180!!! Wtf
I live in a monopoly area. My only choice for internet is comcast at 10/5mbps down up and it costs me 180 a month. Two blocks away fiber costs 40 a month.
UnfairUtan@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
I live in a monopoly area. My only choice for internet is comcast at 10/5mbps down up and it costs me 180 a month. Two blocks away fiber costs 40 a month.
180!!! Wtf
smeg@feddit.uk 4 weeks ago
Wait, so does a single company own all the cabling or something!? We have a despised-for-their-incompetence company called Openreach in Britain but the cables they manage cover almost the entire county and any ISP can use them.
Maggoty@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
@Intensely_Human is correct. ISPs sign contracts with your city or county (depending on state/province laws) for a designated area. They are the sole provider of one type of Internet there. So you have one cable company and one phone line Internet company. The exception to this is the wireless companies that you buy your cell phone line from. Some cities may allow a second choice in one location but it’s not common outside the largest cities.
From the customer point of view, when you move in you are told what cable company serves your area. Then you have a choice of cable, phone line, satellite, or cell phone. Our government pretends that choice makes it not a monopoly.
Also, municipal run Internet is explicitly banned in many states. So if a town doesn’t like any of the options or no private company will serve the town, they cannot setup their own.
smeg@feddit.uk 4 weeks ago
That’s mental
Maggoty@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Yup, America, eternally asking the question, “but what about my 10th super yacht?”
Wolf314159@startrek.website 4 weeks ago
There’s other options, but they’re all MUCH slower. If you want a different ISP with comparable or faster speeds, you need to move. In my case, internet is bundled with HOA fees. And there is no other fast option available at my address anyway.
smeg@feddit.uk 4 weeks ago
So why don’t other ISPs offer comparable speeds in the same location?
Wolf314159@startrek.website 4 weeks ago
Short simplified answer: nobody wants to pay for the infrastructure. There’s probably a Planet Money episode about it. If not, there should be.