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Then why do Americans in large urban centers not have greater choice of ISPs? If it's all about physical distance, why is there still no competition in dense ar
by AndyMcConachie 9y ago
Then why do Americans in large urban centers not have greater choice of ISPs? If it's all about physical distance, why is there still no competition in dense areas?
I live in Washington DC, in the city, and I only really have one choice where I live, Comcast.
- pmorici 9y agoCities grant franchise rights and determine rates charged for access to city poles and cable vaults.
- parenthephobia 9y agoIncumbent ISPs lobby local govermment and sue would-be competitors to ensure the competition are only offered access on less favourable terms.
- philjohn 9y agoLet's not sugar coat the language by referring to them as franchise rights, they're state-sanctioned monopolies.
- pmorici 9y agoWell, sure if they decide to only grant a single franchise which is what happens in a lot of cases. There is no reason they can't allow several competing operators in a given city though.
- nerdponx 9y agoIt's spotty. I know in DC they have RCN in some areas, which is a high-quality option. In NYC, in one apartment I had 3 or 4 differennt ISPs to choose from, RCN included. In my current place, I only have one.
- amigoingtodie 9y agoBack in my day, we rented Ricochet modems and shared the bandwidth between 4 users.