5 ms·
In Germany, there is a clear pattern: - a community (often, but not always, rural) pleads one of our big ISPs (almost always deutsche Telekom, since we gifted
by avhception 5y ago
In Germany, there is a clear pattern:
- a community (often, but not always, rural) pleads one of our big ISPs (almost always deutsche Telekom, since we gifted our tax-funded telephone network to them) to provide better service (or service at all)
- dt. Telekom laughs in their faces and tells them to screw off
- the community gets together and finances building a network of their own, sometimes even involving locals to dig the trenches for the fibers. They calculate with a sharp pencil and need customers to break even.
- dt. Telekom notices this and quickly deploys their own network, steamrolling the new local ISP with their big marketing budget and brand name
- the small local ISP goes bankrupt, city initiatives stop etc.
And to add insult to injury, dt. Telekom then uses it's customers as leverage to bully content providers into crappy peering deals.
They're also guzzling tax money by the millions in public-private partnerships all while screwing the public over.
- _jal 5y agoAt least your monopoly responds to threats by providing the service they monopolize. In the US, step 4 becomes "pass a law banning muni efforts and lie about existing coverage", and local communities keep the same crappy, expensive service.
- Wohlf 5y ago>At least your monopoly responds to threats by providing the service they monopolize. True but the grass isn't really greener, Germany lags behind the US in average broadband speeds, mean and median for both directions.
- mjevans 5y agoIt's been that way in WA State for like 20 years... and will hopefully soon end once the Governor signs into law one of the two passed bills recently discussed. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26803426 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26803426 (The better but not perfect 1336) https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=1336&Initiative=false&Year=2021 https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=1336&Initiativ... (The grand standing and barely a bone to the consumer 5383) https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=5383&Year=2021&Initiative=false https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=5383&Year=2021...
- txdv 5y agoTelekom is utilizing the German law system and companies in the USA are doing the same.