U.S. Broadband Sucks
April 25th, 2005
Categories: General
I grew up near Paris. Five years ago, only France Telecom could provide DSL access. For €50 you got 512 Kbps. Today, you can get 20-Mbps Internet access, unlimited national calls, and about 100 digital TV channels for less than €30. Anywhere you move, at least 20 DSL companies fight to have you as a customer. Now I live in L.A., and I spend $45 a month for a 3-Mbps cable connection, because the only company offering DSL in my area stops at 386 Kbps. What’s going on?
Nathan Hazout in a letter to Wired
The availability of true broadband at reasonable prices isn’t the most important issue facing this country, but it would likely help start another economic boom.
Yes, internet does suck here. Big time. I don’t know why America is so slow to the punch.
I do, however, like the emergence of “city hot spots,” meaning WiFi for entire cities… I heard this is currently in effect in Spokane, Washington.
And probably here in Chicago too…
A Muniwireless post about Spokane’s downtown wireless network. If only Seattle had the budget for such a thing. At least the new Central Library has free (blazing fast) access…
Well when one near-bankrupt, corrupt telecomms company (Qwest) attempt to buy another near-bankrupt, corrupt telecomms company (MCI) then it begins to make sense. Or consider the bid for Adelphia (corrupt, embezzled, etc.) by Comcast and TWC! No wonder we have problems with lax accounting rules and systems that let most thieving CEOs off the hook! Electricity was off the hook in California because Enron was telling plants to shut off to drop supply artificially. Gas is expensive not due to the price of oil, but the fact we have half the refineries for it as we did in the 60s, and demand has gone up — way up, thanks to SUVs. Our infrastructure is hosed everywhere thanks to two decades of fascist (being defined as a government for and by the corporations — the original definition) rule.
Heeyyyy,
Have I just been quoted? Wow feels good, first time… Thanks.
If you want some news about what I wrote, well
Big day: Comcast cable (what I have here), officialy upgraded to 4Mbps. In reality, I think it might even be a little higher.
Now in France though… They’re switching to 100Mbps this year!!!! And, they’re instaling Optice Fibers at home, for not much more than DSL.
And still of course, you get 100 free TV channels and free national calls.
Oh, I see you linked my name to my old website :).
Yes, it’s an old website never updated. I do web-programming for a living (while studying), but I never had the chance to make a real website for myself. So, seeing that my website was actually making me bad publicity, I decided to go with the new fashion: BLOG.
You can see it (still useless though) at NathanHazout.com .
Have a good one!
(still can’t beleive I’ve been quoted)
Qwest sucks is what you guys say? Because Qwest lies? Because Qwest steals? Because Qwest over-pays Execs and under pays employees? Because Qwest took money away from retirees?
Is this not typical in corporate America today? Does Qwest not behave like most, not all but most for profit corporations? Wal-Mart isn’t exactly innocent. Do you guys protest Wal-Mart too? Or just slam Qwest because as you say Qwest sucks?
Here is a Qwest employee message board at MSN and it looks like the employees agree that Qwest sucks
http://groups.msn.com/DSCNNCTDSQWestEMPLOYEEBOARD/general.msnw?action=get_threads
I think Eli made a great point about Qwest being a practically bankrupt company trying to buy out troubled and bankrupted MCI which says to the public with an open eye that the telecom industry is messed up.
Why? GREED! The telco’s have always shown greed from the days of their monopolies to their current state.
Nachio raped Qwest and its employees blind but go read the Qwest employee message board http://groups.msn.com/DSCNNCTDSQWestEMPLOYEEBOARD/general.msnw?action=get_threads and you will see they don’t really care.
The employees left working at these companies are just people that need the money and benefits so they just keep their shitty job and put up with all the crap that Qwest does including LIE CHEAT & STEAL! That is what Qwest does best.
Dont buy what you hear about the city wide wifi’s. The reason I feel that america is behind the curve on broadband is the same as why american cars are behind the curve on fuel economy or emissions. The american people buy the corporate (and governement thinking of “It was the best why should we change?” Watch our industries die out due to a lack of infrastructure replacement. Trains, electrical grid, gas lines, even our road ways and bridges are let go. Once France’s telecom system was a joke in the trade. Now Americas is.
If you get shitty customer service you can count on your dispute being resolved the same day. Or the same week. Or in some cases the same month. Qwest on the other hand will let you sit through their circus for a lifetime if you don’t constantly fight them day to day to demand something you paid for. And when Wal-Mart makes a mistake, it doesn’t take much for them to admit it. Ever deal with Qwest when they have created order writing errors that have taken out major circuits for days at a time. And how much manpower and money it costs companys to ride their monkey asses until they finally realize there is a problem. The problem with Qwest’s business structure is that their policys are designed for individual departments that have no ability to communicate with each other if they were trying to save the world. Qwest has probably burried its self in so much irate customer disputes that it gave up on the ’spirit of service’ long ago. At least when you go to wal-mart you get what you pay for, and don’t have to pay more to get what you paid for. Unlike Qwest. I use to work for a Qwest reseller, and still get stuck dealing with Qwests horrible line of switched services due to their un-deserved monopoly. People can trash Microsoft for having a monopoly, but compare them to Qwest they’re amazing.
QWEST SUCKS!
I do not have any broadband access what so ever! Now my Hughesnet is not even classified as Broadband due to the speed!
I have set up a website for people to comment on their ISP issues @ http://www.goreview.net, come along and have a bash!