Windows 10: FCC just tripled the number of US households without broadband

Hi there

without getting into the realms of Politics you might find that using Older ways of doing things actually cost you MORE.

For example Snail mail costs quite a bit now in most countries. Internet billing ("paperless billing") for services like Gas, water Electricity can be significantly cheaper than having paper bills.

Even Online grocery shopping can work out cheaper compared withg taking the car out, cost of Gas, parking and the sheer hassle of getting too and from the store and the endless traipse around those places trying to sell you one of the 452 varieties of Salad Lettuce or whatever.

My experience from living and working in various places leads me to surmise that apart from running the Military ANYTHING run by a National Govt leads to poor service, lack of innovation, creaking infrastructure and extremely poor value for money. In general most Govts would be hard pushed to it to organise a booze-up in a beer brewery.

As for health services you could go on forever about the various systems -- again if it's run centrally then it becomes almost impossible to have it changed to suit changing conditions --for example I work a few gigs in the UK --their NHS is the nearest thing that country has to "A State religion" -- No politician will even DARE to discuss if anything is wrong with it or how it should be improved or even what it's FOR. They all just want to toss BILLIONS of GBP at it without realising that most of the problem is needed with SOCIAL CARE as people live very much longer now -- rather than people needing a lot more emergency treatment. But as the Social care system is outside the remit of their NHS they end up with literally 1000's of elderly people in Hospital sometimes with dementia etc who shouldn't be in a Hospital but they have to stay there because there's nowhere else for them to go which blocks hospitals from carrying out their primary function of curing SICK people rather than acting as "Social Housing" for the elderly.

So forgetting the politics -be very careful what you wish for --in most places the Internet services provide very good value for money and unless you are really unlucky if you don't like one provider switch to another one.

Cheers
jimbo

 

Personally the increases have already started last month,
Increase of 5,us per service,
Cell + internet + = 10.us and this is just the beginning *Wink

Subsidies :/ good luck getting them beside this is just robing peter to pay paul = socialist.

 

Hi there

I don't mind a small increase if say I get an 80 mb service instead of a 2mb service. But in most places you can usually switch if you don't like your current provider.

If you can't switch then it's up to you to complain to your state / federal communications authorities about "Monopolies". AFAIK the US has very strict laws on Monopolies and "price fixing".

In general also "Bundled services" offer poor value compared with individual choices. I've found while working in the UK I can get unlimited Broadband from SKY (or BT or Virgin plus a few other ones) for almost NOTHING plus a small line rental. I don't have to take SKY TV at all directly -- but I can by a separate SKY GO subscription quite cheaply --doesn't need a dish even with SKY SPORTS at a fraction of the price that I'd pay in installing a Dish and taking the whole package.

For example here's a decent FREE (UK) for 12 months UNLIMITED broadband with just 16 GBP (less than your 25 USD for a limited service) a month for phone with 17 Mb speed -- not mega but decent enough - especially as it's UNLIMITED (no caps) and FREE for 12 months. Then you SWITCH again to the best deal. -- competition. !!

I'm sure there's equivalent sorts of deals from US providers too. Probably CHEAPER if I know anything about the US.

17 mb is perfectly fast enough to stream HD movies etc to a smart TV with zero problems whatsoever.

Cheers
jimbo

 

Jimbo45,
Each county is different. I never did switch my regular bills to e-bill. I did try one bill that way, but they keep switching it back to snail mail, reason they didn't like me using a web based email address.

I heard Canada helps their disabled better than the U.S. in the U.S. they don't consider you disabled if you work but that still doesn't mean you are not disabled.

As far as health care, I could fill up a whole page on that subject-but I won't. I am also scared I am going to lose it. If read my post about my health on the sister forum, if I had to stop talking my medication I would be at a greater risk for a stroke and death. I think the U.S. need to raise their poverty level, so more people can at least get food stamp, I am mainly talking about the low income elderly, disabled and single adults with children. The new 3 months of getting food stamp unless you are elderly(60), disabled and or single adults with children, I think is wacko, especially if you live in an area where there is no job available. They also need to reinstate alimony in other states, this was cause of more people on food stamps and medicaid. They also need to increase Minimum amount of Social Security, SSI to above the poverty level. Just my opinion.

 

Come to Australia and pay the "Australia" tax. Broadband here is a joke and SO expensive.

 

4Mbps up/down.

About 3 years ago, my isp did a survey asking if I wanted a faster connection, how much I would be willing to pay and the like. They said it was so they could get government funds to bring faster internet speeds to the area. I was told then it would be implemented within 18 months. As I said, it's been about 3 years now and anytime I ask about it I'm told the same "18 months". I'm not holding my breath.

 

Hi there

Each country of course is different - look at Greece where I don't even think there's a word for Income Tax !!!!.

However my point was that often there is (at least in bigger cities) usually more than one provider and it can save money to switch (I wouldn't say it always does but often). If there isn't well that's up to people in the country concerned.

It's rather surprising though this seems to be rare in the US where capped contracts are still the norm because on the whole the UK can be diabolically expensive --for example if you just turn up and buy a train ticket from London to Manchester (distance of about 320 KM) it can cost MORE than a LONDON ==>BOSTON, NYC or Los Angeles plane ticket. !!! Of course booking in advance gives a much better deal but if you don't know and just turn up at the station - your money would be GONE !!!!.

I'm always in favour of people searching out cheaper deals where possible. Where the Govt is the ONLY provider IMO is when things start going mega "Pear shaped".

As for Wireless that will depend also on the speed of your wifi card and the cable box's protocol at delivering a fast wifi signal. It's theoretically possible to get a 1GB signal but in practice you'd be lucky to get much more than about 5mb with the average wifi card in most laptops.

Cheers
jimbo

 

My cable has 3 speeds for internet, I use the starter internet service and it is fast enough for me. It costs me $29 total a month.

 

You have to realize that it's much easier to, say, roll out government subsidized internet to a country the size of most European countries than it would be to the US. It would be cost prohibitive to run cables to remote areas for a very small number of subscribers. Wireless services (depending on the service) are expensive, particularly if you demand 25Mb/s minimum for everyone.

A country like the US that already has an existing infrastructure is much harder to bring "up to date" than a country like, say Panama that didn't have an infrastructure in the first place. So you often hear stories about how some small country that only just got internet access to its general population a few years ago is going all fiber or something to every doorstep, but this sort of thing just isn't practical in a country that is geographically spread out over a large area. The best you could do is say only people in large cities can get it, then you get people who live in rural areas that are resentful that their taxes are going to pay for things they cannot take advantage of.

It's a huge political mess, and it's a huge logistical mess, and it's a huge technological mess.. since technology changes so fast.. if you spend billions of dollars, and then it needs to be upgraded every few years, where is that money going to come from?

 

Mystere,

AT&T dsl is replacing the line slowly with fiber, so everyone will have fiber at least that can afford it. AT&T uverse internet is fiber internet not dsl. AT&T plans to get rid of DSL. For others reading this AT&T is a landline phone company that also provides cable, internet, voip. AT&T also plans to get rid of landline service as well. You need to read the FCC, they can choose which to use fiber, wireless, or another method. You don't need wires. My concern, if it wireless, if the traffic from the router/computer to the tower might be hacked. Security is improving though.

 

I am so lucky. The town I live in in the Indianapolis Indiana Metro Area has plenty of choice for TV and internet services. Firstly the main TV transmitters are all on the North side of the city and the signal comes romping in so reception of the main networks from a small antenna is easy. Cable, there are three providers covering the town and they all offer phone, TV and internet. Comacast, AT&T Uverse and Metronet. I have used UVerse and the speed was at times capped as they did throttle me. I used Comcast Internet from its start and the speed was good till everyone got on there in the evening and it slowed down. Now I am on the 3rd provider Metronet. I don't worry about Cable TV as we watch Netflix and other online TV and we have an antenna for local stations and networks. Metronet is fibre to the house and I am getting 100 down and 30 up. Comcast cannot do that yet they claim in their commercials they have the fastest internet. UVerse is pretty fast as it was fibre to the box in my front yard and copper for maybe 50ft. There is a 4th provider of Internet , the local Utility company has towers about the county providing high speed internet to those not on the cable lines. All in all it is a pretty good situation to be in.
Fiber Internet, TV and Phone Service Provider | MetroNet
Coverage Area

 

Very slowly. It's only available in about half the states, and even then only in select markets. It's definitely not "everyone" or even close to it. For instance, I live in the 16th largest Metro area of the US, and there's no Uverse here.

 

Yea I've been using Uverse for 2 years now it's okay
Pretty cool they deliver it though old phone lines
Hit every water main on our block doing the under ground filer optics though lol *Smile
Anything's better than dealing with Comcast.
Price wise it's getting to be zero difference though *Sad

 

We never knew what it was going to cost us a month after the first year, the price just headed north after this promotion ended, this price went up. After 2 years and approaching $200 a month we switched to Metronet and saved $100 a month with no gimmicks rebates or fancy handshakes.*chuckle

 

Usually which I did after the first year was simply contact the buzzards and informed them I would be leaving unless they come back down to reality *Tongue
They eventually did after a few transfers *Wink
I pay the same as I did for the first year except for this last little increase which I doubt it will be the last.