US cable giants calls on FCC to block cities' expansion of high-speed internet
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Re: US cable giants calls on FCC to block cities' expansion of high-speed internet
#2My opinion of those companies is so poor at this point that my knee jerk reaction is to assume that whatever they want is the opposite of what's good for me.
Re: US cable giants calls on FCC to block cities' expansion of high-speed internet
#3I wish there had been a lot more stimulus, and a lot more projects like Chattanooga.
Re: US cable giants calls on FCC to block cities' expansion of high-speed internet
#4> Chattanooga has the largest high-speed internet service in the US, offering customers access to speeds of 1 gigabit per second – about 50 times faster than the US average. The service, provided by municipally owned EPB, has sparked a tech boom in the city and attracted international attention. EPB is now petitioning the FCC to expand its territory. Comcast and others have previously sued unsuccessfully to stop EPB’s fibre optic roll out.
I did a quick search to see pricing for EPB's internet service and wow is it cheap[1]. The two plans listed on the site are 100 Mbps for $57.99/mo or 1Gpbs $69.99/mo. Oh and both plans are symmetric so you get that for upload as well.
I don't know of any city where the local cable co offers anything like that, let alone at those price points. No wonder they want to block this through legislation; competing in the market would not be pleasant for them.
Re: US cable giants calls on FCC to block cities' expansion of high-speed internet
#5This is a really good example of how lobbying works. On one hand, these telecom companies have a clear interest in not having to "compete" with cheap, publicly funded broadband. On the other hand, their position just happens to tie in with a broader political debate: states and municipalities are on the verge of bankruptcy, and municipal infrastructure projects are a disaster outside a few well-managed cities like NYC. The telcos aren't incorrect in saying that these sorts of projects often turn into boondoggles, or disproportionately benefit parts of the population,[1] or cost too much and end up underfunded and poorly maintained in the future.
With these lobbying measures, the telcos can tie something that benefits them to a position (municipal infrastructure projects), that many people oppose for entirely different reasons.
[1] It is worth noting that only 1/3 of adults 65+ subscribe to broadband at home, and that many poor people access the internet through libraries or cellular phones instead of home computers.
Re: US cable giants calls on FCC to block cities' expansion of high-speed internet
#6I remember the day in US when the consumer was king, and its interests were second to all others (govt, big business, etc). Sadly that day has passed. Without getting too political, the root cause is unrestrained campaign giving.
Re: US cable giants calls on FCC to block cities' expansion of high-speed internet
#7I remember the day in US when the consumer was king, and its interests were second to all others (govt, big business, etc). Sadly that day has passed. Without getting too political, the root cause is unrestrained campaign giving.
> its interests were second to all others
I think that you mean:
> all other interests were second to it
If 'it' was second to something else, that would mean that said something else was first.
Re: US cable giants calls on FCC to block cities' expansion of high-speed internet
#82 questions:
1. Why aren't cities everywhere doing this?
2. Who do I have to bother in my city to get this to happen?
Re: US cable giants calls on FCC to block cities' expansion of high-speed internet
#9Counterpoint: try googling "Volstate EPB".
I'm no expert, but I think it would be a shame if small struggling ISPs get the short end of the stick. It's hard for me to make a judgement on this specifically.
Re: US cable giants calls on FCC to block cities' expansion of high-speed internet
#10Telcos are a disease in the American economy.