I’ve been Cord free 95% of my life, save physical telephone service and dialup years. Never had cable, never will. The issue coming fast is ATSC 3.0 and it’s ability to further block “free” entertainment sources. It will also obsolete your new 4K set requiring a converter box (remember those) And meanwhile in the UK 30,000 households still pay for B&W tv licenses because they are cheaper.
My understanding is that the USF applied to Internet access too and the phone companies got grants to run fiber to the home. They took the grant money and failed to deliver the services.
Ever wonder why those 4K TVs are getting so cheap? Yes.....part of it is manufacturing efficency and the fact that a lot of the RnD costs have been realized, but that's not quite the whole story. Millennial (GOD bless them!) just aren't into them. I've seen them sit in a room where there is a darkened 65" TV with all the bells and whistles and binge watch something on a tablet. If that were true (and it's not, in this part of the country!) then that would be more of an indictment on dot.gov's ability to regulate efficiently and effectively than some "monopoly" ISP. I passed up......literally!!....three boring crews while driving from one of my central offices to another one 35 miles distant today. In fact, in this part of the country it's becomming a service affecting problem because the locator crews are kinda spotty about........LOCATING junk, and despite what industry critics think that they know about the interwebs, if you knock down an FAA trunk.....or E911, or any of a large number of Telecommunications Service Priority - Wikipedia circuits, even our lethargic government can get quite animated. Like I said.......complicated issue. People think that they're "entitled" to broadband internet at bargain basement prices, and there is room for a debate about the criticality of communications services in the United States. Communications SHOULD be heavily regulated and protected. Period. Full Stop. However (comma!!!!!) that's not what most people are REALLY talking about, is it? NOT ONE TIME has anybody mentioned water company alarm circuits, or the electrical grid, trains or the FAA. The 800# gorilla in the room is..........................content. Entertainment and infotainment. ........and THAT tells me everything I need to know about the issue!!! I'll root for both sides. I can afford to, since I'm a cord cutter......
And with that we need to realize 99% of “communication “ is for entertainment and entertainment is unnecessary and irrelevant So full circle, remove the subsidies ban child use of phones and make communications and tech cost full price but provide 911 access and envelopes to send letters Problem solved.
I want consistent broadband Internet access. My only provider choice, Shentel, has very inconsistent routing for their residential services. They sometimes even inject a message (data) into a web browsing session. When they have a message, your Internet access (including email. etc.) is cut off until you acknowledge their message. As a cord cutter I assume you depend on Internet access. That should automatically place you on the side of Net Neutrality rather then be held hostage by your provider's marketing efforts.
cord cutting seems a misnomer, since all the 'cord cutters' have a cable coming in for internet access.
Some Internet service providers are wireless. https://broadbandnow.com/Fixed-Wireless-Providers Of course there is usually a cable from their equipment in your home to your Wi-Fi access point or computer. Some people just use their cellular phones - no wires needed.
That depends on how much data is used. We are at the end of the line for Shentel cable. My elderly neighbor up the road uses cellular data but he mainly just checks email once a day or so. I forgot there are also satellite Internet Service Providers. Their data is expensive too. Satellite Internet | Fast Internet Service from Viasat
It's hard to get many fixed wireless ISPs to talk to you once they find out you live in a MDU (multiple dwelling unit - industry jargon for apartment complex, townhouse farm, whatever). Cellular data isn't so bad. T-Mobile doesn't throttle until after you hit somewhere over 50GB/month, and then it's determined by congestion. Supposedly, T-Mobile just bought a bunch of Verizon towers in North Dallas suburbs. There are some bad spots near T-Mobile's building in Frisco, not far from Legacy West. Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
Money always wins in the end, regardless of whatever anyone believes. A discussion is fine, but the final outcome is probably already a forgone conclusion.
My.....oh my..... This thread is still in the adult section of the forum?!?!?! Well.....adios Net Neutrality!!
