How are we going to fix America's broadband problems?

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: Eeezee

Originally posted by: spidey07
Eeezee,

I think you need to use facts instead of "people I know" or your own personal situation. The majority with access to broadband have a choice. Just do a little googling. Also - YOU CHOSE to live in that apartment or housing. Your CHOICE. When you have your own property then maybe you can complain.

About 33% of non-homeless people in the US in 2006 rented their household (whether there's an apartment, house, etc). That's according to the US Census Bureau Fact Sheet Text

The FCC recently tried to ban exclusive service contracts (including exclusive broadband service contracts) with owners of apartment buildings. If you've lived in several apartment complexes like I and others I know have, then you know that this is prevalent; it's not as though there are only a few apartment complexes out there that have this problem.

Even if only 1% of Americans don't have a broadband choice, that's 3 million people! I agree, the majority of people in the US do have a choice, but millions of people do not.

When I went looking for my last apartment complex, every single one had only ONE choice for broadband; I either went with that one choice or I didn't have internet at all. I had no choice. You are wrong. I suggest you actually take a step back and ask yourself if it's intelligent to suggest that I CHOSE to live in an apartment with no broadband choice. What else could I do, live on the street? On a downtown campus there aren't any houses nearby (which would have a choice) and all of the apartment complexes had the same broadband provider without alternatives. Are you seriously going to sit there and tell me that you believe such a situation is impossible? It is not only possible, it is a reality.

No, I'm simply suggesting you chose to live there and as such live with the consequences of YOUR DECISION. You always have a choice.

You aren't entitled to broadband and you certainly aren't entitled to live on campus or close by. Stop the entitlement mentality and get into the real world.

The apartment complex is mute because IT'S THEIR PROPERTY, not yours. What next? You feel entitled to bottled water delivered to your door because you don't like the water your apartment has? Feel entitled to have cable TV? Feel entitled to use all the power you want without paying for it?

I'll step back and wholeheartedly believe that you chose where you want to live based on pros and cons. And you accepted those pros and cons.

 

[Jadow]

Originally posted by: Eeezee
Why is so much of America stuck at 6 Mbps or less? We need to demand better, faster service. Internet prices are rising all the time, yet the service hasn't improved in years; and there's no sign of internet companies increasing user speed on the horizon.

What can we do to fix this situation? Why is America one of the last modern nations to break into the greater than 5 Mbps for the average user? 350-500 Mbps is the norm in places like Tokyo, and you can easily get faster internet in most of Europe. The most I've seen here is 6Mbps on a cable modem

Even Canada is kicking our ass in this useful graph, but not the UK?

Another article

Looks like we beat Italy and eastern Europe too

none of the countries above the US have poor people or minorities keeping them down.

 

[Spacehead]

I would like to be able to bitch about my "broadband problem".

Originally posted by: Oiprocs

Originally posted by: FoBoT
dude, some of us live in the sticks and are lucky to have anything better than dial up

You have dial up??

Yes, i do.
Only option is satellite... is that even considered broadband?

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: Spacehead
I would like to be able to bitch about my "broadband problem".

Originally posted by: Oiprocs

Originally posted by: FoBoT
dude, some of us live in the sticks and are lucky to have anything better than dial up

You have dial up??

Yes, i do.
Only option is satellite... is that even considered broadband?

Probably baseband. Don't really know what they're doing with that however.