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Too Poor to Afford the Internet

nytimes.com

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Re: Too Poor to Afford the Internet

#11

Post by pbhjpbhj »

Is it really $50 per month for basic internet in New York?

In the UK https://www.uswitch.com/broadband/packages/ shows the cheapest broadband package - which includes telephone line rental - to be £18 per month (average across the contract when delivered router is included). That's around $25 (you can get "free" with a telephone service).

What struck me was the kid in the header image has a swanky new laptop, the story confirms the kids bring their laptops with them. Could they pay their neighbour $10 to leech the neighbours wifi? Do they need swanky laptops or just an internet appliance (my work computer is a 3rd hand toshiba on WinXP! - good enough for net+email)?

Do people in the USA tend to go to libraries for wifi rather than [near] to a cafe or other private business leaking free wifi?

Re: Too Poor to Afford the Internet

#12

Post by chatmasta »

jawns wrote: post #10

Can I just say how much I love the way public libraries have navigated themselves into the digital age? They are, as this piece points out, very popular places to access computers and the Internet, and many libraries offer a wealth of digital content. I can check out and instantly download e-books and audiobooks and movies from my library. It's certainly conceivable that they might have transitioned less well. There…

Public libraries are amazingly accessible, but university libraries remain complicit in the ongoing racket of pay-to-read academic literature. Although many university libraries allow guest access during the day, you cannot access their academic subscriptions unless you're on the secure wifi.

Re: Too Poor to Afford the Internet

#13

Post by drops »

Interesting. I live in a country with a minimum wage of $58 a month (Ukraine) and yet the internet is one of the few things that pretty much anyone can afford: high speed connections (50-100mbps) cost about $2-4; rarely more.

Are american high prices the result of scummy pricing on the corporations' side or is it an actual infrastructural issue that prevents the ISPs from providing cheap connections to everyone?

Re: Too Poor to Afford the Internet

#14

Post by gumby »

FussyZeus wrote: post #9

I have a weird question: How come the kids congregate outside the library for the wifi? Is there a thing that you can't go in just to use the wifi? I used to do that all the time in college, didn't even have a card.

when it's closed: "All summer, kids have been hanging out in front of the Morris Park Library in the Bronx, before opening hours and after closing."

Re: Too Poor to Afford the Internet

#15

Post by FussyZeus »

gumby wrote: post #14
FussyZeus wrote: post #9

I have a weird question: How come the kids congregate outside the library for the wifi? Is there a thing that you can't go in just to use the wifi? I used to do that all the time in college, didn't even have a card.

when it's closed: "All summer, kids have been hanging out in front of the Morris Park Library in the Bronx, before opening hours and after closing."

Ah, of course. Should've thought of that.

Re: Too Poor to Afford the Internet

#16

Post by hiharryhere »

jawns wrote: post #10

Can I just say how much I love the way public libraries have navigated themselves into the digital age? They are, as this piece points out, very popular places to access computers and the Internet, and many libraries offer a wealth of digital content. I can check out and instantly download e-books and audiobooks and movies from my library. It's certainly conceivable that they might have transitioned less well. There…

Replying from the NY Public Library in Nolita. Couldn't agree more, the crowd here is a real melting pot. Students, kids, old folk, rich, poor.

I also like the opportunity to get on with work in a quiet place without feeling obliged to buy a coffee.

Re: Too Poor to Afford the Internet

#17

Post by stcredzero »

lumberjack wrote: post #4

Rather than home internet access. I'd create safe study places for these kids to do their homework and even just hang around in. Children in poverty often suffer from dysfunctional families that disrupt their studying and lack of life mentors to motivate them to pay attention in school. If you could have supervised after school hours just for these kids to do their homework and maybe engage in a bit of self learning…

My Librarian friend did indeed do a lot of social work while working for Houston area Public Libraries. If you want to engage in outreach in a location like that, then provide internet, clean bathrooms, air conditioning, and entertainment/activities.

Re: Too Poor to Afford the Internet

#18

Post by Fej »

drops wrote: post #13

Interesting. I live in a country with a minimum wage of $58 a month (Ukraine) and yet the internet is one of the few things that pretty much anyone can afford: high speed connections (50-100mbps) cost about $2-4; rarely more. Are american high prices the result of scummy pricing on the corporations' side or is it an actual infrastructural issue that prevents the ISPs from providing cheap connections to everyone?

It is 100% a corporate issue.

In the US, many people have only one choice for an Internet/TV/phone provider. Some have two choices. It is exceedingly rare to find a place with three choices.

Telecoms are typically granted local monopolies. As a result, they can charge pretty much what they want. And they do. Even in markets with a duopoly, companies very rarely attempt to beat each other on price, it's not in their best long-term interest to (but I doubt they are outright colluding).

The only places where it is more expensive than the norm to build out is in more rural areas... but the telecoms sometimes don't build out there at all, so some people are stuck with whatever they can get with a copper phone line, or satellite Internet if they can afford it (that's very expensive as well).

In my area - Optimum wants $50 for 60/25, plus $10 to rent a modem monthly, plus other taxes and fees (most of them made up) that are nigh impossible to find out beforehand. For TV and phone as well, $90 plus rental fees for the router and required boxes for each TV However, Optimum is terrible at my particular house, but we're one of the lucky ones who can choose Verizon as well. Verizon wants $70 for 100/100, reduced TV service, and phone, plus all the fees above. The telecoms push the bundles very hard.

As you can see, this shit's expensive (adds up to $130).

Re: Too Poor to Afford the Internet

#19

Post by __jal »

drops wrote: post #13

Interesting. I live in a country with a minimum wage of $58 a month (Ukraine) and yet the internet is one of the few things that pretty much anyone can afford: high speed connections (50-100mbps) cost about $2-4; rarely more. Are american high prices the result of scummy pricing on the corporations' side or is it an actual infrastructural issue that prevents the ISPs from providing cheap connections to everyone?

It is classic regulatory capture. US telecom, historically, basically owns the regulators. Occasionally, like now, the FCC pushes back a bit.

Combine that with large regions of low population density and a lot of land, and we have very little competition in the vast majority of the country.

Re: Too Poor to Afford the Internet

#20

Post by cylinder »

lumberjack wrote: post #4

Rather than home internet access. I'd create safe study places for these kids to do their homework and even just hang around in. Children in poverty often suffer from dysfunctional families that disrupt their studying and lack of life mentors to motivate them to pay attention in school. If you could have supervised after school hours just for these kids to do their homework and maybe engage in a bit of self learning…

Many / most schools have after school programs for this reason.
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