4 ms·
Are there really not that many isps over in the US? (although thinking about it, whenever I hear about US isps it is always the same few companies (comcast com
by arb99 16y ago
Are there really not that many isps over in the US?
(although thinking about it, whenever I hear about US isps it is always the same few companies (comcast comes to mind))
- Xuzz 16y agoHere in San Francisco, we really have Comcast and Astound (a localish one). I don't know of any except those two.
- mechanical_fish 16y agoTwo is nice to have. I'm back to two cable providers plus DSL, but last year I had the choice of Comcast, or something slow, pricey and wireless. And that was in the Boston suburbs, not the mountains of Idaho or something. Network infrastructure in the USA is startlingly primitive and monopolistic.
- axod 16y agoWhen I was in US (Palo Alto) I think you could get comcast or excite (Y! @home or something). Pretty sure the choice was limited to 2.
- va_coder 16y agoIn Washington DC, the nations capital, there's only Verizon and Comcast, as far as I know.
- ahi 16y agoThere's RCN as well which didn't suck when I lived there. I think DC is mostly the exception.
- runningdogx 16y agoMany U.S. cities have historically granted right of way (to run cables) to one "phone" company and one "cable" company. In my area, we have AT&T and Comcast. It's up to the cities to allow more competitors, and many are unwilling to do that (or unable, if they have long-term agreements with the existing carriers). It's a classic case of public policy lagging behind technology, with politicians having no concern for technological progress and free market principles, unwisely entering into long-term agreements with telecom companies.
- Goronmon 16y agoUnless I'm terribly mistaken, one of the main reasons cities entered into agreements with cable companies, etc was that the cable companies wouldn't lay down cable unless they were granted a monopoly in the area.