How Much Does a New Internet Cost?

wschalle writes "Given the recent flurry of articles concerning ISP over subscription, increasing bandwidth needs, and lack of infrastructure spending on the part of cable companies, I'm forced to wonder, what is the solution? How much would a properly upgraded internet backbone cost? How long would it take to make it happen? Will the cable companies step up before Verizon's FiOS becomes the face of broadband in America?"

Comments

About 49.95 a month, if I install it myself

[Saint Stephen]

Whenever I move somewhere the first thing I do is call and get a new internet. It used to take about 6 weeks but now it only takes a couple of days. I'm living out here by the lake now so my internet got installed by some redneck but he did an okay job, my internet is fast enough.

Re:Tell you what...

[starkravingmad]

As my economics professor used to say, we could have dropped washing machines on Vietnam and achieved the same result, and probably killed fewer people.

One simple solution

[SECProto]

Probably the cheapest solution is to kill a couple billion people. that will reduce demand for a fair bit of time.

Re:One simple solution

[jon287]

Ha! Then the phone company would just claim that there aren't enough subscribers in your area to make a broadband deployment feasible, then ask you if you'd like to be put on a waiting list to be notified if it ever becomes available in your area!

(Hint: There is no list, they just put your name on a giant board at the telco along with all of the other suckers on dail-up so everyone can have a good laugh.)