Comment on Anon lives on a budget
ricecake@sh.itjust.works 1 day agoIt’s directly applicable when you say cheaper options are available and then link to a promotional offer where the pricing expires.
Government subsidized free Internet is currently not a thing in the US because the government is actively hostile to most of the citizenry. We still have the program to get up to $9.25 off if you make less than $25k a year though. It also requires enrollment in a program whose funding is being cut, is kicking people off , and doing everything possible to reduce enrollment.
Please read the rest of the comment I previously made where I linked to some actual averages for cost, because again: a lower cost existing isn’t the same as the average cost being low.
papertowels@mander.xyz 1 day ago
Just to make sure we’re on the same page.
I said you can get Internet for $40-$50.
I linked a provider which provides a non-promotional rate of $40/month for Internet.
As a promotion, they’re throwing in a cellular line for free. This expires.
Does this somehow invalidate my claim of you can get Internet for $40-$50?
Sure - the average, non-promotional rate of $60 is still cheaper than what this post implies.
If we’re being real, in many markets (hello Xfinity/comcast) you’re oftentimes expected to be on a promotional rate more often than not. When I was living by myself, I could call Xfinity and ask for a promotional rate, and be told that I’d be eligible in x months, usually 2-4. If you live with others, you can swap who the Internet is under each year to always be getting a promotional rate.
ricecake@sh.itjust.works 1 day ago
You said $115 is on the pricier side and linked to promotional offers to show that a cheaper option exists in some contexts.
Actual statistics on what people pay show that it’s basically average, so calling it pricy isn’t correct.
As for subsidization, you’re missing my point: we don’t really have the programs you referenced in the way they existed last year anymore. “Our Internet isn’t that expensive because you can go on food stamps” is both an odd claim and also increasingly untrue as they try to end those programs.
If you’re addressing the average range of Internet and phone costs, then $115 is not on the pricier side.
That you can bring your bill down by pestering the company into lowering it every few months or repeatedly transferring the plan between different people also isn’t an indicator that it’s not as bad as people think.
Did you know that if your Internet bill is $60, and your phone bill is $55, that you now have monthly costs for phone and Internet of … $115?
papertowels@mander.xyz 1 day ago
I’ve said this three times now. $40 for Internet was not a promotional rate.
Please read the terms and conditions you yourself shared. You’ll notice they mention internet AND a voice line.
So yes, $40 for both is a promotional rate.
But $40/month for the Internet is their standard rate.
I don’t think we can proceed until we agree on this.
I linked 3 separate MVNOs across multiple carriers with nationwide coverage that have unlimited plans at $30.
If you’re paying a $55 phone bill it’s your choice to do so, there are far more affordable options.
ricecake@sh.itjust.works 17 hours ago
You’re getting really hung up on mints pricing and ignoring the main thrust of what’s being said: the average price is significantly higher than the low tier your referenced. Mobile hotspot Internet is not an even comparison to most other broadband options.
Repeatedly stating their price doesn’t change that it’s not reflective of the actual average prices people are charged for Internet and cell service in the US, and that $115 isn’t “on the pricier side”.
Do you think the majority of the people in the country are looking at their diverse options of equal and viable options for cellular and Internet service and then picking things that are more expensive for no reason?