this post was submitted on 09 Nov 2024
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I'm an unfortunate captive of the oligopoly of the internet industry in the USA. In many places, you have 2-3 choices of internet, and all of them suck ass. I'm in this situation. All internet providers in my area have a 1-1.5 terabyte data cap. So when I download Call of Duty for 250 gb and it fails and has to update or reinstall, I've wasted 500 gb, and have now reached 50% of my data cap in just 1 day. There are crazy fees, for example, Cox Cable says:

If you go over, we’ll automatically add 50 gigabytes of data for $10 to your next bill. That's enough for about 15 hours of streaming HD video. If you use that 50 gigabytes, we automatically add another 50 gigabytes for $10 and so on until you reach our $100 limit of data overage charges or until your next usage cycle begins.

So your $90 a month internet can easily become $190 a month, which is fuckin criminal, like that is so scummy and asinine how that can even be legal. But it is perfectly legal. The FCC is also looking into these data caps but now that we have a new anti-federal government president elect... This is probably toast.... Nothing will change now that most federal agencies are about to be deleted.

From a technology standpoint too, nothing is really getting better

Comcast is still using Coax instead of Fiber Optic and desperately trying to convince people that somehow, someway coax can be just as good. Do with that info what you will, I have no opinions on it. There was a Federal program started recently to expand rural internet access, which will probably be gutted in 2025 leaving many without suitable internet again. Fiber Optic is fast, but still, not new technology, and doesn't solve a critical issue.... It doesn't matter if you have 2 Gigabit internet if no one in the world is uploading even half that fast. A single download on Steam is like 450 Mbps, Epic Games launcher is horrifically slow. I get like 120 Mbps max when downloading Fortnite updates even with 1500 Mbps internet hard wired to my router with top tier hardware

It's just sad to think about the future of internet in the USA, and knowing we'll be imprisoned by these data caps for the foreseeable future.

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[–] kava 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I work for a company constructing telecom networks. In my experience there has been a significant increase in fiber networks in the last few years.

Really, it depends on your area but I'd imagine for a large majority of people on the east coast, they will have access to a fiber network if they don't already in the next decade or so.

So for example, out of Comcast projects I've worked on (hundreds over the last few years) the large projects (new builds, new neighborhoods) were mostly fiber. Coax is mostly relegated to the repairs and relocates.

[–] Fedizen 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

starlink is a competitor to rural broadband so they'll be squashing that program immediately. Can't have competition.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago (10 children)

Consider WISPs like Verizon/T-Mobile. They absolutely will kick you off for excessive usage, but 1.5 terabytes would not be considered excessive usage.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

I switched to the Tmo 5G internet a few months ago and it has been great. It’s not symmetric, DL is faster than UL, but it almost always matches or beats the 500D/50U cable service I had previously.

Looks like I did hit 1.2 TB one month but am usually half that.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

It is definitely very area dependent because I used to live in a super rural area where the wired ISP only gave like 10 down by like one or two up and T-Mobile was doing 70 down by like 20 up. Either way, it was absolutely fast enough and had no issues.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

That's more c/usa tho (politics) and less c/technology.

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[–] finitebanjo 2 points 1 month ago

Idk about data caps, but I used to get 3MB/s and I had to be happy for it. Things are better.

I think because of recent programs new ISPs have popped up all over the USA. The IIJA invested in infrastructure and startups to increase number of servicers to areas with few to no providers.

So I guess it depends on which representatives we send to Congress and the White House.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

There is an alternative that I wish I could think of the name of that communities have been using for a number of years now to set up cheap, small-scale satellite internet networks. I looked into it once as an alternative for my neighborhood to dealing with the bullshit that is Comcast and Verizon, and ended up getting an ad for milsec strategic level network infrastructure from Boeing or something. Regardless, it's a known and proven alternative that's cheaper than the big guys and has hit a point where some places have set it up as a part of local government run infrastructure.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

No, it's going to get worse with the Trump administration.

[–] scarabic 1 points 1 month ago

There is a limited ecosystem of smaller competitors who sometimes rise to this bullshit and offer something better. It really depends where you are. Sonic dug up some streets across town to put in fiber. They don’t serve my neighborhood, but I’m close enough that ad targeting keeps showing me ads for their new fiber service

༼ ༎ຶ ᆺ ༎ຶ༽

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

I have quantum fiber. 1 Gb up+down. No data cap. $80/mo "price for life."

The only downside is it's still IPv6 Rapid Deployment.

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