Failure Of DirecTV Broadband Narrows Consumer Choice
from the big-telecom-or-big-cable? dept
With the final shutdown of DirecTV’s DSL service, customer around the US are discovering that their broadband choices are being severely limited. These days, for many consumers, the choices are either the big local telephone company or the big local cable company. Neither of which may be appealing to many people. Of course, with less choice, people are also facing higher prices, and worse service levels. What a deal.
Comments on “Failure Of DirecTV Broadband Narrows Consumer Choice”
Why progress?
Is there any particular reason to assume that technology will always move forward? I think we’ve reached a fairly economical arrangement in the USA where people have broadband at work to do heavy duty stuff, and 56k modems from home for light duty personal stuff. For every “progress” we make, there is another technology lost. How many people today know the art of hitting a vacuum tube TV to make it work right? How many people today know how to make butter? How many people today know how to tie a bow tie?
History is replete with technologies that developed, then went away. The Chinese repeatedly invented and forgot how to make cannons and crossbows. The original Melanesian inhabitants of Australia knew agriculture and bow hunting, but over the millenia forgot how to use these technologies, and regressed to more primitive lifestyles — they took up “firestick hunting” by which they simply burned down the whole forest and picked up the roasted animals.
In the most extreme case, the aboriginals of Tasmania forgot how to make fire when the white man arrived.
The USA is the undisputed leader in economy and technology, so there is less incentive for us to go forward now. I think we should outlaw broadband and start burning down national forests.
DirecTV DSL isn't dead yet
They were supposed to die on Jan. 16. Then they extended it to Jan 31. Yesterday I got another email (This is absolutely the last e-mail you will receive! This time we really, really mean it!) letting me know that they’ll still be gasping and choking until Feb 28th.
I switched to cable modem, it’s cheaper and faster than DSL, so I don’t see a problem with competition.
Impetus to learn wireless networking
The impending death of cheap commercial broadband is a blessing in disguise, as it will force some folks to become competent in getting their broadband by 802.11b from a local wireless ISP.