The $200 Billion Broadband Rip-Off

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.

Comments

re: more evidence

[Bayoudegradeable]

Now, before you bash, flame, or mod me troll... hear me out. You say we have market failure in the oil sector. People in the US love to bitch and moan about how expensive oil is (really it's gas that gets the bitching). Ever drive in Europe or Japan? Wanna see what expensive gas looks like, try over there. Few will agree, but the truth is... gas ain't expensive enough! For god's sake, we pour gas into frickin leaf blowers and burn it up pushing leaves on to neighbors yards! Gas is so cheap we drive Hummers, SUVs and other gas sucking mammoths farther then ever before. Thanks to rings of suburbs, commutes get longer, meaning we use... MORE GAS! How many people REALLY carpool? Or take mass transit in this country? If gas were too expensive that number would skyrocket... so I say, gas (by way of oil) is too cheap. Watch how many people use "gas" blowers instead of brooms with really expensive gas prices... Per gallon, gas is cheaper than milk... by a long shot. We consume more oil than any other country on the planet because the oil is too affordable. Or, we really are a country of morons that would rather pay higher prices than ride a train, bus or use a broom to sweep...