This is an amazing exchange. Former FCC chair explains that any of the anticompetitive “what ifs” are already illegal under other laws / FTC and the interviewer loses his mind, lol.
I came here to post what Oynx just did :tup:
I just want to state an observation I made while looking at various service bills I receive.
Natural Gas: My bill ranges from $20/mo to $130/mo depending on the outside temperature. (usage)
Electric: Monthly bill ranges from $60/mo to $75/mo depending on usage.
The past two years, both of these services have raised their rate multiplier, meaning, I pay more for the same service. I don’t get more efficient electricity, nor do I get more efficient natural gas. Both of these services are provided by companies which are considered ‘natural monopolies’ and thus, heavily regulated by the government.
Yearly vehicle registration: $110. This fee has increased $30 from last year. I get nothing for this fee, as the roads I drive on are funded by the incredibly high state fuel excise tax. This “service” is obviously provided, and regulated by the state government.
Broadband internet service: $54.95/mo (no tax/fees, as I do not subscribe to their cable TV services) provided by Comcast. I’m by no means claiming Comcast is an amazing company, however, yesterday I recieved a letter from Comcast stating that because I’ve been a loyal customer, they are raising my internet speed from 100mb/s to 150mb/s, at no charge to me. I’ve been a Comcast customer for roughly six years, and although I cannot remember exact numbers, I believe six years ago, I was paying roughly $50/mo for 50mb/s. I am still paying ~$50/mo, but the services being provided to me have increased 200%.
Please note: I have NEVER recieved a letter from my utilities providers, or the DMV stating my monthly bill (or vehicle tabs) will be cheaper, or I will get some increased benefit.
Spectrum in rochester did the same thing recently with rates. However if you’re on an older cheaper plan you don’t get the increase. I’m guessing you were paying full retail?
My understanding is that there are lawsuits over the past couple years around advertising of speeds and services that are pressuring this investment and upgrade. Rochester had similar and I know for me to get the “free bump in speed” I need to pick a new plan that will cost me $30 more per month.
Same here, but I have not yet run a speed test to see really how much of a bump I got. They did try to raise my bill $30 per month and I got them down to a $10/month increase. I was still perfectly content with my old speed and rate though.
I just re-upped my contract with Verizon Fios for another two years, I was locked in at $72 + taxes a month for 100/100 Quantum + router. By signing a new two year I was locked in at $75 + taxes so I’m paying a bit more but the alternative is paying $114 a month out of contract for the same 100/100.
A year later, none of the horror stories came true. In fact, average internet speeds climbed by roughly a third last year. The number of homes with access to fiber internet jumped 23% last year, according to the Fiber Broadband Association.
https://www.investors.com/politics/editorials/net-neutrality-ajit-pai-internet/
D-Link plans to showcase a 5G router that will let homeowners cut the cord and still get speeds 40 times faster. Not only will speed climb exponentially, but 5G will inject still more competition in the ISP market. Even “net neutrality” advocates should be willing to admit that there’s no need for a massive federal regulatory system in a highly competitive market, since no internet provider would dare throttle or block sites for fear of losing customers.
Verizon started letting people sign up for its new wireless 5G Home high-speed internet service… It doesn’t just mark the start of the next internet revolution. It obliterates the case for net-neutrality regulations…
What’s different about 5G Home is that it doesn’t require digging trenches or laying cable to hit those blistering speeds. Instead, it uses new wireless transmission technology. That means Verizon can start offering fiber optic speeds anywhere in the country, simply by installing mini cell towers in a given area.
Other carriers are racing to get their own 5G networks deployed. AT&T says it will launch its first mobile 5G network by the end of this year. T-Mobile aims for a nationwide 5G network in less than two years, with speeds up to 4 Gbps.
Impossible I heard the internet was going to end
Just the internet? I’m pretty sure we were all supposed to die.
it’s crazy just how obvious it has become that we cannot trust a single thing in the mainstream media…
climate change, net neutrality, all political talking-points etc…
do you guys ever wonder whether they will win and reality will actually be repressed into whatever the engineered reality they are trying to create becomes?