Former Soviet states have lower incomes, which means both a smaller ability to pay for services, as well as a lower cost of providing services (building and mai

Former Soviet states have lower incomes, which means both a smaller ability to pay for services, as well as a lower cost of providing services (building and maintaining infrastructure, installation, support, those types of wages) on behalf of the ISP. Other European states that were never Soviet also have much cheaper much faster average internet connections than the US... but these places are much smaller and more easily connected and maintained, I suppose. Anyway, the picture isn't so black and white, maybe we get screwed in the US, but maybe we don't or not as badly as you suggest. Tangentially, I am amazed you can get unlimited satellite cell internet for $125/mo from Iridium now, I'm sure that plan is slow as molasses but... its global and that's amazing to me.