Muricas' Internet

Dazzle369

"US citizens pay more for internet access than those in many other countries—and also get worse connections for their cash. This video explains why.

Here, Bill Moyers interviews Susan Crawford—former special assistant to President Obama for science, technology and innovation, and author of Captive Audience: The Telecom Industry and Monopoly Power in the New Gilded Age. She knows what she's talking about.

During the interview, she explains how the US government has allowed media organizations to put profit ahead of public interest—through price hikes, rigged rules and stifling competition. As she explains, "the rich are getting gouged, the poor are very often left out, and this means that we're creating, yet again, two Americas, and deepening inequality through this communications inequality."

Watch it, get outraged, and then sign a petition to help appoint Crawford as the next FCC Chairman." - Jamie Condliffe via Gizmodo

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/appoint-susan-crawford-fcc-chairman/73mtqt0q



So, who here is benefiting from all the fibrery goodness?

Dazzle369

chaosof99

Can't watch the video at work, but isn't it the case that in the U.S. the ISPs basically have local monopolies and thus a captive audience?

Bronzdragon

Can't watch the video at work, but isn't it the case that in the U.S. the ISPs basically have local monopolies and thus a captive audience?

You summed up that seven minute perfectly.

Churba

"US citizens pay more for internet access than those in many other countries—and also get worse connections for their cash.

I'm pretty sure that's not entirely correct.

chaosof99

Churba, did you read "any" instead of "many"?

Churba

Churba, did you read "any" instead of "many"?

I'd say so, yes. I'm really not on form today, am I?

Or, I suppose it's debatable that I'm more on form than usual today, but still, you get what I mean. I think I'm a little off.

Edit - A quick skim over everything I've written today compared to a random sampling of other days shows that not only am I off, I'm REALLY off. WTF is wrong with me today?

Dr. Timo

Relevant: watching this at summer cottage in the sticks of Finland over unlimited unthrottled hotspotted 3G connection that I pay $15 a month for. Actually it is the iPad working on a twin SIM card to the one in my phone so that should be $7.50 a month.

And Otto is watching Netflix on the iPad at the same time.

Aiyakiu

This makes me love Google for Fiber all the more. It's disappointing that Fiber is available in neighborhoods just to the west of me, but not yet in my area
Although my family made a deal that when it IS available we're all switching over. So if I happen to ever get Google Fiber I'll let you all know how glorious it is.

Dazzle369

http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2013/07/why-youtube-buffers-the-secret-deals-that-make-and-break-online-video/3/

Dazzle369

The Space-Based Internet Relay That Will Torch Google Fiber Has Launched
via Gizmodo

Dromaro

Bad tidings for those of us in the US.

http://gizmodo.com/federal-court-invalidates-net-neutrality-rules-sides-w-1501028467

2bfree

Verizon has released the legal hounds.