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The $200 Billion Broadband Rip-Off

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the where's-my-dsl-dangit dept.

Jamie noted that Cringley has a piece about the US Broadband situation. He talks about where we were and where we are: 'not very fast, not very cheap Internet service that is hurting our ability to compete economically with the rest of the world' and about the $200B the phone companies got to make it that way.

5 of 464 comments (clear)

  1. For A Start by JamesRose · · Score: 5, Insightful

    These companies can sell you an 8 meg broadband connection, they'll sell it to 100 people and the line they're selling this on is an 80meg connection (example, not right numbers but right point). Any industry that can do this legally (or just get away with it) is clearly going to screw any consumer they can.

  2. The State of Broadband Today? by morari · · Score: 5, Insightful

    'not very fast, not very cheap Internet[..] And not very available either. Much more of the country is without than is with, I can assure you. The telecoms and cable companies don't care though. For some reason putting out a bit of money for a long-term payoff just doesn't register with corporations.
    --
    "He who can destroy a thing, controls a thing." --Paul Atreides, Dune
  3. Re:more evidence by FooAtWFU · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This is just the latest piece of evidence for the case that completely unbridled market capitalism is not without flaws. Whether there are flaws in "unbridled market capitalism" or not, blaming it in this case is inappropriate, for this isn't a story of completely unbridled market capitalism! The story, and indeed the telecom industry in general, is positively fraught with government intervention and regulation. And though "The FCC was (and probably still is) managed for the benefit of the companies and their lobbyists, not for you and me," that makes it even less free-market, not more.

    I know an economics professor, incidentally, who noted that regulations on trade are generally put in place by the rich and powerful and act to keep the little people down. This is a textbook example.

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    The World Wide Web is dying. Soon, we shall have only the Internet.
  4. Broadband in Holland by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Let me tell you 'bout my friend in Holland. And, no, I don't mean Holland, Michigan. I mean Holland, Holland.

    He pays some ridiculous amount of money monthly, 10 or 20 Euros, and gets high speed broadband, TV (including the porn channels) and phone. His mortgage is 3.8%. Sex of any kind is not against the law and he can travel to any country in the EU without even slowing down as he drives across the border. At the risk of going off topic, do I need to add that health care and education are free.

    Could it be that there's something not quite right here in America?

  5. Re:Don't blame Canada by Captain+Splendid · · Score: 5, Insightful

    When it costs in the neighbourhood of $200 million

    Well, it will do when you make the campaign season last over a freaking year. I always cringe around election time in the US. How much productivity and money is wasted in this regular orgy of popularity contests?

    Go for the British model. Announce elections, campaign 5 weeks, over and done with.

    Forget campaign finance laws and lobbying problems. Just drastically shortening the election season alone would make a huge postive difference in the US.

    --
    Linux, you magnificent bastard, I read the fucking manual!