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Where I live I can get Comcast. Slow Comcast. At the price they set. I pay for TV channels and don't own a TV. I asked if I could stop paying for parts of the s
by bbctol 10y ago
Where I live I can get Comcast. Slow Comcast. At the price they set. I pay for TV channels and don't own a TV. I asked if I could stop paying for parts of the service I cannot use, and they told me "No." As they are the only ISP in my area, I'd really, really like public involvement in Internet infrastructure, even if just to provide a single competitor. Seeing as I live a few blocks from Tim Berners-Lee's office, it's a little ridiculous that I can only access the web through an abusive monopoly.
- JoeAltmaier 10y ago"Abusive Monopoly" is the definition of most cable providers. Its a long sad history of civic corruption and greed. The actual cable should be turned into a utility, and the content competed for channel by channel, service by service, in an open market.
- sseveran 10y agoWell every county has a local county cable commission (or something similar) who set the policies for the cable company operating in that particular county. I did a semester project at Comcast Montgomery County MD which is (or was at the time) a top 5 county for them. Every aspect of their business, from what the prices were to where call centers could be had to be approved by the local commission. You might say that the county cable commission is corrupt but its probably no more so than the people who regulate power companies.
- mountaineer22 10y agoNot every county. It depends on the state. Florida, for instance, is decided via the state, no local city or county has power at that level. In other states, it can be set at the city level (different franchise agreements for each city without any county say).
- JoeAltmaier 10y agoWhy are they a monopoly then? That was decided early on for most areas. The whole setup is designed to profit a few.