this post was submitted on 20 Jun 2023
41 points (100.0% liked)

World News

22059 readers
109 users here now

Breaking news from around the world.

News that is American but has an international facet may also be posted here.


Guidelines for submissions:

These guidelines will be enforced on a know-it-when-I-see-it basis.


For US News, see the US News community.


This community's icon was made by Aaron Schneider, under the CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

cross-posted from: https://vlemmy.net/post/152995

Alternative published title: AT&T/Verizon lobby group pushes for payments from Big Tech

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] orbit@beehaw.org 86 points 1 year ago (5 children)

Or maybe we should hold ISPs accountable for the $400 Billion they pocketed instead of laying fiber in the late 90s.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-book-of-broken-promis_b_5839394

[–] Jentu@beehaw.org 24 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yeah I’m surprised they’re saying anything about this since it immediately made me remember that garbage they pulled.

[–] RoverStoker@beehaw.org 2 points 1 year ago

Retired telecom worker here:

Every single time your telecommunications provider goes to DC to lobby against their taxes they promise "Please oh please please if you'll just lower our taxes we pinky swear to expand broadband. We're going to expand the reach of DSL, we're gonna lay cable for Uverse internet, we're invented this thing where high speed internet goes over your electrical grid. We promise you we can do the thing if only you'll cut our taxes."

So DC does and guess what happens? Job cuts. Cut back on techs needed to actually do the work. The money is used for stock buy backs, to buy a company or two (bought at a high price then sold at a loss of course) and the CEO bails with a golden parachute:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2020/05/12/atts-ceo-steps-down-with-a-64-million-gold-plated-retirement-plan/?sh=3ede18b759bd

[–] olgreeneyes@beehaw.org 13 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Maybe they figured we had all forgotten about that by now lol

[–] RandoCalrandian@kbin.social 6 points 1 year ago

The internet never forgets

[–] TechyDad@beehaw.org 3 points 1 year ago

ISPs: "Fine. We'll build fiber now. And this time, we'll do it for only $350 billion. Such a bargain!"

[–] LegendofDragoon@kbin.social 3 points 1 year ago

Never forget, never forgive

[–] RandoCalrandian@kbin.social 12 points 1 year ago

Omfg this

Where is the bill to take all infrastructure made using this public money and give the infrastructure to the public?

[–] sadreality@kbin.social 9 points 1 year ago

They surely do love that corporate socialism when daddy sam is paying but "free markets" where they are a monopoly when they are raising my bill every year.

[–] seang96@spgrn.com 4 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I wish. I also wish I could be connected to the fiber that is literally 1 mile away from my house.

[–] Spitfire@pawb.social 6 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I wish I had fiber as an option at all in our area.

Only options are comcast or DSL. Both suck.

[–] seang96@spgrn.com 2 points 1 year ago

I got cable (spectrum) with terrible latency, T-Mobile 5g, this one was new this year, and DSL... I do wish i was closer to that fiber line lol

[–] SkepticElliptic@beehaw.org 1 points 1 year ago

Have you checked lately? There's WISPs popping up all the time and there are more cellular based options than ever. I'm using T-Mobile for $50/month I'm getting 250Mbps download.

[–] SoManyChoices@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I have fiber but my town is building muni fiber that will be $25/mo cheaper for the same speeds. They just finished another segment. It stops 200 ft south of my property. They'll be back to finish the area in about 18 months after they do most of the north side of town first.

[–] seang96@spgrn.com 1 points 1 year ago

Jealous they actually plan to expand your side better than not knowing at least!

[–] smstnitc@lemmy2.addictmud.org 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I just moved, but my previous house has fiber 100 feet away, but the ISP wouldn't hook me up because they insisted that they needed at least 10 houses to commit in a neighborhood before they'd put service in it. I tried to get my neighbors on board for 3 years before I sold my house to move an hour away. Still no fiber, but there's no fiber to tease me with now, heh

[–] seang96@spgrn.com 1 points 1 year ago

Such a shame. It would even be more helpful to other neighbors by bringing competition in.

[–] Weaselmaster@beehaw.org 1 points 1 year ago

I have fiber running LITERALLY through my back yard, because they couldn’t be bothered to string it from pole to pole for my neighbor, but yet they ‘Can’t’ run service to my building with 7 households/customers.