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South Korea introduces universal basic mobile data access

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Re: South Korea introduces universal basic mobile data access

#81

Post by mattjoyce »

sugarkjube wrote: post #77
Leomuck wrote: post #4

Crazy, I've never heard of such a plan anywhere. But given how essential the internet is to everything we do on a daily basis, that makes a lot of sense. However, I would like to see the existing situation that lead to this decision. Were there many people who couldn't do things anymore due to lacking internet access? Was there public pressure to do this or did they just think it a good idea? My assumption so far was…

> But given how essential the internet is to everything we do on a daily basis, that makes a lot of sense. Well, water is certainly more essential, yet it isn't free. Food isn't free. Shelter isn't free. Besides, the services you'd use over this free connection aren't (necessarily) free. Its not unreasonable to suspect some other agenda, like easier propaganda, subsidising of social media, ...

Maybe the reduction in gov paper forms printing and processing, offset the mobile costs.

Re: South Korea introduces universal basic mobile data access

#84

Post by [deleted] »

cwillu wrote: post #7
Leomuck wrote: post #4

Crazy, I've never heard of such a plan anywhere. But given how essential the internet is to everything we do on a daily basis, that makes a lot of sense. However, I would like to see the existing situation that lead to this decision. Were there many people who couldn't do things anymore due to lacking internet access? Was there public pressure to do this or did they just think it a good idea? My assumption so far was…

Canada requires mobile service providers to have a 35$ a month data plan, and the low-income support payments will add 35$ a month to the base rate if you provide a cell phone bill.

[deleted]

Re: South Korea introduces universal basic mobile data access

#85

Post by XorNot »

Ray20 wrote: post #29
KellyCriterion wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But to really reach the poor people, you would also need to deploy phones, not only data/traffic/WiFi: For sure for lot of people 10-20 USD monthly bill is already too high, but buying a phone that is somehow not outdated and capable of running all the apps needed, this is a much higher barrier (of lets say 200-300 USD for a somehow solid phone that will last some time9

> of lets say 200-300 USD for a somehow solid phone More like 30-50 USD, judging by the research I did in 5 minutes (or 20-30 USD if you agree to a used phone). No, I understand that Americans love to pay several times more for their houses, healthcare, education, coffee and everything else simply on principle, pretending that there are no other options, but you can literally google the largest phone manufacturers in…

There's also just an absolutely bonkers number of functional second hand devices out there. A lot of them make their way to Africa as phones people use (and the Chinese repair and refurbishmenr business is huge and a volume business).

There are charities which will also give away phones because for a homeless person a usable phone is quite valuable because it makes it possible to do things like apply for jobs, find services etc. (even if you're just surfing cafe wifi).

Re: South Korea introduces universal basic mobile data access

#86

Post by EA-3167 »

everdrive wrote: post #52
HarHarVeryFunny wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's like saying that using tax dollars to pay for roads assumes that everyone has a car. MOST people do use things like government/taxpayer funded roads, public transportation, water, healthcare, etc that are considered as basic necessities. As far as everyone needing a smartphone, or e-mail address, that ship has already sailed. Here in the US, try using "Parkmobile" without a mobile phone.

> That's like saying that using tax dollars to pay for roads assumes that everyone has a car. Well once the government subsidizes roads they proliferate it and becomes more difficult to exist without a car. Your example supports my argument. >try using "Parkmobile" without a mobile phone. I would never, ever try using "parkmobile"

Your argument would make more sense if the vast majority of the species didn’t already have a smartphone.

Re: South Korea introduces universal basic mobile data access

#87

Post by anigbrowl »

KellyCriterion wrote: post #10
Leomuck wrote: post #4

Crazy, I've never heard of such a plan anywhere. But given how essential the internet is to everything we do on a daily basis, that makes a lot of sense. However, I would like to see the existing situation that lead to this decision. Were there many people who couldn't do things anymore due to lacking internet access? Was there public pressure to do this or did they just think it a good idea? My assumption so far was…

But to really reach the poor people, you would also need to deploy phones, not only data/traffic/WiFi: For sure for lot of people 10-20 USD monthly bill is already too high, but buying a phone that is somehow not outdated and capable of running all the apps needed, this is a much higher barrier (of lets say 200-300 USD for a somehow solid phone that will last some time9

I am using an 8 year old phone that was mid when I bought it for ~$300 or so new. It's only in the last year that I've begun to find it annoyingly slow. Now I prefer using an actual computer for most things and only rely on the phone for messaging and maps when I'm out and about (plus some lightweight web browsing) but my point is that mediocre actually works fine. I have hardly any apps on it, if there isn't a web interface I don't need to interact with it.

Re: South Korea introduces universal basic mobile data access

#88

Post by sbinnee »

Leomuck wrote: post #4

Crazy, I've never heard of such a plan anywhere. But given how essential the internet is to everything we do on a daily basis, that makes a lot of sense. However, I would like to see the existing situation that lead to this decision. Were there many people who couldn't do things anymore due to lacking internet access? Was there public pressure to do this or did they just think it a good idea? My assumption so far was…

Crazy even to me, a Korean. I just woke up and saw this news on HN. Over the years I watched the price of data was going down drastically in Korea. I had always complained that data in France was much cheaper like 30gb for 10 eur. Then when I came back after around the end of pandemic, the price of data in Korea was actually quite cheap.

Do I know why? No idea. The article alluded fast AI adoption but even senior Korean citizens are all addicted to youtube videos. Soon they will start using AI. Young people are already heavily using AI for everything. So I don’t think it’s for AI adoption.

The recent hacking incidence was a big one, true. But the price had been going down even before.

Re: South Korea introduces universal basic mobile data access

#89

Post by lyu07282 »

pyreko wrote: post #65
cwillu wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Canada requires mobile service providers to have a 35$ a month data plan, and the low-income support payments will add 35$ a month to the base rate if you provide a cell phone bill.

TIL, it's not a perfect solution but given how rough telecoms are here it's at least something I guess.

Perhaps there is something more fundamentally wrong here if the government subsidizes privatized infrastructure that is making billions in profit? In the early days of private radio stations governments required all kinds of things to the public's benefit from them, the reasoning was the inherently limited medium of the airways, how quaint.

Re: South Korea introduces universal basic mobile data access

#90

Post by Terr_ »

Terr_ wrote: post #67

To quote something from a favorite fiction-series, where someone is visiting a relatively backwards planet: > "Poor?" said Cordelia, bewildered. "No electricity? How can it be on the comm network?" > "It's not, of course," answered Vorkosigan. > "Then how can anybody get their schooling?" > "They don't." > Cordelia stared. "I don't understand. How do they get their jobs?" > "A few escape to the Service. The rest prey…

To turn to other, much older publications... The US Constitution was written ~230 year ago, when the state of the art was carrying letters by horse, and it explicitly authorized making a public service to provide it scale, which became the US Postal Service.

If the same ideals and priorities had been applied against today's technology, we'd have the US Networking Service. Certainly not a deluxe ISP (even today USPS exists alongside other package companies and couriers) but an affordable baseline available to all residents.

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