[HN Gopher] AT&T Customer Since 1960 Buys WSJ Print Ad to Compla...
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       AT&T Customer Since 1960 Buys WSJ Print Ad to Complain of Slow
       Speeds
        
       Author : m463
       Score  : 29 points
       Date   : 2021-02-04 20:05 UTC (2 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (arstechnica.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (arstechnica.com)
        
       | pmiller2 wrote:
       | TIL it costs less to take out a 1/4 page ad in the WSJ than I
       | would have thought.
       | 
       | But, as to this man's complaint, I agree. Internet speeds in
       | general are just too slow. I think the problem stems from two
       | things:
       | 
       | 1. ISPs, particularly cable providers, are frequently local
       | monopolies, and
       | 
       | 2. ISPs are allowed to advertise "up to" speeds without any
       | reporting on _actual_ speeds.
       | 
       | For point 1, there are really only two things that can be done to
       | fix the situation: either accept that cable providers / ISPs
       | _really are_ natural monopolies due to last mile effects, or
       | introduce regulation to create competition. If we decide they are
       | natural monopolies, the thing to do here is to eliminate private
       | companies from the last mile equation entirely, just like we do
       | with other natural monopolies such as electricity, water, and
       | sewer services.
       | 
       | As for increasing competition, I'm honestly not sure what would
       | be the thing to do here. How exactly can one encourage companies
       | to compete in local markets when they seemingly just don't want
       | to? Subsidies don't seem like the answer, but there has to be
       | some means of making markets attractive to other companies.
       | 
       | Point 2 is fairly easy: make ISPs advertise more realistic,
       | "average" speeds. We would need regulation to clarify exactly
       | what that means, but it would be a huge step forward for truth in
       | advertising.
        
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       (page generated 2021-02-04 23:02 UTC)