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AT&T Wants $100 Million From California Taxpayers For Aging DSL (dslreports.com)

Posted by msmash on from the crossing-the-line dept.

An anonymous reader quotes an article on DSLReports: AT&T is asking California taxpayers to give them $100 million so that it can provide several parts of the state with unreliable, slow and expensive DSL service. Under Assembly Bill 2130 (written by AT&T lobbyists), AT&T would receive $100 million from state taxpayers. In return, AT&T would only need to provide 10 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload and would have little to no oversight over whether the $100 million is even being used for the DSL service.

8 of 224 comments (clear)

  1. and unsurprisingly... by Lead+Butthead · · Score: 3, Insightful

    they'll get it.

    --
    ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTHANI!?
    1. Re:and unsurprisingly... by sycodon · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Comcast, Time Warner, and AT&T are having a contest

      1. Who can be the biggest dick to their customer.
      2. Who can screw over local governments the most.
      3. Who can screw over State governments the most.
      4. Grand Prize, screw over the Federal Government and ALL taxpayers.

      --
      When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.
  2. Umm... no. by BronsCon · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Really, AT&T? You want yet more money from us, with no oversight or guarantee that you're going to use it for the purpose for which we would give it to you?

    You think we don't see how poorly that arrangement has worked for us in the past? Kindly fuck off.

    --
    APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
  3. Well, Yes, by Etherwalk · · Score: 4, Insightful

    But AT&T probably has given at least ONE or two of those millions to the people they're asking for the hundred million. It's really just an investment. The DSL has nothing to do with it.

  4. Re:DSL isn't necessarily unreliable by l0n3s0m3phr34k · · Score: 3, Insightful

    You don't "need" a land line, it's called a "dry loop". I've had one for almost five years now. It still sucks compared to fiber though lol.

  5. Business as usual by demigod · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This is Business as usual in the Corporate States of America.

    The companies write the laws that say we have to pay them.

    profit.
     

    --
    "The last thing I want to do is deal with a bunch of people who want something."
    Major Major
  6. Re:Let it begin by mrchaotica · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Counteroffer should be that AT&T pays back the BILLIONS in subsidies they have already received and actually builds out the fiber that they've already promised to build!

    And then the state should confiscate it and then use competitive bidding to decide who gets to manage it. Why? Because FUCK YOU, AT&T, that's why!

    --

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

  7. Re:The U.S government is EXTREMELY corrupt. by Required+Snark · · Score: 3, Insightful
    The rich are people who pay only capital gains taxes at roughly 35% percent, which is far lower then normal humans pay. They are also those like Mitt Romney who have hundred of million of dollars in an IRA, which is impossible for normal humans as well.

    And if you talk about taxes, a vast amount of our horribly complex tax code exists solely for the purpose of keeping "the rich" from paying taxes. Tax breaks are free money, and they invariably go to the rich.

    Were you born that stupid, or did you practice to lower your mental abilities?

    --
    Why is Snark Required?