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100Mbps uploads and downloads should be US broadband standard, senators say

arstechnica.com

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Re: 100Mbps uploads and downloads should be US broadband standard, senators say

#161

Post by bdw5204 »

I've had a symmetrical gigabit connection for the past year and a half and there's no way I'd go back to anything slower. The peace of mind from not having to worry about something in the background slowing down your connection and the ability to download digital games faster than the physical copies could be installed from the disc is just too valuable.

Improving internet for America outside of the cities means investing in the infrastructure to upgrade it. It also means outlawing the data cap scam and banning ISPs from overselling their bandwidth because high speed internet is useless if you can't actually use it. Its the same principle as banning junk health insurance plans that are useless when you actually need medical care: fraud should be illegal even if it "saves some people some money".

Re: 100Mbps uploads and downloads should be US broadband standard, senators say

#162

Post by SpaethCo »

lazerpants wrote: post #81
lagerstedt wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Flatrate models usually means that a large majority of users actually covers the costs for a the minority high consumers. It is true that the marginal cost for more transmitted data is almost zero, but the overhead costs of running (and expanding) networks are certainly not. Cost has to be covered and you could very well argue that it makes sense that the large consumers pay more.

I checked Comcast's 10k report and their margin for the segment including broadband is over 40%, which is crazy but about what you would expect from a de facto monopoly. I don't think forcing them to invest in capex to benefit customers is asking so much when they are making those kinds of margins.

Those margins are misleading because they're _multi_ service operators, and accounting standards require that you can only list direct costs.

Revenue is easy: how much did you take in for video? phone? Internet access?

Costs are harder because you can only include business line direct costs. Since the cable plant is used by voice, video and data services it's not a direct cost of any of them. Same thing with the service vehicle fleet, call centers, etc. Most things get saddled in "administration" categories and obscure the true cost of providing the service. As a company overall, their margins been hovering around 8-12%.

Re: 100Mbps uploads and downloads should be US broadband standard, senators say

#163

Post by closeparen »

ed25519FUUU wrote: post #58
reddotX wrote: post #36

in Romania you can't even get lower than 100Mbs at the largest internet providers (even 100Mbs in some cases) https://www.digi.ro/servicii/internet

I'm I reading that right that a "940/450 Mbps" fiber plan is ~$10 a month??

US average wages are about 6x Romania's. My Gigabit Webpass is $60/mo. Seems about right?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_average_w...

Re: 100Mbps uploads and downloads should be US broadband standard, senators say

#164

Post by happytiger »

No 1Gbps should be the standard for wired and 300mbps for wireless and satellite. We’re not exactly leaping into the future with this effort — we are barely catching up. If the US wants to continue to lead the world we need high speed internet.

Re: 100Mbps uploads and downloads should be US broadband standard, senators say

#165

Post by kondro »

CKN23-ARIN wrote: post #44

The letter specifically calls for symmetrical speeds of at least 100Mbps. Let's hope that this is the death of PON-based FTTH.

PON doesn't require asymmetry. It's just a way of coupling to fiber without requiring a power.

Re: 100Mbps uploads and downloads should be US broadband standard, senators say

#166

Post by Talanes »

xyst wrote: post #155
Clubber wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I live in Poland and I am BAFFLED at how bad ________ in US. You could replace that with a lot of things unfortunately. If you put "and expensive" at the end, it would probably be just as correct.

namely healthcare. it's an absolute disaster if you have to do anything beyond the simple "annual health examinations." I literally hate going to the doctor because the various billing departments are often nightmares to deal with.

I literally haven't been to the doctor in four years, because the last time I went in for an X-ray they charged me immediately, and then later sent a bill for some more charges on the same X-ray.

My insurance and medical provider are the same entity, which I thought was supposed to avoid this exact situation.

Now I just avoid any medical treatment unless it is completely unavoidable, because I have absolutely no trust that the costs won't just be suddenly upgraded afterwords.

Re: 100Mbps uploads and downloads should be US broadband standard, senators say

#167

Post by teclordphrack2 »

plantain wrote: post #88
totalZero wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If the issue is link speed symmetry, then cable should be out of the running entirely. Even my phone offers better upload speed than cable in my neighborhood. Same for my parents' place across the country. New money should go to fiber, satellite, wireless, or nothing at all.

DOCSIS 3 (from 2006) can do 100/100 over cable - it's the decision of the provider not the technology.

This is partly incorrect. Near the beginning of using data over coax cables the network architecture design dedicated more frequencies to getting data to your house as opposed to you sending data out. This was done because the initial network design was that they would send massive amounts of data to you as images and you would only send small amounts of data requesting paper view or other channel/media options.

All components through out the network rely on what came before.

Re: 100Mbps uploads and downloads should be US broadband standard, senators say

#168

Post by KirillPanov »

totalZero wrote: post #15

Imagine how good our network technology policy would be if the Senate weren't run by septagenarians and octogenarian. I fear that data caps for home internet will become standard. There is no technological reason for these caps. For wireless, they could be defended by arguing that companies only get to use so much spectrum because of FCC laws. But the only limit for home internet is the ISP's willingness to deploy eq…

> if the Senate weren't run by septagenarians and octogenarian.

Dude that would be such a nightmare-world. Imagine life without techno remixes of Senator Ted Stevens. Teh horror!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8XSo0etBC4

Re: 100Mbps uploads and downloads should be US broadband standard, senators say

#169

Post by new_realist »

bredren wrote: post #154
gabereiser wrote: post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They’ll just claim something something 5G and will be back in the feds good graces. Honestly the cable industry is a monopoly and has grown beyond government oversight. This needs to change but we don’t have any other option than nullifying anti-municipal fiber laws and start laying down new lines.

This is why starlink is so important. I can not wait to stop paying Comcast.

Why don’t you move to 5G now?
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