Comment on ISPs worry that killing FCC net neutrality rules will come back to haunt them
possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip 3 months ago
On the one hand I think ISPs concerns shouldn’t necessarily be ignored. However, the conflict of interest is problematic.
theparadox@lemmy.world 3 months ago
The US government has, on multiple occasions, spent many many billions of dollars subsidizing the expansion of broadband internet. Often the ISPs would take the funds and under deliver, drastically. Like “Sure, we’ll take $ to provide broadband in these areas” then provide it for like, a neighborhood within that area, mark that area as having access to broadband now, and cash their check.
…Or they’ll lie about covering areas or planning to cover areas to prevent rival/startup ISPs from getting similar funding to expand access to an area without access. Imagine you don’t have broadband and your ISP lied to the FCC so a rival ISP could get grants/subsidies for broadband expansion.
They lie and cheat to steal government and customer money and maintain their anticompetitive monopolies. Its not a free market.
possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip 3 months ago
Then stop funding them with tax payer money. If you want competition lower the bar to entry. I want to see small towns do community infrastructure as an alternative to the terrible single ISPs that are normally present.
theparadox@lemmy.world 3 months ago
The big ISPs? I agree - they can’t be trusted. However, in most cases access wasn’t happening at all without grants. The big guys just came in, strutted around promising the sun and the moon, then took the money and sat on it.
In many communities, it isn’t possible to do that without the help of grants… running cable or fiber isn’t cheap.
…but we can agree on this. I’d love to see municipal broadband break up these ISP monopolies.
Unfortunately, many states and municipalities have stupid laws still on the books that explicitly prohibit municipal broadband or force them to jump through hoops like getting ISPs to bid to provide the services first or some other bullshit. Its irrational fear of government run programs and socialism or whatever. Those laws are starting to get repealed.