Posted on 01/26/2016 2:56:58 PM PST by Citizen Zed
Broadband in the United States still lags behind similar service in other industrialized countries, so Congress made broadband expansion a national priority, and it offers subsidies, mostly in rural areas, to help providers expand their offerings. To qualify for the funds, however, ISPs must offer service that's faster than 4 Mbps. Of course, the ISPs want the threshold to be as low as possible so it's easier for them to qualify for government subsidies.
In addition, some cities and counties want to build and deploy their own fiber-based broadband networks and skirt the big ISPs. Until the FCC overruled them, a number of states essentially made it impossible for cities and counties to do so. By lowering the speeds that qualify as broadband, the big ISPs would have a better argument in their fight to avoid competition from publicly owned networks.
The six Republican senators who signed the letter to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler say most users don't need fast broadband Internet as it's now defined. From that letter: "Looking at the market for broadband applications, we are aware of few applications that require download speeds of 25 Mbps. Netflix, for example, recommends a download speed of 5 Mbps to receive high-definition streaming video; and Amazon recommends as speed of 3.5 Mbps."
The senators' claims are accurate. However, they mistakenly assume consumers don't simultaneously connect multiple devices to the Internet. And when newer video formats such as 4K become more common, even single devices will need additional bandwidth. The ISPs know this, of course, and they frequently tout the benefits of faster -- and more expensive -- connectivity.
But they can't have it both ways.
(Excerpt) Read more at cio.com ...
We all need a Ferarri.
We should spare no expense until everything and everyone is above average.
4K is going nowhere, except to the remainder bin with 3D.
The latest attempt at planned obsolescence is the curved screen. Even curved PC monitors!!!
And if you can stream high definition with 3.5 mbps, your
car probably gets 100 mpg, too.
They just want more companies to file for corporate welfare.
It is pretty stupid that we pay so much for internet when Thailand for example pays 30 dollars a month for faster speeds that we do. So I don’t think it is a bad thing to demand faster speed if it is available around the World. We are supposed to the best country after all. We just pay more for everything then the rest of the World.
A lot of the senators who rule on these things are not of the computer generation. They have to rely on studies and statistics to understand what it means to the ordinary public. So why do these people make the rules?
“4K is going nowhere”
Particularly with the 8K that is coming.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2089720/japans-nhk-tests-longdistance-8k-tv-broadcast-signal.html
4K is quickly becoming what everyone wants. Why are you saying it’s going nowhere?
“We are supposed to the best country after all. We just pay more for everything then the rest of the World.”
That means we are the SUCKERS. Those pay more and get less are MORONS. Just saying.
The difference in picture quality is virtually undetectable from 1080p, there is no programming for it and it is wildly overpriced. As for demand? What demand?
Bread and circuses. Give the poor people in the sticks subsided bandwidth that is adequate for porn streaming and political campaign ads. Yee Haw.
Well, they wouldn’t need so much bandwidth if they stuck to NTSC in black and white.
I mean, which would you rather watch - the new Daniel Radcliffe movie (don’t ask me about it - you’ll have to look it up for yourself), or Vic Morrow in Combat!?
Who is funnier - Lena Dunham or Don Knotts? Anyone on the current SNL or Curly?
Seriously now, amirite?
Interestingly I have dedicated 4ms, 50Mbps fiber optic at my office required to run my software on its cloud server. I have 10Mbps at home and I run that same office program, Netflix, internet etc with no discernible difference despite the time of day or on weekends when my home TWC connection shrinks to 5-6 Mbps.
The speeds at above 10Mbps are almost irrelevant today as it depends so much on your url server as the limiting factor regarding access.
Thailand has almost 4 times the population density of the US, which probably has something to do with it.
Five miles from a town of 9,000 in a county of 40,000 and I got nothing for internet. Dial-up or a cellphone card with crummy reception. Thanks Verizon, ATT etc.
Verizon 7mbps down, 0.73 up
12/201/19
Double Play Bundle Includes:
Verizon Freedom Essentials View
29.99
High Speed Internet Enhanced
30.00
Double Play Bundle Price
59.99
Monthly Charges Subtotal
$59.99
Current Activity Total
$59.99
Taxes, Governmental Surcharges and Fees
Federal Excise Tax
.23
MA State Sales Tax
.91
911/Disability Access Fee
1.25
Total Taxes, Governmental Surcharges and Fees
$2.39
Verizon Surcharges and Other Charges & Credits
Federal Universal Service Fee
2.92
VLD Carrier Cost Recovery Charge
1.25
VLD Long Distance Administrative Charge
.74
Verizon Property Tax Recovery Charge
2.29
Federal Subscriber Line and Access Recovery Charge
7.61
Total Verizon Surcharges and Other Charges & Credits
$14.81
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