NNSquad - Network Neutrality Squad
[ NNSquad ] Re: U.S. broadband adoption hits 7-year low
On Wednesday 13 August 2008 11:16, Lauren Weinstein wrote: (Snip) > Many people are also turned off by teaser rates that expire and result in > suddenly ballooning bills, and the resulting battles with "retention" reps. Indeed. > Attempts by carriers to entangle subscribers in various complicated > "multiple service" (e.g. "triple-play") packages (Internet, phone, > cable, etc.) also can trigger resentment when people later realize > how difficult it can be to extricate yourself from elements of the > packages. A friend of mine suggested that they'd simply drop their > DSL service and go back to dialup if AT&T continued to insist on > doubling their rate after the first year. Sudden increases after > initial teaser periods often pop up without notice and without prior > offers of extensions or new offerings. I got broadband (by way of Verizon) because the $14.95 a month it was going to cost me was the same rate as I was paying for dialup at that point in time. In late 2006, we were without any services for a couple of months due to circumstances, and I won't bore anybody with the details. On restarting things they tried to nail me with a higher rate, but at that time they were also advertising that people could start from scratch at the same $14.95 a month that I'd been paying. I asked for and got that rate again. There was some noise about a year's commitment, which I was fine with. They said that'd expire at some point, but I'll make darn sure that they're not offering that same rate to new subscribers before I pay a higher one. > There's a lesson here. It's likely that a significant portion of > even the existing base of broadband subs is hanging on by a thread. Yes. I would put myself in this category... > If carriers continue to play fast and loose with their subscribers or are > perceived as limiting content competition with arbitrary bandwidth caps, > they may learn that to many people, broadband is not as indispensable as the > carriers have been assuming. And that would be bad news all around. Indeed it would, but if that's where things go, then it's their loss. > --Lauren-- > NNSquad Moderator > > - - - > > > Lets not forget the current economic situation in the US. Joe American > > has less and less disposable income now that his petrol costs twice as > > much while his dollar is worth 2/3 what it was only a few years ago. > > The petrol increase alone on a modest 10 mile daily commute would be > > enough to cover the cost of the network service. > > > > There are the refusniks also. I had a relatively intelligent individual > > convey to me recently that a business contact asked for his email > > address, to which he replied he had none, to the shock of the contact. > > His justification was "I want to support the government, so I will use a > > stamp." After I explained to him that a) the postal service was probably > > losing money on those stamps due to the fuel cost increase and b) that > > the internet started as a DARPA project, his attitude changed a bit, but > > probably not enough to encourage him to join us all in the 21st century. > > > > Enjoy, > > Scott > > > > On Tue, 12 Aug 2008, Bob Frankston wrote: > > > This reminds me of PC in 1995 when I observed that anyone buying a PC > > > already has one. Either you had a reason to buy a PC or you didn't. The > > > web provided a new reason and it also helped that Windows 95 made the > > > PC far more usable. (Apple was asleep at that point). > > > > > > > > > > > > If you don't have "broadband" by now what reason would you suddenly > > > discover to get it. This is why I point out that we need to think about > > > connectivity as infrastructure and taking advantage of it for more than > > > surfing and shopping. > > > > > > [ I believe that the above qualifies as somewhat condescending > > > also. I sense something of a worrisome disconnect from the > > > real world of ordinary consumers (and their concerns). Sorry > > > about that, Bob. > > > > > > -- Lauren Weinstein > > > NNSquad Moderator ] > > > > > > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > From: nnsquad-bounces+nnsquad=bobf.frankston.com@nnsquad.org > > > [mailto:nnsquad-bounces+nnsquad=bobf.frankston.com@nnsquad.org] On > > > Behalf Of Lauren Weinstein > > > Sent: Tuesday, August 12, 2008 20:55 > > > To: nnsquad@nnsquad.org > > > Cc: lauren@vortex.com > > > Subject: [ NNSquad ] U.S. broadband adoption hits 7-year low > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > U.S. broadband adoption hits 7-year low > > > > > > > > > > > > http://blog.wired.com/business/2008/08/us-broadband-sp.html > > > > > > > > > > > > --Lauren-- > > > > > > NNSquad Moderator -- Member of the toughest, meanest, deadliest, most unrelenting -- and ablest -- form of life in this section of space, a critter that can be killed but can't be tamed. --Robert A. Heinlein, "The Puppet Masters" - Information is more dangerous than cannon to a society ruled by lies. --James M Dakin