with streaming increasing. And wait until there's full blown a la cart television, internet prices will increase substantially unless there's some sort of government regulation in place (I think there's something now but i'm fuzzy on the details).
The current administration's policies only ensure that it's going to get worse for you on that front, thanks to their all out assault on net neutrality (whose bottom line is to protect those monopolies and decimate the competition).
does not lead the world in speed & price for internet is a damn shame. Really.
My wife & I pay $115 for MetroPCS full service phones. I use my phone for all my internet needs. It's usually running at 29Mbps and supplies my tethered laptop and a smart TV (thru OTShotspot) for Netflix, Kodi, etc.
TMobile/MetroPCS has a 28Gb monthly limit at full speed. However, once I'm over that the decrease (throttle down) is minimal.
I pay $137 all in for the Comcast triple play 2 boxes, with solid internet and a full slew of channels. I feel like thats fair when were paying 100$ a month for cell service and and 30-80$ a month for a gym membership. You use nothing more than you do your internet so I definitely see value there.
and the campaign contributions, our representatives have no reason but to support their backers.. ie. Not us. Unless you contact them directly and let it be known.
Using wifi for my phone, laptop, and streaming devices along with the amount of TV I watch comes out to $6 per day. If I include Netflix then its $6.50 per day for essentially unlimited content.
What's worse is cell phone prices costing as much or more as a laptop. I used to upgrade all the time but now there is almost no point unless you time it with a free phone promo.
RE: beware of laws that sound too goog to be true (most)
some paper/magazine recently did a bit of an expose, but it turns out that all these mergers are getting approved with bunk science. Professors are making 10-20x their salary writing "expert reports" submitted to FTC/DOJ to purportedly demonstrate that each merger will drive consumer costs down via economies of scale. But after the mergers close, the companies just raise prices because there is less competition.
The last admin started drawing the line on mergers somewhat late in the game. I dont expect it to be a priority of this admin.
This is a big issue to me. It's one of those things we never talk about but in fact is hugely impactful on most people's lives. And even without mergers, there is research suggesting that investment patterns (ie broad index funds) are driving down competition. There is in particular a study suggesting airlines dont compete as much as they should because they're all owned by the same shareholders (Vanguard, Blackrock etc) and there is no pressure from those institutions to grab marketshare since it would just eat into their other airline stocks.
some paper/magazine recently did a bit of an expose, but it turns out that all these mergers are getting approved with bunk science. Professors are making 10-20x their salary writing "expert reports" submitted to FTC/DOJ to purportedly demonstrate that each merger will drive consumer costs down via economies of scale. But after the mergers close, the companies just raise prices because there is less competition.
The last admin started drawing the line on mergers somewhat late in the game. I dont expect it to be a priority of this admin.
This is a big issue to me. It's one of those things we never talk about but in fact is hugely impactful on most people's lives. And even without mergers, there is research suggesting that investment patterns (ie broad index funds) are driving down competition. There is in particular a study suggesting airlines dont compete as much as they should because they're all owned by the same shareholders (Vanguard, Blackrock etc) and there is no pressure from those institutions to grab marketshare since it would just eat into their other airline stocks.
I was thinking a similar thought. If it doesn't get regulated (or if competition isn't allowed and keeps prices in check) I really think reasonable internet prices will be gone unless philanthropist billionaires like Zuckerberg step in and create their own companies knowing they're going to take a loss.
My favorite is that the longer you're with them, the higher the cost. That's the benefit for loyalty our ISP provides. Our bill goes up $10 every year.
When I called them up last I said "You're actually punishing me for staying with you." The customer service rep did whatever the phone equivalent of a shrug is.
I think prices from cell data will start going down giving consumers a "reasonable" option vs the cable companies. Since there are multiple players in that market, one can only hope the competition will help balance things.
I've got Verizon double play(basic TV and 75G wifi)
for about $75/mo. Considering how much we use....I don't think it is terribly overpriced.
My better deal is with cell service. $120/mo for 5 phones on Cricket. Three phones with 3gb and two with 8GB. Yes...the speed is about 10-12gb rather than 20-25. So I have to wait an additional 2 seconds for a website to load.
My favorite is that the longer you're with them, the higher the cost. That's the benefit for loyalty our ISP provides. Our bill goes up $10 every year.
When I called them up last I said "You're actually punishing me for staying with you." The customer service rep did whatever the phone equivalent of a shrug is.
I tried getting my bill lowered, threatening to cancel back in January just to see what I can get and the rep said "ok".
They are instructed to stonewall you and call your bluff because even if you do want to cancel they will have to put you on with someone else who handles that (who also has the ability to keep you on as a customer).
The only shot is getting lucky with a rep who has a soul, or calling and calling until you get the answer you are looking for (which no one has time for).
I have a friend who lives one block away from me in NYC . their building is wired with fios ,rcn and spectrum .
my building is smaller so we can only get spectrum ..
Their exact same internet service cost 50% less than mine and it is from the same company (spectrum)
the home is 5G will we so fast that companies will be able to provide fast internet
without wires and actually cost Cable internet to have real competition
Several companies are starting to test their 5G technologies, though nothing is set to be standardized until 2020. The download speeds with 5G should be at least 10x those of 4G (LTE) which would make it an option of cable/fiber optic for the home.
This would be particularly attractive for rural areas where it's ridiculously expensive to lay new fiber/coax.
use o have ATT for internet. The biggest scam was if I wanted a faster speed I had to pay more. WTF either you give me the access or not. It doesn't cost ATT anymore money to me having a faster speed.
does not lead the world in speed & price for internet is a damn shame. Really.
My wife & I pay $115 for MetroPCS full service phones. I use my phone for all my internet needs. It's usually running at 29Mbps and supplies my tethered laptop and a smart TV (thru OTShotspot) for Netflix, Kodi, etc.
TMobile/MetroPCS has a 28Gb monthly limit at full speed. However, once I'm over that the decrease (throttle down) is minimal.
It really is amazing how bad our Internet and wireless Phone service is in comparison to Europe. In 2005 I did a jobsite in Izmet, Turkey. We did a tour of some really remote mountain areas at least 40 miles away from any kind of actual town. Had 3-4 bars of service on my phone the whole time. Yet i drop calls all day long here in the states, even while in major cities
use o have ATT for internet. The biggest scam was if I wanted a faster speed I had to pay more. WTF either you give me the access or not. It doesn't cost ATT anymore money to me having a faster speed.
Yeah, I noticed a few years ago that my Fios internet was a lot slower. Then a month or two later they introduced a "faster" tier. They literally throttled my existing service so they could upcharge me for what I had been getting.
does not lead the world in speed & price for internet is a damn shame. Really.
My wife & I pay $115 for MetroPCS full service phones. I use my phone for all my internet needs. It's usually running at 29Mbps and supplies my tethered laptop and a smart TV (thru OTShotspot) for Netflix, Kodi, etc.
TMobile/MetroPCS has a 28Gb monthly limit at full speed. However, once I'm over that the decrease (throttle down) is minimal.
It really is amazing how bad our Internet and wireless Phone service is in comparison to Europe. In 2005 I did a jobsite in Izmet, Turkey. We did a tour of some really remote mountain areas at least 40 miles away from any kind of actual town. Had 3-4 bars of service on my phone the whole time. Yet i drop calls all day long here in the states, even while in major cities
That's mostly due to the fact that large swaths of Europe didn't get POTS (plain ole telephone service) with copper wiring to central offices, and when many of them got service the first time around it was wireless. They took cost that would have gone into maintaining a larger legacy copper installation and poured it into cellular infrastructure instead.
use o have ATT for internet. The biggest scam was if I wanted a faster speed I had to pay more. WTF either you give me the access or not. It doesn't cost ATT anymore money to me having a faster speed.
Actually it does cost them more to give you a faster data rate.
does not lead the world in speed & price for internet is a damn shame. Really.
My wife & I pay $115 for MetroPCS full service phones. I use my phone for all my internet needs. It's usually running at 29Mbps and supplies my tethered laptop and a smart TV (thru OTShotspot) for Netflix, Kodi, etc.
TMobile/MetroPCS has a 28Gb monthly limit at full speed. However, once I'm over that the decrease (throttle down) is minimal.
It really is amazing how bad our Internet and wireless Phone service is in comparison to Europe. In 2005 I did a jobsite in Izmet, Turkey. We did a tour of some really remote mountain areas at least 40 miles away from any kind of actual town. Had 3-4 bars of service on my phone the whole time. Yet i drop calls all day long here in the states, even while in major cities
In some ways remote mountain areas are easier to cover than dense cities. One high power cell tower on the tallest mountain likely provides coverage for 10s of kilometers in all directions. In cities you have capacity issues (too many users in an area) plus coverage issues (skyscrapers blocking signals).
does not lead the world in speed & price for internet is a damn shame. Really.
My wife & I pay $115 for MetroPCS full service phones. I use my phone for all my internet needs. It's usually running at 29Mbps and supplies my tethered laptop and a smart TV (thru OTShotspot) for Netflix, Kodi, etc.
TMobile/MetroPCS has a 28Gb monthly limit at full speed. However, once I'm over that the decrease (throttle down) is minimal.
It really is amazing how bad our Internet and wireless Phone service is in comparison to Europe. In 2005 I did a jobsite in Izmet, Turkey. We did a tour of some really remote mountain areas at least 40 miles away from any kind of actual town. Had 3-4 bars of service on my phone the whole time. Yet i drop calls all day long here in the states, even while in major cities
In some ways remote mountain areas are easier to cover than dense cities. One high power cell tower on the tallest mountain likely provides coverage for 10s of kilometers in all directions. In cities you have capacity issues (too many users in an area) plus coverage issues (skyscrapers blocking signals).
Yeah but we are talking Turkey which is just a step above 3rd world
use o have ATT for internet. The biggest scam was if I wanted a faster speed I had to pay more. WTF either you give me the access or not. It doesn't cost ATT anymore money to me having a faster speed.
Actually it does cost them more to give you a faster data rate.
use o have ATT for internet. The biggest scam was if I wanted a faster speed I had to pay more. WTF either you give me the access or not. It doesn't cost ATT anymore money to me having a faster speed.
Actually it does cost them more to give you a faster data rate.
I did not know that. Can you elaborate.
He is absolutely correct. It does cost them more. The access is only one part of the cost associated with bandwidth available.
use o have ATT for internet. The biggest scam was if I wanted a faster speed I had to pay more. WTF either you give me the access or not. It doesn't cost ATT anymore money to me having a faster speed.
Actually it does cost them more to give you a faster data rate.
I did not know that. Can you elaborate.
Each fiber and the switches and routers (and other hardware) that connects your neighborhood to the Internet has a limited bandwidth (data rate). So if more people sign up and start using it, they need to add new hardware to maintain top speed for everyone. Hardware coats money.
Simplified explanation but hopefully gets the point across.
use o have ATT for internet. The biggest scam was if I wanted a faster speed I had to pay more. WTF either you give me the access or not. It doesn't cost ATT anymore money to me having a faster speed.
Actually it does cost them more to give you a faster data rate.
I did not know that. Can you elaborate.
Each fiber and the switches and routers (and other hardware) that connects your neighborhood to the Internet has a limited bandwidth (data rate). So if more people sign up and start using it, they need to add new hardware to maintain top speed for everyone. Hardware coats money.
Simplified explanation but hopefully gets the point across.
does not lead the world in speed & price for internet is a damn shame. Really.
It's funny. We have this impression that the US is the leader in so many technological and infrastructure fields. It just isn't the case.
South Korea's broadband and wifi infrastructure, for example, would simply make you cry in envy.
South Korea (and others) is more densely populated, so the cost of installation was lower. Also, they started later and so what they were putting in was faster/better.
I believe in Connecticut there aren't any monopolies
on communication providers. The problem is, cable providers don't intrude on each other's territories. It pretty much amounts to collusion, which somehow is legal.
IMHO, communications should be just like electricity...you pay one company for content and another for transmission. The two shouldn't be one and the same company as it reduces competition.
My wife & I pay $115 for MetroPCS full service phones. I use my phone for all my internet needs. It's usually running at 29Mbps and supplies my tethered laptop and a smart TV (thru OTShotspot) for Netflix, Kodi, etc.
TMobile/MetroPCS has a 28Gb monthly limit at full speed. However, once I'm over that the decrease (throttle down) is minimal.
Don't count on it. However, I think that if personal info is able to be sold, the service that they glean it from should come at no charge.
What's worse is cell phone prices costing as much or more as a laptop. I used to upgrade all the time but now there is almost no point unless you time it with a free phone promo.
Except the pricing on TELECOM services is dirt cheap. You can get all-in domestic VOIP calling for life with a $100 device (plus monthly taxes).
The last admin started drawing the line on mergers somewhat late in the game. I dont expect it to be a priority of this admin.
This is a big issue to me. It's one of those things we never talk about but in fact is hugely impactful on most people's lives. And even without mergers, there is research suggesting that investment patterns (ie broad index funds) are driving down competition. There is in particular a study suggesting airlines dont compete as much as they should because they're all owned by the same shareholders (Vanguard, Blackrock etc) and there is no pressure from those institutions to grab marketshare since it would just eat into their other airline stocks.
Hey, maybe now that we're for sale, our monthly fees will commensurately be reduced! (Ha. Ha.)
Help us Google Fiber, you're our only hope.
The last admin started drawing the line on mergers somewhat late in the game. I dont expect it to be a priority of this admin.
This is a big issue to me. It's one of those things we never talk about but in fact is hugely impactful on most people's lives. And even without mergers, there is research suggesting that investment patterns (ie broad index funds) are driving down competition. There is in particular a study suggesting airlines dont compete as much as they should because they're all owned by the same shareholders (Vanguard, Blackrock etc) and there is no pressure from those institutions to grab marketshare since it would just eat into their other airline stocks.
Crony capitalism is what it's called.
Hey, maybe now that we're for sale, our monthly fees will commensurately be reduced! (Ha. Ha.)
Help us Google Fiber, you're our only hope.
I wouldn't get my hopes up...
Google Fiber cancels on KC - ( New Window )
I was thinking a similar thought. If it doesn't get regulated (or if competition isn't allowed and keeps prices in check) I really think reasonable internet prices will be gone unless philanthropist billionaires like Zuckerberg step in and create their own companies knowing they're going to take a loss.
Sad thing to have to rely on.
When I called them up last I said "You're actually punishing me for staying with you." The customer service rep did whatever the phone equivalent of a shrug is.
My better deal is with cell service. $120/mo for 5 phones on Cricket. Three phones with 3gb and two with 8GB. Yes...the speed is about 10-12gb rather than 20-25. So I have to wait an additional 2 seconds for a website to load.
When I called them up last I said "You're actually punishing me for staying with you." The customer service rep did whatever the phone equivalent of a shrug is.
I tried getting my bill lowered, threatening to cancel back in January just to see what I can get and the rep said "ok".
They are instructed to stonewall you and call your bluff because even if you do want to cancel they will have to put you on with someone else who handles that (who also has the ability to keep you on as a customer).
The only shot is getting lucky with a rep who has a soul, or calling and calling until you get the answer you are looking for (which no one has time for).
my building is smaller so we can only get spectrum ..
Their exact same internet service cost 50% less than mine and it is from the same company (spectrum)
the home is 5G will we so fast that companies will be able to provide fast internet
without wires and actually cost Cable internet to have real competition
5G Will be offered to homes before smartphones
I have 1 box with a DVR, all the premium channels (except TMC), the sports tier, and the fastest Internet service.
And yeah, I think it's way overpriced...........
This would be particularly attractive for rural areas where it's ridiculously expensive to lay new fiber/coax.
My wife & I pay $115 for MetroPCS full service phones. I use my phone for all my internet needs. It's usually running at 29Mbps and supplies my tethered laptop and a smart TV (thru OTShotspot) for Netflix, Kodi, etc.
TMobile/MetroPCS has a 28Gb monthly limit at full speed. However, once I'm over that the decrease (throttle down) is minimal.
Yeah, I noticed a few years ago that my Fios internet was a lot slower. Then a month or two later they introduced a "faster" tier. They literally throttled my existing service so they could upcharge me for what I had been getting.
Quote:
does not lead the world in speed & price for internet is a damn shame. Really.
My wife & I pay $115 for MetroPCS full service phones. I use my phone for all my internet needs. It's usually running at 29Mbps and supplies my tethered laptop and a smart TV (thru OTShotspot) for Netflix, Kodi, etc.
TMobile/MetroPCS has a 28Gb monthly limit at full speed. However, once I'm over that the decrease (throttle down) is minimal.
It really is amazing how bad our Internet and wireless Phone service is in comparison to Europe. In 2005 I did a jobsite in Izmet, Turkey. We did a tour of some really remote mountain areas at least 40 miles away from any kind of actual town. Had 3-4 bars of service on my phone the whole time. Yet i drop calls all day long here in the states, even while in major cities
That's mostly due to the fact that large swaths of Europe didn't get POTS (plain ole telephone service) with copper wiring to central offices, and when many of them got service the first time around it was wireless. They took cost that would have gone into maintaining a larger legacy copper installation and poured it into cellular infrastructure instead.
Actually it does cost them more to give you a faster data rate.
Quote:
does not lead the world in speed & price for internet is a damn shame. Really.
My wife & I pay $115 for MetroPCS full service phones. I use my phone for all my internet needs. It's usually running at 29Mbps and supplies my tethered laptop and a smart TV (thru OTShotspot) for Netflix, Kodi, etc.
TMobile/MetroPCS has a 28Gb monthly limit at full speed. However, once I'm over that the decrease (throttle down) is minimal.
It really is amazing how bad our Internet and wireless Phone service is in comparison to Europe. In 2005 I did a jobsite in Izmet, Turkey. We did a tour of some really remote mountain areas at least 40 miles away from any kind of actual town. Had 3-4 bars of service on my phone the whole time. Yet i drop calls all day long here in the states, even while in major cities
In some ways remote mountain areas are easier to cover than dense cities. One high power cell tower on the tallest mountain likely provides coverage for 10s of kilometers in all directions. In cities you have capacity issues (too many users in an area) plus coverage issues (skyscrapers blocking signals).
Quote:
In comment 13410654 mrvax said:
Quote:
does not lead the world in speed & price for internet is a damn shame. Really.
My wife & I pay $115 for MetroPCS full service phones. I use my phone for all my internet needs. It's usually running at 29Mbps and supplies my tethered laptop and a smart TV (thru OTShotspot) for Netflix, Kodi, etc.
TMobile/MetroPCS has a 28Gb monthly limit at full speed. However, once I'm over that the decrease (throttle down) is minimal.
It really is amazing how bad our Internet and wireless Phone service is in comparison to Europe. In 2005 I did a jobsite in Izmet, Turkey. We did a tour of some really remote mountain areas at least 40 miles away from any kind of actual town. Had 3-4 bars of service on my phone the whole time. Yet i drop calls all day long here in the states, even while in major cities
In some ways remote mountain areas are easier to cover than dense cities. One high power cell tower on the tallest mountain likely provides coverage for 10s of kilometers in all directions. In cities you have capacity issues (too many users in an area) plus coverage issues (skyscrapers blocking signals).
Yeah but we are talking Turkey which is just a step above 3rd world
Quote:
use o have ATT for internet. The biggest scam was if I wanted a faster speed I had to pay more. WTF either you give me the access or not. It doesn't cost ATT anymore money to me having a faster speed.
Actually it does cost them more to give you a faster data rate.
I did not know that. Can you elaborate.
If\When we do, then that's be great as I could pit both against each other and see who has a better offer every 2 years.
Auto makers, health insurance, banking/investment services, internet, etc, etc.
The question is how to make all the above competitive in an open market without encouraging the monopoly that ends up in too big too fail?
Way above my pay grade.
Quote:
In comment 13410833 mitch300 said:
Quote:
use o have ATT for internet. The biggest scam was if I wanted a faster speed I had to pay more. WTF either you give me the access or not. It doesn't cost ATT anymore money to me having a faster speed.
Actually it does cost them more to give you a faster data rate.
I did not know that. Can you elaborate.
He is absolutely correct. It does cost them more. The access is only one part of the cost associated with bandwidth available.
Quote:
In comment 13410833 mitch300 said:
Quote:
use o have ATT for internet. The biggest scam was if I wanted a faster speed I had to pay more. WTF either you give me the access or not. It doesn't cost ATT anymore money to me having a faster speed.
Actually it does cost them more to give you a faster data rate.
I did not know that. Can you elaborate.
Each fiber and the switches and routers (and other hardware) that connects your neighborhood to the Internet has a limited bandwidth (data rate). So if more people sign up and start using it, they need to add new hardware to maintain top speed for everyone. Hardware coats money.
Simplified explanation but hopefully gets the point across.
Quote:
In comment 13410874 giants#1 said:
Quote:
In comment 13410833 mitch300 said:
Quote:
use o have ATT for internet. The biggest scam was if I wanted a faster speed I had to pay more. WTF either you give me the access or not. It doesn't cost ATT anymore money to me having a faster speed.
Actually it does cost them more to give you a faster data rate.
I did not know that. Can you elaborate.
Each fiber and the switches and routers (and other hardware) that connects your neighborhood to the Internet has a limited bandwidth (data rate). So if more people sign up and start using it, they need to add new hardware to maintain top speed for everyone. Hardware coats money.
Simplified explanation but hopefully gets the point across.
Yes it does. Thanks
It's funny. We have this impression that the US is the leader in so many technological and infrastructure fields. It just isn't the case.
South Korea's broadband and wifi infrastructure, for example, would simply make you cry in envy.
Quote:
does not lead the world in speed & price for internet is a damn shame. Really.
It's funny. We have this impression that the US is the leader in so many technological and infrastructure fields. It just isn't the case.
South Korea's broadband and wifi infrastructure, for example, would simply make you cry in envy.
South Korea (and others) is more densely populated, so the cost of installation was lower. Also, they started later and so what they were putting in was faster/better.
IMHO, communications should be just like electricity...you pay one company for content and another for transmission. The two shouldn't be one and the same company as it reduces competition.
If\When we do, then that's be great as I could pit both against each other and see who has a better offer every 2 years.