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FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler Says Switching ISPs Is Too Hard

Posted by timothy on from the good-reason-to-use-webmail dept.

Jason Koebler writes Did you hear about those Comcast service calls from hell that have been cropping up over the last couple months? So did FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, who said today that switching internet service providers is too damn hard, in part because ISPs have grown used to having a monopoly on broadband services. "Once consumers choose a broadband provider, they face high switching costs that include early-termination fees and equipment rental fees," Wheeler said in a speech today. Wheeler didn't specifically say what the FCC will do (if anything) to change that, but said the answer is to help facilitate more true competition: "If those disincentives to competition weren't enough, the media is full of stories of consumers' struggles to get ISPs to allow them to drop service."

6 of 145 comments (clear)

  1. Switching is too hard? by dontbemad · · Score: 5, Insightful

    How can you call it switching when there is no one else to switch to in most places?

  2. It's the Net Neutrality, Tom by destinyland · · Score: 5, Informative

    I wonder if this is just a cynical attempt to appear "tough on monopolies" -- right before Tom Wheeler guts Net Neutrality forever.

    Reminder: next Wednesday is a "Day of Action" to publicize the need to maintain Net Neutrality.

    http://www.theverge.com/2014/9...

  3. Here's an idea, Tom by EmagGeek · · Score: 5, Interesting

    How about the FCC does this: If you are an ISP and have taken billions of federal dollars to build out infrastructure, you actually have to do it and offer service to people?

  4. A nothing statement that means nothing. by Arkiel · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So Wheeler googled "ISP outrage", clicked the "News" tab, and had an intern write a feel-good do-nothing speech about the Comcast outrage?

    If it were anyone we could at least momentarily pretend that this was an opening salvo in some course of action that would increase incentives to switch by doing something to promote competition to act against the disincentives Comcast forces on the consumer.

    No, no, this is all about draining the political pressure that news story like the Comcast outrage foment. Its about constituents having the illusion of progress and/or representatives being able to tell their constituents that Chairman Wheeler, notable industry shill, is on the case.

  5. Re:Seriously? by mrchaotica · · Score: 5, Informative

    This is why if you're a freelancer, you should have your own domain.

    --

    "[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz

  6. Re:Seriously? by Charliemopps · · Score: 5, Informative

    Too damn hard? I don't even know how to begin to reply to that.

    My wife doesn't want to switch our ISP because her main e-mail address uses that at the domain name, and maybe a thousand friends, business contacts, and acquaintances have it as her contact info.

    Yes, she could change to a gmail account, and after a while the people who need to contact her would change the address in their address books. Eventually. Most of them.

    * (She's a freelancer. In general, when they fail to get in contact with a freelancer, customers usually just go to a different one rather than bother to spend the time to look up the new address.)

    I work for an ISP. That's intentional. In fact, it's the only reason ISPs sitll offer email. It's a nightmare to maintain and has no other benefit to the ISP other than to make customers "sticky"