Technology

Internet should be public like many other utilities.

It's so weird to read these articles. I live in a shithole country, but even here fibre internet with 2.5gbps speeds is easily available... 5G ain't bad but against it never feels replacing that kind of connection for me.

This isn’t strictly limited to cable companies, telecom wants their pound of flesh too.

Verizon seems to be doing this as well. My former apartment complex used to let you choose between Comcast or FiOS. Now you’re made to pay for FiOS from the apartment complex. If you want Comcast, you’re now stuck paying for two ISPs.

Before you could get your own account and deal with Verizon directly. Now it’s some weird reseller-esque platform specifically targeting MDUs.

Now before the foamy-dweeb parade of “omg who wants Comcast” rolls around, do note: Verizon is limited to 1000/1000 (well more like 950/950), and I could rarely get more than 600mbit both ways. Comcast recently introduced 2000/200 in my area but is intending to go faster, and they’re farther along in their plans than Verizon’s multi-gig strategy.

How the fuck can they not compete with 5G? Is using the advantages of their wired infrastructure to just provide customers with the same service as always but without the bandwidth caps, effectively overcoming the 1 major disadvantage of mobile internet, really that hard?

People need to start speaking out more against this type of behavior, and I don’t just mean in blogs and forums. I mean write the FCC, write the Attorney Generals in your state. Dare i say, write your congressmen (yeah, mine are the apathetic, pro-business politicians who don’t really care about the little people too).

Make some noise folks.

Seriously, companies like this get away with these shenanigans because we the people have been beaten into submission for so long that we believe we are powerless (I’m guilty of feeling this way). We need to start changing that. And nothing is easier than writing letters these days.

File a Complaint With the Attorney General

File a Complaint - FCC

It can, in regards to network saturation in rural places that only have one tower whose use spikes during holidays, not to mention being immune to signal jammers and interference.

The fact that this is even legal shows how incredibly weak the regulations are. They are essentially non-existent, with the consumer ripe for maximum exploitation. Just forcing people to buy is legal at this point huh?

Incidentally, Spectrum is my only choice thanks to an exclusivity agreement, but we aren't forced to pay. We can actually opt out at our location. 5G home internet is way more reliable and faster in my area.

Regulate! All businesses are self-interested!

Why is this legal? What kind of shithole country allows this?

I love how in the “FAQs” of that agreement, there is no “why.” Which is surely the most F of the A’d Q’s.

Just like the cable TV companies that will stop at nothing to trap their customers in their overpriced af prison?

I'm paying 10 euros a month for the plan on my 4G router because even though I have fibre available aswell I just don't feel like paying 30€ a month for it. 70 bucks however? That's ridiculous.

Alternatively, it's possible cell companies like T-Mobile will lobby against these anticompetitive agreements, since it does reduce their number of potential customers. I don't like cell company lobbying any more than ISP lobbying, but in this case, let them fight.

Something tells me T-Mobile's got a little too much class solidarity to have any interest in reducing the profits of Charter Communications.

This is the stupidest timeline.