$350 Billion May Be Needed to Extend Broadband

[apmyhr]

[citation][nom]bmxmon[/nom]The internet is a communication device used in the US, basically open to anybody, so I'm sure that qualifies it for government control. I'm a Mass Communications student, journalism and all that BS. Anyway, Americans have a right to free communications, it is designed to keep the citizens informed. That is why you can pick up local TV news and radio for free. The government knows it is not free, that's why there is advertising.[/citation]

Really? "Free Communications" is a right? Is that why the US Post Office charges for stamps? Thats funny because when I look at our Constitution I can't find the part where it says everyone has a right to broadband internet speeds as opposed to slower speeds which could only access useless sites such as Google News. But no, your probably right, I'm sure your an expert in the Constitution, especially considering your Communications degree. I love how there are so many experts on our Constitutional rights these days. Without these experts I wouldn't know that we all have rights to free healthcare, housing, government bailouts, and so many other fundamental rights.

 

[igot1forya]

[citation][nom]frozenlead[/nom]They best not be moving toward free internet access. Somehow I know they are, though...The idea that the US even offers free TV is ludicrous. If you can't pay for it, you can't have it - don't expect everyone else to pay for it for you.[/citation]
So you think watching commercials for 1/4 of your favorite show is nice? Nothing is free.

 

[mikepaul]

Verizon is implying in another posts that eventually the build-out of the Internet will require all users get less service or higher prices out of the system because of costs. MAYBE huge download speeds, but your entire month's alottment may fit into a few hour's use of that great speed. What a thrill.

Perhaps a cap on the number of users a company has, to spread the wealth thinner? Nah, all companies must go for more customers and more profits, and if the customers don't like it they can go elsehere. Like broadband competition actually exists when the same rules are at every turn...

 

[jellico]

[citation][nom]croc[/nom]God... Another egotistical yank-wanker. The US invented WHAT? And had what WHEN? Next you'll be claiming that the US invented DNA, electricity, the wheel...[/citation]
Americans did invent the Internet, you Aussie dill! It was invented by DARPA in the 1960s, based on the work of AMERICAN Leonard Kleinrock of MIT who published the first paper on packet switching theory in 1961.

DNA wasn't invented, it was discovered by James Watson(USA) and Francis Crick(UK) in 1953.

Electricity and the wheel have been known to man for a very long time. So long, in fact, that it is impossible to know who actually discovered them.

Anymore questions? No? K,thx, rack off now.

 

[papasmurf]

Wow more government spending that I hadn't even heard of. You'd think that if they were going to spend our money they would at least make sure we knew about it. Obama how I hate you.

 

[core i7 ownage]

US people are complaining that they never got full speed. In here, UK, we are getting 10Mbits to 50Mbits from Virgin Media fiber cable.
Im using Virgin Media's 10Mbit line for £20 month plus getting full speed.

 

[ticked]

What ticks me off is that the cable companies have already taken over $200 billion in tax payer money with little to show for it.

http/www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/2007/pulpit_20070810_002683.html

We need much better regulation and oversight if we give them any more of our tax dollars.

 

[ticked]

What ticks me off is that the cable companies have already taken over $200 billion in tax payer money with little to show for it.

http/www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/2007/pulpit_20070810_002683.html

We need much better regulation and oversight if we give them any more of our tax dollars.

 

[TemjinGold]

[citation][nom]falchard[/nom]Wow talk about good pay. $360 Billion equates to $100 per square yard to cover the entirety of ground in the US.[/citation]

They're probably using Monster cables...

 

[Guest]

Ummm... while faster internet access may be "needed" - is it something that needs to be socialized? (In the Obama era, this would be a rhetorical question)

And before someone talks about roads and other infrastructure - that is THEORETICALLY paid for by gasoline tax (which means people who drive pay for it)... of course that money is plundered goes into the general gov't slush and used for whatever pork/re-election project that needs spending.

 

[w4ffles]

[citation][nom]Square_Head[/nom]Ok, lets think about this for a moment. Look at the size of South Korea, now look at the size of the United States... hmmm South Korea land area 100,000 sq kilometers.... United States.... 9,800,000,000 sq kilometers... hmmm do the math R-tardIts one thing to make provide high bandwidth in small areas.[/citation]
Like they'd run cables into every square inch of the mountains, farms, interstates, etc. It should not take that much to run cables to even all the small towns. Like someone else noted, $100 to cover each and every square yard is a bit pricey. That's what I meant and what gives you the right to flame me?

 

[dextermat]

Well those prediction are probably nice white lies: someone will make a crap load of money out of that situation

 

[climber]

I'm just so glad we can have a civil conversation without it turning into an episode of Springer.....

 

[climber]

People seem to think that when the government hands out stimulus money to corporations or industries, that they all have already done all the work and are waiting to just get a check... like a month after spending the money it's all done. Major national infrastructure projects are multi-year if not decade long programs. We live in the age where microwaves are no longer fast enough for us.

 

[blackened144]

[citation][nom]w4ffles[/nom]South Korea is going to spend $24.6 billion to put 1Gbps internet and 10Mbps wireless. We're doing something wrong if it's going to take $350 billion just to "extend broadband".[/citation]
Do you realize that youre comparing a country that covers only 38 thousand miles to one that covers 3.78 MILLION square miles?

 

[Guest]

Actually, the "laying down" IS the expensive part. Digging, especially in cities, costs a lot of money. Once you have the pipes down you can put in more fiber at a very low cost. Upgrading an existing backbone between cities is (relatively) cheap. The last 100m into peoples homes is where the big costs come in. This also means countries where most people live in apartments get off cheaper. If you look at the cost for digging up every American suburb you will see where the $100/square yard comes in.

In Sweden the expected cost for upgrading everyone to fiber is estimated at about $20 billion. Right now most have 2-20 Mb/s for a cost of $12-40, with no download limit. The mobile networks are being upgraded to 150Mbs right now, but they usually have a limit. (Not all of them do.) Mine is 5Gb/month, after that they lower the speed from 7.2Mbs to 0.384Mbs (with no limit). Not that I use anywhere close to that on my phone. They say you can use up around 1Gb/month if you use Spotify a lot on your phone, though.