I guess the 'fattie' comment sort of hit too close to home, huh?
Re:And you must be on AOL. by Scratch-O-Matic · 2002-09-23 06:22 · Score: 1, Offtopic

NICE!

5'10, 160lb.

--

Evil is the money of root.
Re:And you must be on AOL. by swillden · 2002-09-23 06:24 · Score: 1, Offtopic

Come try my 5k, the one I do on my lunch hour. It includes 4000 feet of vertical elevation change. And starts at 6000 feet above sea level.
I'll bury you.

--
Note to ACs: I usually delete AC replies without reading them. If you want to talk to me, log in.
Re:And you must be on AOL. by swillden · 2002-09-23 14:15 · Score: 0, Offtopic

Well, "running" isn't quite right. Much of it is really climbing rocky and wooded slopes that are much steeper than 50 degrees. It's nearly vertical in a couple of spots.
And the distance is probably further than 5k round trip.
And it does take a rather long lunch hour to finish it. More like a "marketing lunch".
Still, the point is that five PCs, a laptop and a wireless LAN does not necessarily a couch potato make.

--
Note to ACs: I usually delete AC replies without reading them. If you want to talk to me, log in.
Re:And you must be on AOL. by swillden · 2002-09-23 14:18 · Score: 0, Offtopic

No. You finish at the starting point. I find that when I'm driving myself, that makes it much easier to get home.

--
Note to ACs: I usually delete AC replies without reading them. If you want to talk to me, log in.
Re:And you must be on AOL. by John+Harrison · 2002-09-24 02:50 · Score: 1, Offtopic

My calculations give a much smaller number than 50 degrees. I am wondering where you start at though. The valley is below 5000 ft. Lake is at what, between 4200 and 4300? Also 4000 ft of elevation change isn't the same as 4000 ft of elevation gain. Do you mean gain? If you do then the average incline, assuming 5k round trip, is about 25 degrees. If you meant 2000 ft of gain, then your angle is only 13 degrees.
I miss the mountains.

--
Lasers Controlled Games!
Re:And you must be on AOL. by swillden · 2002-09-24 03:28 · Score: 0, Offtopic

In the words of Al Borland "I Don't Think So Tim"
In the words of my 10th grade Trig teacher: "Do that again. You got it wrong."
5km = 16000 feet, roughly, 8000 out and 8000 back. 4000 feet of elevation change means 2000 up and 2000 down.
To get the angle, then, calculate arcsin(2000/8000), which is 14.5 degrees.
A 50-degree incline would make the elevation change almost equal to the length of the run.
Thanks to John for pointing that out. It should have been obvious to me.

--
Note to ACs: I usually delete AC replies without reading them. If you want to talk to me, log in.
Re:And you must be on AOL. by swillden · 2002-09-24 03:41 · Score: 0, Offtopic

I was thinking of Adam's Canyon, above Gentile Street in Layton. I'm told that the waterfall is about two miles and 2000 vertical feet from the trailhead, which is at about 4600 feet, not 6000, so I was, ahem, embellishing a bit on the altitude.
Based on that, I get an average incline of about 11 degrees (assuming the 2 miles is the hypotenuse of the triangle). Feels like it's steeper, though, especially the last half mile when your quads are shrieking for mercy. :-)
I miss the mountains.
I can certainly understand that... Take up sailing?

--
Note to ACs: I usually delete AC replies without reading them. If you want to talk to me, log in.