Ah, the internet; the place where you can get entertainment and news on the go. It’s even useful for talking to your loved ones. Can you do all of those things at once? Well, maybe, provided you have a fast internet connection (rare in rural areas), and a lot of money to spend on it. Why do those prices always go up? Monopolies! Can you do anything about those? Maybe!
EPISODE MISTAKES/NOTES: The Connect America Fund defines broadband as 10Mbps Down, 1Mbps up. We disagree with this definition.
Sources:
ISP Monopolies:
- Cord Cutters News, 19 September 2019, ‘Spectrum, Altice, & Cable One Have an Internet Monopoly in Over Half of Their Markets‘
- Vox, 18 December 2014, ‘Here’s the secret to getting a lower cable bill‘
- Institute for Local Self-Reliance, 12 August 2020, ‘Report: Most Americans Have No Real Choice in Internet Providers‘
- Electronic Frontier Foundation, 22 May 2019, ‘Broadband Monopolies Are Acting Like Old Phone Monopolies. Good Thing Solutions to That Problem Already Exist‘
Municipal Internet:
- Consumer Reports, 20 June 2017, ‘Are City-Owned Municipal Broadband Networks Better?‘
- Broadband Now, 13 May 2020, ‘Municipal Broadband Is Roadblocked Or Outlawed In 22 States‘
Connect America Fund:
- FCC Website, Connect America Fund
- TechCrunch, 2 February 2018, ‘FCC gets ready to kick off $2 billion rural broadband fund’
- Jackson Free Press, 13 October 2020, ‘PSC Requests Full Audit of AT&T’s Connect America Fund II Efforts, AT&T Responds’
Website: https://techthoughts.gay
Instagram: https://instagram.com/techthoughtspodcast/
Opening Music: Another World by BETTOGH