Cable lobby to FCC: Please don’t look too closely at the prices we charge
Cable lobby to FCC: Please don’t look too closely at the prices we charge
ISPs are scared about the FCC's plan to measure broadband affordability.
Make cable internet a utility.
That's all you gotta do. Will solve 1000 problems and create 0, unless you're Comcast.
169It’ll create 0 as long as the legislation is robust and the current department/politician in charge doesn’t meddle. If you look at other utilities that doesn’t always end up being the case. They should definitely be ripping apart most big-name ISPs and replacing them with localized ones, in addition to absolutely destroying their ability to monopolize by forcing them to rent shared linespace at reasonable cost.
54Unless you’re Comcast… or someone who owns a lot of Comcast stock. And I’m pretty sure a lot of people in Congress own a lot of Comcast stock.
Wheeeeeeeeee rampant unregulated late-stage capitalism
43Disagree. Utilities are also a shitshow and have defrauded the consumer.
I’d prefer that a baseline level of internet service be defined (100mbps symmetrical max, 100ms latency or lower ) and allow local governments and communities to provide that level of service to their constituents. If a company wants to compete above those baselines, let them.
I’d also let the baselines be re-negotiated annually.
-28Companies are also a shitshow who defrauds consumers. Especially ISPs. I don't see how this is remotely an argument.
Like it isn't even an argument. ISPs rank highest among the worst companies in the country.
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If someone randomly told the public "Hey whatever you do, don't look into my basement" I would instantly start wondering what's in there. If a company said "We don't need to be investigated" I'd instantly double the funds to investigate them.
82Sort of like "Don't be evil", right?
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48I called my ISP after they bumped prices by $5/month (and told me a single time on the fine print at the bottom of the PDF e-bill of their shitty app). I threatened to switch to their competition and they told me flat out "no you won't they're not as fast and you're not going to break even on setup fees for years".
30I feel like the fact an ISP can just flatout say that should really scream oligopoly issues. Not just the fact the other company is just as bad, but the fact that they (the competitor) is fully aware that the switch is too costly to do.
20Utility must become an internet
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I have Spectrum and they essentially told me the same, since Frontier is now available in my area. Unsure if it’s true or Spectrum is bluffing. Can anyone here comment on Frontier or the difference between the two? Getting older and I can’t say I keep up with ISP’s as much as I should.
11First, look into 5G competitors. They have higher latency but usually decent speeds. Unless you’re playing tournaments in competitive video games, they work just fine.
Then, call your ISP with a complaint, and say you’re considering moving over to that competitor. You have to actually be willing to make the move though, because retention lines are starting to care less and less about actually keeping you. I had one actually just say “okay done the line is cancelled.”
Be sure you actually call them on their bullshit though. “They aren’t as fast” may be true, but “I don’t actually need the speeds you’re offering 99% of the time.” “They have high latency” again may be true, but “I don’t actually use the internet for anything that requires an obscenely low ping.”
It’s annoying to have to do, but you can save money with it. And you may actually find a competitor you’re willing to make the move for, saving yourself some money in the process.
8In my town, I used T-Mobile Home Internet for a bit. The speed increase was great for a bit, even tho I liked to game. But after a point, the internet was congested from 3 PM to 10 PM. It was wonderful for the first 3 months, and then I had to constantly call the IT/Networking department. Imaging calling them twice a week, every week, and going through 3 router swaps, and a minimum of 20 minutes of phone tag, from September 2022 to February 2023.
- Sorry, we're having high traffic. It should go away by the next week.
"You said that last week."
- True, but now we're planning an update to the tower in your area, it should be improved by November!
"Okay, it's past november. It's still slow. My phone has no issues with data or calling."
- So that was delayed, it should be done by the end of the week.
"It's now close to Christmas, and it's even worse."
- Okay, you got us, we'll have it done close to January.
"Yet again, its still slow. Why does my phone still work just fine?"
- We'll have yet another upgrade in February
"It's february and still shit."
- Alright, so, we oversold our network too rapidly, and now no one can use it.
"Then why can I use my phone just fine?"
- Because home internet is in the last tier, where you get data after everyone else. Phones, tablets, watches, child tracking devices, and then home internet
"So I'm paying $50 a month to get the bottom of the last barrel?"
- Yeah, I'd say swap to another provider. At least AT&T's wires are dedicated. Marketing and installation didn't talk to the other departments here.
So now I'm back to using copper wires because at least it only gets slower during heavy wind, not people wanting to download songs and spy on their children when I'm trying to just relax after work.
2My choices are Verizon FiOS and Xfinity. I'd rather stay with FiOS than move to 5G because I do have some applications that benefit from 1% highs being <20ms ping. Plus when I looked at 5G the pricing was still around that $40-50 range for a decent line of service.
It's just annoying because FiOS has a "2 year price guarantee" for new subscribers but is shafting my prices after 12 months. Xfinity is ~$5 cheaper but setup fees are ~$200 and I have to buy my own modem if I don't want to pay the $10-20 rental fee. All that assumes Xfinity doesn't raise their rates in 2 years.
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When we moved into this house, the prior owners had a hookup to AT&T that was max 50 mbps for $50/month. We kept getting told that At&T fiber was coming "soon" to the area, but the truth is that we live in a neighborhood with a lot of old people who don't need/know about fiber and there was no incentive for them to bring it to our street (the biggest kick in the balls was that it was available a couple blocks away). So we got a Comcast hookup that has served us well for a couple of years, for $75 a month (my only gripe of course being that we never got the speed we paid for). Well, they just upped the price by $5 a month and fiber has finally arrived in the form of Fidium, so we're saying good riddance to Comcast as well.
This is probably the first time ever that I've had more than 1 viable option available to me, and the competition is probably why Comcast was cheaper for us than for my parents living in a Comcast only area. We have no brand loyalty, we'll switch service the minute we get a better deal. But these companies are able to maintain their shitty practices because most people don't have options.
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Comcast has doubled my bill in 3 years. I was initially interested in AT&T Fiber, but it was pricey. Now they’re the same price and Fiber offers no data cap, 1TB down AND up (important for multiple video calls for multiple occupants simultaneously working from home). With price no longer a factor switching would be a no brainer. However, Comcast also has regular outages during core business hours which is almost catastrophic for the type of work we do, so there is almost no reason to stay even if the price were lower.
25So why haven't you switched yet?
8Waiting for AT&T to install the line
7
People still watch Cable?
24Its just called "the internet" now.
19Oh! They have cable on the three internet now!
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Ah, I see that you’re not a pro wrestling fan
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They need to do a full in depth examination of their practices, tell them to spread em and cough.
18This is the best summary I could come up with:
The FCC has been evaluating US-wide broadband deployment progress on a near-annual basis for almost three decades but hasn't factored affordability into these regular reviews.
An FCC Notice of Inquiry issued on November 1 proposes to analyze the affordability of Internet service in the agency's next congressionally required review of broadband deployment.
Cable industry lobby group NCTA-The Internet & Television Association complained in a filing released Monday that the Notice of Inquiry's "undue focus on affordability—or pricing—is particularly inappropriate."
If the answer is no, the US law says the FCC must "take immediate action to accelerate deployment of such capability by removing barriers to infrastructure investment and by promoting competition in the telecommunications market."
The NCTA argued that "the language of Section 706 does not in any way reflect a congressional directive for the Commission to address [adoption and affordability] in what is for all intents and purposes an inquiry and report on the state of broadband deployment."
USTelecom said the FCC should "limit its inquiry to the progress of broadband deployment, or availability, and eschew questions related to adoption, affordability, competition, and equitable access, which are the focus of other statutory provisions and programs."
The original article contains 815 words, the summary contains 195 words. Saved 76%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!
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