7 ms·

Where do you live where there's significant ISP competition? Where I live, there's Comcast and....that's it. This is a pretty common case around the country. I

Where do you live where there's significant ISP competition? Where I live, there's Comcast and....that's it. This is a pretty common case around the country. I can choose to pay Comcast for internet, or I can choose to not have internet.

narrowrail 9y ago
I've lived in 500 person towns, and currently live in a county with less than 60K, but I have always had DSL available. It is not great for bandwidth, but it is sufficient. I've read that ~80% of the US has access to DOCSIS and DSL, so usually it's a duopoly. Edit: I guess I'm a bit surprised you have cable lines running into your place but not phone lines.
- Retric 9y ago
  DSL is kind of a wide range, I know people that cap out at 256kbps which is not broadband. Sure, if you can get 6-12MB/s download that's not bad, but most people are lucky to hit 1.5Mps/ download and 1/3 of that upload which is not really competitive.
- thomastjeffery 9y ago
  My experience with DSL is that providers use a "burst" to give you ~15-20mbit (whatever you pay for) for a few seconds, and then quickly slow down to ~1mbit. Cable companies tend to act the same way, but much less consistently.
unityByFreedom 9y ago
Well mobile is one option. I don't know anyone who has more than one or two land-line options. I think the reason for that is businesses invested in infrastructure, and they expected to earn some profits for that. That was necessary to get the internet to where it is today. Going forward, the question is how to continue increasing quality. Buying out ISP's doesn't seem like the right solution to me. That's a worst-case scenario for the American public, when something needs to become totally government-owned, like banks or mortgage backers. I think killing net neutrality would build more silos, enabling people to further insulate themselves from each other, which leads to more miscommunication, and would be detrimental. We don't need to do that. We can make this issue known, and even if it passes, monitor its effects afterwards. Sorry I just don't think there's an overnight solution for increasing ISP competition, unless you're willing to switch to mobile. If you feel Comcast is somehow breaking their contracts, take them to court. That's how we address bad businesses. Perhaps there's some argument for breaking some up -- I don't know. That doesn't seem to be on the table at the moment and I think it's better to stay focused on net neutrality for now.
- 49531 9y ago
  The problem is that ISPs already operate like monopolies. They don't operate in the same areas as their competition. It is not the free market serving consumers. Also, leaving regular people to take massive corporations is not really a solution. Most people don't have the time or money to go to court with anyone, let alone a team of corporate lawyers. ISPs know this, so we all just deal with their mistreatment because there is no other option around.
  - unityByFreedom 9y ago
    > The problem is that ISPs already operate like monopolies. They don't operate in the same areas as their competition. It is not the free market serving consumers. I agree with that, I just don't think it's a problem that a market or politics are going to solve, and breaking up monopolies with regulation certainly isn't on the table in this administration. > Also, leaving regular people to take [on] massive corporations is not really a solution It is in the sense of voting. Your vote is more powerful than corporate spending. I agree going to court isn't an ideal backup option. It is nice that we have such a system that allows it, and a supply of pro-bono lawyers who will take class-action cases.
- thomastjeffery 9y ago
  > Well mobile is one option. No it is not. Mobile is either Verizon or AT&T. All the other mobile companies use infrastructure from one of those two monopolies, and follow the same business model. I haven't ever seen a mobile company that does not have some sort of data cap.
  - unityByFreedom 9y ago
    I meant it is an alternative to land lines. Can't help you build more companies, sorry. I don't think the government can either
  - djanatan 9y ago
    I've had my Sprint plan for a few years and I'm grandfathered in to unlimited data. Before I had Internet set up in my apartment, I used 400 GB in one month with it tethered to two laptops, a desktop, and a PS3. No complaints and no slowdowns. Are these plans really nonexistent nowadays?

narrowrail 9y ago

I've lived in 500 person towns, and currently live in a county with less than 60K, but I have always had DSL available. It is not great for bandwidth, but it is sufficient. I've read that ~80% of the US has access to DOCSIS and DSL, so usually it's a duopoly. Edit: I guess I'm a bit surprised you have cable lines running into your place but not phone lines.

Retric 9y ago
DSL is kind of a wide range, I know people that cap out at 256kbps which is not broadband. Sure, if you can get 6-12MB/s download that's not bad, but most people are lucky to hit 1.5Mps/ download and 1/3 of that upload which is not really competitive.
thomastjeffery 9y ago
My experience with DSL is that providers use a "burst" to give you ~15-20mbit (whatever you pay for) for a few seconds, and then quickly slow down to ~1mbit. Cable companies tend to act the same way, but much less consistently.

unityByFreedom 9y ago

Well mobile is one option. I don't know anyone who has more than one or two land-line options. I think the reason for that is businesses invested in infrastructure, and they expected to earn some profits for that. That was necessary to get the internet to where it is today. Going forward, the question is how to continue increasing quality. Buying out ISP's doesn't seem like the right solution to me. That's a worst-case scenario for the American public, when something needs to become totally government-owned, like banks or mortgage backers. I think killing net neutrality would build more silos, enabling people to further insulate themselves from each other, which leads to more miscommunication, and would be detrimental. We don't need to do that. We can make this issue known, and even if it passes, monitor its effects afterwards. Sorry I just don't think there's an overnight solution for increasing ISP competition, unless you're willing to switch to mobile. If you feel Comcast is somehow breaking their contracts, take them to court. That's how we address bad businesses. Perhaps there's some argument for breaking some up -- I don't know. That doesn't seem to be on the table at the moment and I think it's better to stay focused on net neutrality for now.

49531 9y ago
The problem is that ISPs already operate like monopolies. They don't operate in the same areas as their competition. It is not the free market serving consumers. Also, leaving regular people to take massive corporations is not really a solution. Most people don't have the time or money to go to court with anyone, let alone a team of corporate lawyers. ISPs know this, so we all just deal with their mistreatment because there is no other option around.
- unityByFreedom 9y ago
  > The problem is that ISPs already operate like monopolies. They don't operate in the same areas as their competition. It is not the free market serving consumers. I agree with that, I just don't think it's a problem that a market or politics are going to solve, and breaking up monopolies with regulation certainly isn't on the table in this administration. > Also, leaving regular people to take [on] massive corporations is not really a solution It is in the sense of voting. Your vote is more powerful than corporate spending. I agree going to court isn't an ideal backup option. It is nice that we have such a system that allows it, and a supply of pro-bono lawyers who will take class-action cases.
thomastjeffery 9y ago
> Well mobile is one option. No it is not. Mobile is either Verizon or AT&T. All the other mobile companies use infrastructure from one of those two monopolies, and follow the same business model. I haven't ever seen a mobile company that does not have some sort of data cap.
- unityByFreedom 9y ago
  I meant it is an alternative to land lines. Can't help you build more companies, sorry. I don't think the government can either
- djanatan 9y ago
  I've had my Sprint plan for a few years and I'm grandfathered in to unlimited data. Before I had Internet set up in my apartment, I used 400 GB in one month with it tethered to two laptops, a desktop, and a PS3. No complaints and no slowdowns. Are these plans really nonexistent nowadays?