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Another US state repeals law that protected ISPs from municipal competition (arstechnica.com)

submitted 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) by [email protected] to c/news

35 comments fedilink hide all child comments

With Minnesota repeal, number of states restricting public broadband falls to 16.

top 35 comments

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[–] FlyingSquid 112 points 6 months ago (3 children)

We do not have municipal broadband here (we live outside city limits anyway), but we have the next best thing- a local ISP started up and promised to lay fiber in any neighborhood in the county where 40% of the residents agreed to sign up for their service. Everyone said, "fuck Spectrum" in our neighborhood and lots of other neighborhoods and signed up and now they're doing great.

The part that pissed me off was that once they started putting the signs in our neighborhood offering this, Spectrum tripled the neighborhood's broadband speed. Meaning they could have done that any time, but didn't.

And now the locally-owned ISP is laying fiber down rural roads.

[–] dohpaz42 41 points 6 months ago

Yeah, Fuck Spectrum is right up there with ACAB and other popular creeds. But good on your ISP for being true to their word. It really is for the best anyway. Everybody wins; except Spectrum. Fuck Spectrum.

[–] partial_accumen 23 points 6 months ago (2 children)

The part that pissed me off was that once they started putting the signs in our neighborhood offering this, Spectrum tripled the neighborhood’s broadband speed. Meaning they could have done that any time, but didn’t.

Spectrum did this when Frontier fiber came in. Spectrum 100Mbs at $80/month became 300Mbs at $80/month overnight. Frontier fiber was still faster and cheaper with 500Mbs for $50/month.

[–] FlyingSquid 6 points 6 months ago

Yep, the local ISP is still faster and cheaper here too. Anyone outside that minimum 40% who decided to stay with Spectrum is an idiot, but I haven't seen a single Spectrum van in the neighborhood since it happened, so I have a feeling it was closer to 100% than 40%.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago

One of the benefits to getting StarLink is that I never have to be a pawn in those kind of games anymore. Not that I recommend it for most people but if you're mobile or living in the sticks it's pretty great. I've hit 400Mb per second at times.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 6 months ago

This happened in my parents city about 15 years ago.

.5gbps - $45/mo
1g- $60
2g - $80
5g - $110

It's amazing.

[–] citrusface 67 points 6 months ago (1 children)

FUUUUUUUUCK SPECTRUM. FUCK THEM SO MUCH. FUCK.

[–] [email protected] 43 points 6 months ago (2 children)

They wanted 26,000$ to extend the Cable line 1000feet, from the end of their line, from our neighbors house to ours. This was in a rural town in NY that was supposed to get 100% access to spectrum (only other option is phone line Frontier). The state gave them a ridiculous amount of money to do this, and nope can't be bothered. It's 2024 we still have the same phone line Internet there that we had in 1998...

[–] [email protected] 25 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (1 children)

If youre friendly with your neighbor, point to point wifi is cheap and very effective. You can share their interent if they are okay with it.

You buy 2 wifi antennas for $200, set one up at the point of origin and line it up with the other at the end point. Plug each end into a router and you're all set.

You dont even need perfect line of sight, although it does help. Range is 5 miles, so 1000ft shouldn't be a challenge. They are preconfigured, so basically just plug and play.

Edit : they have an even better set for $400 if you want 1.5x the speed above.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 6 months ago (1 children)

My mom is in a rural area, and her internet is basically just a wifi connection to a tower on a hill nearby.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

Very common in rural areas. She is most likely a customer of a WISP, or a wireless ISP. They will often partner with a township to set up on a water tower or grain silo or some other high point, then have a fiber internet line brought to that tower.

From there, they will deploy pretty much this exact device for each client, sometimes piggy backing on client sites to extend their range.

5G cell service modems and starlink are making wisps less common, but they are still out there.

Here's a great older article about a home grown WISP setup in the rural islands near Seattle. After years of terrible and unreliable internet service, the neighbors got together, paid for a microwave tower internet stream from the mainland, and rigged up relays and wireless access points in trees in order to get good, reliable internet to everyone involved. Most everything described here would be considerably easier today.

[–] partial_accumen 6 points 6 months ago (1 children)

$26k? Could you buy a cheap shed and put it right on your side of the boundary line next to the neighbor? Have Spectrum terminate the cable line there. Put a cheap 200w solar panel and small battery in the shed and with enough battery capacity to keep it running through the overnight hours and then set up your own CANTENNA Wifi pointing at your house?

How close would this theoretical shed be from the end of the line?

[–] Maggoty 4 points 6 months ago (1 children)

At that point you rent a ditch digging machine and you finish the job yourself...

[–] partial_accumen 1 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Spectrum may not let you run your own wire for termination, so if the only option is to pay $26k to Spectrum I'd buy a $1k shed and power solution first to get Spectrum to terminate it on my property.

[–] Maggoty 1 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Once they terminate it there, you can just bury your own coax cable from there to your house though.

[–] partial_accumen 2 points 6 months ago

I fully agree with that.

[–] [email protected] 26 points 6 months ago

Allowing VOTERS to decide if they want cheaper internet or not is COMMUNISM SOCIALISM MARXISTIST! REAL FREE Market Capitalism is allowing MONOPOLIES to STRANGLE us!

[–] TheDemonBuer 25 points 6 months ago

I live in a very rural area and I have very fast fiberoptic broadband, provided by a local, not-for-profit cooperative. Absolutely the best Internet service I've ever had.

[–] Tylerdurdon 20 points 6 months ago

We should absolutely have local broadband providers. The broadband providers want to keep all undeveloped markets yet also won't provide high speed in those markets because it's not lucrative for them.

Someone local want to do it? Go for it!

[–] [email protected] 16 points 6 months ago (1 children)

the state in the article is Minnesota

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago

Thanks, clickbait headlines are annoying.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 6 months ago (3 children)

Good news, speaking of, moving from Spectrum to Frontier soon. Anyone care to comment on their services? Frontier is already looking faster on uploads, downloads and pricing. Concerned there’s a hidden negative lurking around the corner lol.

[–] FlyingSquid 12 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I can't speak for elsewhere, but Frontier's speeds around here are shit and they have a lot of down time. They're a worse option than Spectrum. They're what people turn to when Spectrum shuts them off for non-payment.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 6 months ago

It feels like you never can win in life. 😔

[–] [email protected] 10 points 6 months ago (3 children)

Frontier is good when it’s fiber. Frontier is bad when it’s DSL. Depends on what they offer to your area.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 6 months ago

My area is fiber, 500/500.

[–] citrusface 6 points 6 months ago

I will say yeah - if it's fiber, you'll be okay.

[–] KonalaKoala 3 points 6 months ago

Or worse if the only internet connection you can get in your area is dial-up.

[–] citrusface 6 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Ur fucked mate. Spectrum is god tier next to frontier. And spectrum is rotten dog shit. Sorry.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Well, shit… 💩

[–] citrusface 8 points 6 months ago (1 children)

If it makes you feel any better I love your username

[–] [email protected] 9 points 6 months ago

It does help a ~little~ bit lol.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 6 months ago

Yay!

[–] [email protected] 5 points 6 months ago

Wow big isp is pathetic feeling so threatened over the little guy

[–] 3volver 2 points 6 months ago

It's absolutely insane that we would protect corporations from public competition. Restricting public options is absurd, just another example of why things have gotten so shitty and expensive. It's absolutely apparent that our government is controlled by big money corporations.