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You do realize we have internet in the rest of the country, right? I get over 150 Mbps regularly at my house with Comcast. Upload is around 3Mbps. But I could c

You do realize we have internet in the rest of the country, right? I get over 150 Mbps regularly at my house with Comcast. Upload is around 3Mbps. But I could change to Comcast business to get symetric at my house. Or I could colocate in any number of DCs in my area. Or I could move to another neighborhood and get USI Fiber[1] for about $100/mo. I don't because I don't want to move from the current neighborhood I am in. Internet access may suck in many places, but not everywhere. Don't assume that you need to be in SF to get good internet. Most metropolitian areas in the US have good internet. [1] https://usinternet.com/fiber/coverage-map/ https://usinternet.com/fiber/coverage-map/

ldoughty 7y ago
I live in a part of the US where 2 miles down the road the top speed is 15Mbps DSL. I'm right on the boarder of a small town. just close enough to get Comcast at 25Mbps for ~$100/month. If I'm not on the outskirts of this small town, I have to move 45 minutes away for equivalent service
- varikin 7y ago
  I understand that the internet still sucks in rural US. I have a friend in a similar situation as you. But having someone proclaim that tech can't be done outside of SF because of lack of internet is dismissing so much of the country.
Lammy 7y ago
This happens even within the Bay Area. After going from Comcast Business cable to Sonic gigabit fiber in San Francisco I can never go back. It’s like going from an HDD to an SSD for the first time. They both technically do the same thing, people argue online if the speed difference really matters, but it’s the _latency_ difference that makes it so amazing. I get 2ms pings now. It makes the network mentally invisible in a way that’s hard to describe without experiencing.
- varikin 7y ago
  Don't get me wrong, I would love fiber. USI has been laying down fiber across Minneapolis at a very fast rate over the last 10 years. I think almost half the city is covered now. But I really like my neighborhood and I don't want to move. I am sure USI will get to me eventually, but it will take time and my road will be expensive due to being on a hill above the street level.
  - Lammy 7y ago
    Absolutely, and that’s why good access shouldn’t be so concentrated. My comparison to San Francisco was in the sense that it’s difficult to find good and equitable and affordable residential access in the country’s tech capital much less across the vast rural areas inland.
- charwalker 7y ago
  What's your monthly cost and is that something you can write off or charge to customers? I can't validate the cost for what I do but for about $135 a month I can reach usable upload speeds. Sitting at the decent but weak upload bottom tier plan subsidized by my apartment for now.
ecf 7y ago
Comcast forcing you into a business plan to get even remotely adequate upload speeds is a pure scam.
- varikin 7y ago
  You are not wrong, but it isn't a major issue for me.
- threatofrain 7y ago
  Is it what consumers demand?
telesilla 7y ago
Why should you have to move to get superior service? It should be regulated that access to equal internet service regardless of geographic location, where physically possible, is required by law.
charwalker 7y ago
I have to triple (3x) my Comcast bill to get decent upload speeds for basic systems I host at home. My pricing is about 2/3 the actual cost as my apartment has a deal with Comcast. So for someone down the street, assuming they have the infrastructure set up, it's about 4.5x my monthly cost for useful up speeds. No I'm fine with my existing download, that can stay where it is and I won't hit issues any time soon. But for decent upload people around here are out... $135 a month just for internet.

ldoughty 7y ago

I live in a part of the US where 2 miles down the road the top speed is 15Mbps DSL. I'm right on the boarder of a small town. just close enough to get Comcast at 25Mbps for ~$100/month. If I'm not on the outskirts of this small town, I have to move 45 minutes away for equivalent service

varikin 7y ago
I understand that the internet still sucks in rural US. I have a friend in a similar situation as you. But having someone proclaim that tech can't be done outside of SF because of lack of internet is dismissing so much of the country.

Lammy 7y ago

This happens even within the Bay Area. After going from Comcast Business cable to Sonic gigabit fiber in San Francisco I can never go back. It’s like going from an HDD to an SSD for the first time. They both technically do the same thing, people argue online if the speed difference really matters, but it’s the _latency_ difference that makes it so amazing. I get 2ms pings now. It makes the network mentally invisible in a way that’s hard to describe without experiencing.

varikin 7y ago
Don't get me wrong, I would love fiber. USI has been laying down fiber across Minneapolis at a very fast rate over the last 10 years. I think almost half the city is covered now. But I really like my neighborhood and I don't want to move. I am sure USI will get to me eventually, but it will take time and my road will be expensive due to being on a hill above the street level.
- Lammy 7y ago
  Absolutely, and that’s why good access shouldn’t be so concentrated. My comparison to San Francisco was in the sense that it’s difficult to find good and equitable and affordable residential access in the country’s tech capital much less across the vast rural areas inland.
charwalker 7y ago
What's your monthly cost and is that something you can write off or charge to customers? I can't validate the cost for what I do but for about $135 a month I can reach usable upload speeds. Sitting at the decent but weak upload bottom tier plan subsidized by my apartment for now.

ecf 7y ago

Comcast forcing you into a business plan to get even remotely adequate upload speeds is a pure scam.

varikin 7y ago
You are not wrong, but it isn't a major issue for me.
threatofrain 7y ago
Is it what consumers demand?

telesilla 7y ago

Why should you have to move to get superior service? It should be regulated that access to equal internet service regardless of geographic location, where physically possible, is required by law.

charwalker 7y ago

I have to triple (3x) my Comcast bill to get decent upload speeds for basic systems I host at home. My pricing is about 2/3 the actual cost as my apartment has a deal with Comcast. So for someone down the street, assuming they have the infrastructure set up, it's about 4.5x my monthly cost for useful up speeds. No I'm fine with my existing download, that can stay where it is and I won't hit issues any time soon. But for decent upload people around here are out... $135 a month just for internet.