Dems to ISPs: You're not gonna hike broadband prices, slap restrictions on folks in a pandemic, are you?

America’s largest internet providers have been asked to provide details of any price hikes or broadband restrictions they have placed on captive internet users during the pandemic. In a letter from House Commerce Committee chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ), as well as the chair of its technology subcommittee Mike Doyle (D-PA), the …

[beep54]

sad

None of these companies, esp. Comcast have a gram of shame.

[NeilPost]

Re: sad

Why there should be federal regulation.... like Comcast’s EU and UK subsidiary Sky are shackled by. That being said they are still putting their prices up come April as much as they are allowed to.

[D. Evans]

All are the same

I'm with ConCa$t but on a business plan. It's still terrible and I feel for people who are not technical and are at the mercy of their domestic offering. But I with AT&T (Atrocious, Terrible & Taxing?) and that's all I have options for. I don't thing any of the major players can be trusted any more than the, current, glorious president for life: Trump,

[Anonymous Coward]

It's a shame Virginmedia don't take note here in the UK, I have just been informed of a £9.50 increase, every year I battle to regulate the price and every couple of months another increase !

[NeilPost]

Same here. All ISP’s are shamelessly using their regulated APR increase allowance this year.

Use your (also) regulated ability to cancel ‘in contract’ to fuck them off going to a better deal or securing a rebate/discount.

[Richard Cranium]

Yes I'm not happy with Virgin Media continual price hikes.

My Virgin Media price hike is only £3.50 (on a base package cost of £74.56 for phone, cable broadband 200Mbit, and a TV bundle) so I'm seeing an increase of 4.6%, more than ten times the UK inflation rate (December CPI 0.3%)

And it's difficult to get them to cut the cost. They'd charge about £20 a month for landline, I'm in the process of seeing if I can switch the landline number to Sipgate (and then forward calls to mobile) so will Virgin knock £20 off my bill - no because its a package, I can have a different package at a zero cost saving... Same applies if I drop some of the TV channels, the stuff that comes down the TV aerial is more than enough.

Our road has recently got BT Fibre (FTTP), I'd consider a swap but they're a bunch of [expletives deleted] too, they'd charge about £60 a month for a comparable bundle (inc phone as VOIP, TV entertainment bundle and 300Mbit ) so it looks like a £200p.a. saving

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm sorry to have to say this, but you're being fleeced...

I'm currently living in France, Paris region, and I get fiber + phone + a mobile phone + a slew of TV channels I never watch, all for €31.98 a month (it's been the same price for many, many years). No cap, no throttling.

The explanation is there are half a dozen competing ISPs offering service, and "let the market speak" does indeed have a meaning here: There is no carefully curated monopoly of 1-2 providers making sure they can charge extortionist prices for minimum service. BTW French ISPs are proof that it *is* possible to offer all that for $30/month, and still make a profit. As from far from the capital, out there in the boonies, even if the offer isn't as lavish, the same monthly tab still gets you honest, usable DSL, even if your house is a couple miles from the nearest village.

[EnviableOne]

Virgin are owned By Liberty Global - says everythiing USAians need to know.

In the UK most people have 2 choices, get something down the withering OpenBreach(Kingston if your in Hull) Copper lines or over Virgin Fibre/COAX network, where available

The rare happy few have a third party provider with their own fibre and a decent service, at a not unreasonable cost. (GigaClear, CityFibre, Hyperoptic, B4RN, and others)

the less-rare unhappy ones either dont have a phone line thats reliable enough to get a connection, are uneconomical to provide to and have to resort to Mobile Internet, if not in a blackspot, or god-forbid Satelite broadband to satisfy their need

[Clunking Fist]

Time for the UK to split network from reseller? We've done that in NZ and now for about $85 you can get unlimited 950/500 FTTH in the city. Less, if you bundle your electricity or mobile.

However, as yet we haven't solved the problem for rural residents...

[Anonymous Coward]

You mean the US? It's been split in the UK for as long as I can remember.

If the price for up, simply switch to a different ISP, using the same physical cables.

The ISPs know this too, which is probably why my FTTC connection went down by £4 a month a couple of months ago

Unfortunately, too many Americans think that any regulation on capitalism is communist. Of course, this propaganda is pushed by the big corporations who are the only ones who profit from less restrictions.

Whether it's internet provider lock-in, lack of mandated days off / sick leave the less intellectual American Muppets cheer their plight as some kind of mythical freedom.

[oiseau]

Natural Monopoly

In todays' world, any communication service is a Public Service and should be heavily regulated by the state.

Corporations have long ago set up camp in what is (and will always be) a natural monopoly, just one of many others.

Their <b<only</b> permanent objective is to exopand and make more money.

No means to that effect are spared, only the inefficient ones.

Unless they are reined in ASAP, we're all (ie: worldwide) screwed big time.

O.

[Clunking Fist]

Re: Natural Monopoly

As with electricity and gas: separate the wires/pipes network from the product being pumped. Then heavily regulate the network, using models tried and tested, and let competition rip at the retail level.

[j0ester]

Comcrap is a horrible monopolized company that should be stopped! They have way too much power for a crappy infrastructure, but every year..another priced hike. Now we got data caps..and what's even worst! If you don't have their xFi shitty system for unlimited, it's $30..if you want their shitty system and unlimited...it's still $30. We don't want your shit systems. It's so locked down and it sucks. We want to use our own...as we save $hundreds a year without those crappy rental fees.

[Clunking Fist]

Dems to ISPs: "slap restrictions on folks in a pandemic, are you?"

The reply from ISPs: "Only on customers who are registered Republicans."

Dems: "That's okay then."

MSM: crickets

Honestly, that what I think is a possibility: providers of services like GAB, Parler, Telegram, BitChut & Odysee being denied even an internet connection.

[diodesign]

Ah, cool, we're at the outrage-over-an-imagined-scenario stage.

C.

[DeadSurvivor]

Buckle Up Folks ...

Raising prices during a Pandemic would not be a nice thing to do but I think the companies have a right to make that decision if that's what they choose to do. Let's keep our fingers crossed that Broad Brand providers realize that 2021 is unlike any year we've experienced in recent times with many Small Businesses filing for Bankruptcy. A Price Hike will do nothing but damage their consumers and for businesses with Broad Band and Phone services, they will loose those customers.

On the Flip Side, if we let the government regulate prices of ISPs, what's next? A Hamburger Tax? If you want Fries with that Shake, you must pay a "Shake That Thang" tax of $3.00 per order?

I believe this year will be filled with twists and turns that no one see's coming. If you thought the second half of 2020 was a tough, buckle up!