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The $200 Billion Rip-Off: Our broadband future was stolen (2007)

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Re: The $200 Billion Rip-Off: Our broadband future was stolen (2007)

#11

Post by MichaelApproved »

grecy wrote: post #9
catmanjan wrote: post #4

I'm Australian, am I to understand that our internet quality and distribution is only just approaching what the American's had in 2007? WTF!? I wish poor internet connection was something I could really get upset about, but I guess the rest of my life is a lot better than most around the world.

As an Australian that lived in America for a long time, trust me when I say life in Australia with crappy internet is significantly better than life in America with fast internet. You don't want to live there, trust me.

You've got to be more specific when you say "there" or at least mention what you found wrong. The US is a large country with vast differences between the cities. Your experience in one area could be dramatically different from another area in the US.

Re: The $200 Billion Rip-Off: Our broadband future was stolen (2007)

#12

Post by antidaily »

grecy wrote: post #9
catmanjan wrote: post #4

I'm Australian, am I to understand that our internet quality and distribution is only just approaching what the American's had in 2007? WTF!? I wish poor internet connection was something I could really get upset about, but I guess the rest of my life is a lot better than most around the world.

As an Australian that lived in America for a long time, trust me when I say life in Australia with crappy internet is significantly better than life in America with fast internet. You don't want to live there, trust me.

Oh yeah?! Well your architecture sucks!

Re: The $200 Billion Rip-Off: Our broadband future was stolen (2007)

#13

Post by hbags »

baddox wrote: post #3

Just remember to resist the urge to think of this as corporations stealing money from the government. This is government stealing money from citizens.

Absolutely. Corporations do nothing but good. They bear no responsibility for their purposeful misuse of the funds.

And government does nothing but bad.

Swear on your stack of Ayn Rand books that the world would be better if we had more corporations, because they are perfectly ethical and never screw anybody over.

Yes, that's right. Never blame the con artists^W^Wcorporations who didn't do what they promised. Instead blame the government for trusting them.

Re: The $200 Billion Rip-Off: Our broadband future was stolen (2007)

#14

Post by [deleted] »

grecy wrote: post #9
catmanjan wrote: post #4

I'm Australian, am I to understand that our internet quality and distribution is only just approaching what the American's had in 2007? WTF!? I wish poor internet connection was something I could really get upset about, but I guess the rest of my life is a lot better than most around the world.

As an Australian that lived in America for a long time, trust me when I say life in Australia with crappy internet is significantly better than life in America with fast internet. You don't want to live there, trust me.

[deleted]

Re: The $200 Billion Rip-Off: Our broadband future was stolen (2007)

#15

Post by 9999 »

huhalu wrote: post #7

http://www.theconnectivist.com/2013/11/the-worlds-cheapest-a... Internet cost as part of income is more accurate

More accurate than what?

Cringely's claim is that various subsidies and tax breaks, totaling 200 billion dollars, were given to telco operators with the understanding that a 45 mbps symmetrical connection would be developed and offered to end users. The companies received those subsidies and tax breaks, but didn't develop the system they claimed they would develop and instead built a system that is nearly 27 times slower (I use the term built loosely there since the ADSL network sits on top of the same old copper wire infrastructure that has existed for decades and decades).

Re: The $200 Billion Rip-Off: Our broadband future was stolen (2007)

#17

Post by michaelochurch »

MichaelApproved wrote: post #11
grecy wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As an Australian that lived in America for a long time, trust me when I say life in Australia with crappy internet is significantly better than life in America with fast internet. You don't want to live there, trust me.

You've got to be more specific when you say "there" or at least mention what you found wrong. The US is a large country with vast differences between the cities. Your experience in one area could be dramatically different from another area in the US.

He might have experienced our healthcare. Even if he had insurance, our system is a clusterfuck that makes everyone worse upon contact.

Or, he might be older than 30 and therefore not willing to deal with the puny two-week vacation allotment that is still socially acceptable from US employers.

Or, he might have children who will have to be educated someday, and see that a system that combines astronomical tuition plus fickle nonacademic factors in admissions ("extracurricular" criteria designed to give the privileged a huge advantage) is not good for their future.

Or, he might have lived in the Red States and be gay. Or, pardon the "he", she might be a woman. Or transgender.

Re: The $200 Billion Rip-Off: Our broadband future was stolen (2007)

#18

Post by michaelochurch »

[deleted] wrote: post #14
grecy wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As an Australian that lived in America for a long time, trust me when I say life in Australia with crappy internet is significantly better than life in America with fast internet. You don't want to live there, trust me.

[deleted]

There are some neat cities with character. For quality-of-life (relatively speaking) you have Austin and Portland. If you think you can make it rich, there's San Francisco and New York. For historic charm, you have Boston, Philadelphia and Baltimore. The upper midwest has a relatively high quality of life, too.

Life in the politically sane parts ("blue states") of the US, if you have a job in tech, isn't so bad. You get paid enough to get by, and you'll have 3+ weeks of vacation at a proper tech company. Just make sure never to get sick; even if you have insurance, they make it hell. Our medical system is the one thing that makes the US a legitimately bad country to live in; if we had universal healthcare, it'd be average-plus (all taken together) in the developed world.

Re: The $200 Billion Rip-Off: Our broadband future was stolen (2007)

#19

Post by el_benhameen »

grecy wrote: post #9
catmanjan wrote: post #4

I'm Australian, am I to understand that our internet quality and distribution is only just approaching what the American's had in 2007? WTF!? I wish poor internet connection was something I could really get upset about, but I guess the rest of my life is a lot better than most around the world.

As an Australian that lived in America for a long time, trust me when I say life in Australia with crappy internet is significantly better than life in America with fast internet. You don't want to live there, trust me.

Out of curiosity, can you elaborate on this a bit?

Re: The $200 Billion Rip-Off: Our broadband future was stolen (2007)

#20

Post by mzr »

baddox wrote: post #3

Just remember to resist the urge to think of this as corporations stealing money from the government. This is government stealing money from citizens.

I have absolutely no problem with paying money to the government so damn near everybody can get decent internet service if they want it. Corporations have shown over and over that they are unwilling and actively hostile towards that idea.

The only corporation that I have seen upend that view is Google. Whether competition from private enterprise, or government these companies scream that it is unfair. No, it isn't.

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