Windows 10: FCC proposing monthly broadband subsidies for low-income households

Hi there

Before throwing any equipment away I always check to see if there are any organisations who want hardware - however here where energy is cheap (and Green / non Carbon -- Geothermal plus Hydroelectric - we could export huge amounts if the technology was / were --? eng scholars what's correct ! --! available !!) there aren't too many needy organisations and the cost of transport actually makes sending it to the tip a better option.

Now if the Airlines / Logistical organisations could pay for the transport or even subsidize a part of it --that would be a totally different ballgame.

Subsidizing broadband to poorer communities is also a good idea - but I'm sure if any of the members of these Forums have been to some really rural parts of Africa - they often have a mobile phone service parts of the USA would DIE for !!!!!.

Of course looking after people not so fortunate as ourselves is in general a worthwhile goal it's not always as clear cut as headlines might make it to be.

Cheers
jimbo

 

FWIW.. I like the idea of making internet access more affordable and avaible to people in lower income brackets. Long run benefit will be there children will have the ability to do research and improve their work in school. For me that's a major win.

Jeff

 

Hi there

Agreed - the better informed people are the better humanity is in the long run --- trouble is there are always the diehards who refuse to either use the facilities themselves - OK that's their choice - but what's worse is when they refuse to allow others such as their children or people under their control access to these services.

Not wanting to get into too much Politics here - but I've been to Lancaster in the USA -- If a Kid gets sick for example is it right that a Doctor can't be summoned by a mobile phone or even treatment given with help of Video over the Internet because the community doesn't believe in modern technology.

No problem with individuals deciding on what they want to do - but surely a KID has a right also to best treatment. Difficult area this whole scenario so I'm leaving this debate as it could get too much into the wrong sort of Politics.

Cheers
jimbo

 

You should really not mention politics.

 

Hi there
agreed - but the whole thread appeared a bit political in nature -- once the title is called something like subsidizing xxxx to yyyyyy -- so perhaps this whole thread should not really be on the Forum in the first place as any subsidy means giving / taking from one group (whether or not they can afford it or whether it's correct to do so) and giving to another - whether or not they deserve it either so the whole thread is a bit "dubious" - even if well intentioned.

Cheers
jimbo

 

I read they are proposing the same type or the existing funding for the service as they use for lifeline cell phones like a ~ $1.00 surcharge on our retail ISP /Telco/cable /Sat bills and any federal funding that may or may not be be above that .


As I understand it the lifeline Cell phones are currently provided free of charge by the Telcos as 'promotions' but you can bet we pay for that on an accounting line somewhere in the income operating statement charged as an SAG (or other ) expense folded into the price of our retail ISP/Telco services .

Additionally the Telcos currently have to absorb the costs and perform the income /identity verification and enrollment of the L.I. participants in the lifeline services .

I'm sure the heat light and power utilities have similar arrangements to all the above for low income assistance .

I know PC's or iPads/PC pads and maybe printers are available for low income families with K-12 students at low cost from some of the the ISP's .I'm sure the funding is folded into the regular ISP bills one way or another or in a couple of ways . There are also federally funded programs I believe in grants to local school districts for the same thing.
and maybe some tax credits or funding grants to the ISP's

FWIW I read Telmex of Mexico ( AKA Carlos Slim) and maybe América Móvil, Latin America's largest mobile-phone carriers and maybe thier owned subsidiaries were some of the biggest US Lifeline cell phone service providers and a lot of the accounts were fraudulent throughout the industry in general and some of the the carriers and scammers got Billions and Millions in cash for providing nothing . There is nothing the government can't make worse

IOW we are paying for all this one way or another either from tax revenues and or in the cost of our retail Telco /ISP /DTV TV service

I don't object to the mandated small surcharges or even some federal funding for helping legitimate low income folks with essential phone services and the L.I. families with students with Telco & ISP data service just the lack of oversight , fraud waste and abuse typical of these things YMMV & that's fine .


Only thing we got like that for free when I grew up was electromagnetic radiation from radio and TV broadcasters *sarc

 

Remember, It is not that easy to find dial-up in some areas. Yes, there are dial ups still around thanks to Juno & Netzero but other dial-ups are dropping like flies. *Smile In some cases dial-up cost almost as much as the high speed connections*really.

 

Got to agree with you there.

 

Hi there

are people using THESE again !!!! (For our younger members these were known as acoustic couplers which connected you to the internet back in the early days via a phone line when you didn't have a Modem -- what's a modem !!! well GOOGLE it. !!! Enjoy and be glad that technology has moved on.





Cheers
jimbo

 

Is it a health giving vibrating thing?

 

Hi there
Actually they don't vibrate as much as a session on top of a Washing machine when it's in Spin !!!.

In the dim and distant past when I was about 17 we used to call the Washing Machine on Spin a "Table ender" some Girls loved it !!! -- hey - I know it's FRI eve but we're getting a bit lewd here !!!!!.

Have a good weekend

Cheers
jimbo

 

Why is internet a must have today. People have happily lived for thousands of years without it.

 

I have only lived for about 20 or 30 years (I can't remember)

Do you get a MVP if you live for several thousand years?

 

If you have a real question I will be glad to answer it.

 

I totally agree. I don't mind helping those that truly need help. It's the ones who abuse the system that makes me angry.