FCC Calls for Huge Changes To Federal Phone Subsidies

[Guest]

It's a good idea that betrays a lack of understanding how much a computer actually costs.

FCC Calls for Huge Changes To Federal Phone Subsidies : Read more

 

[Guest]

I'm still paying $25 a month for Dialup + $15 for a second phone line because AT&T refuses to give me DSL at any price, how about doing something about that

 

[keyanf]

Preferably they'd drop the subsidies entirely and stop the government regulations that are allowing local monopolies on service, letting spontaneous order kick it.

 

[deadlockedworld]

I heart Julius Genachowski. However, I do agree that we have ridiculous monopolies that need to be ended to promote competition. Comcast comes to mind.

 

[marquis]

this is horrible !

in a cost cutting move to save money i'm droping my cellphone in order to get a landline .... DON'T CUT THE POOR !!

 

[4745454b]

I'm all doing what we can to get more broadband out, but at the cost of this I feel its to much. In my area this $6.50 is called lifeline. I know many elderly who are on it, and my parents are or were on it as well. (I think they left it when they got DSL. You can't have DSL, long distance, etc with lifeline.) Considering that there is no other real low cost option for phone, I'm not sure we should be wiring up the rest of America at the cost of the poorest.

I'm also not sure about the article talking about not being able to buy a computer that can use the advanced features. I'd bet a $299 dell could. And on my local craigs list there are several machines for $200 or less that could probably do it as well. It might be hard, but you'd be surprised what a used $200 computer could do.

Finally, hateATT, they don't want to give you DSL probably because your to far away from the telco box. You need to be within so many feet of the box for DSL to work. What they want to do would probably fix your problem. If they passed this, they'd get a telco box closer to you, and you could get DSL. You should be for this, not against it.

 

[davewolfgang]

For all those that are complaining about monopolies, because you only have one provider in your area.

Monopolies can only exist because your LOCAL government allows it. If you want competition, and your local politicians won't allow it - fire them. Don't get Big Government involved, please - they screw up everything and anything they touch.

 

[southernshark]

Get rid of the monopolies and get rid of the subsidy. The subsidy is nothing but a scam, a way for the government to funnel money to the well connected.

 

[spectrewind]

[citation][nom]screw_ATT[/nom]I'm still paying $25 a month for Dialup + $15 for a second phone line because AT&T refuses to give me DSL at any price, how about doing something about that[/citation]

$25 for what ISP? AOL??
Some of my neighbors who are stuck with POTS/RAS dialup are using PeoplePC. Considering the platform, you might give them a look.

 

[spectrewind]

[citation][nom]deadlockedworld[/nom]I heart Julius Genachowski. However, I do agree that we have ridiculous monopolies that need to be ended to promote competition. Comcast comes to mind.[/citation]

Abso - friggin - lutely.
When Comcast is working normally in my area, they're good. I leave them alone. They leave me alone, except for the bill. Although, I think my bill is rather high.

 

[spectrewind]

[citation][nom]marquis[/nom]this is horrible ! in a cost cutting move to save money i'm droping my cellphone in order to get a landline .... DON'T CUT THE POOR !![/citation]

Why would you do that? My household does not have a land-line.
If you need a land-line, just get a Google voice phone number for free. I use a droid app that mimics the "landline" on my droid, called Groove IP. It links to google voice via my droid phone on any data connection (wifi or 3g/4g/hspa+).
If I need to call a landline from my cell phone, I use that. No minutes used on our account.

 

[rosstradamus]

I'm also not sure about the article talking about not being able to buy a computer that can use the advanced features. I'd bet a $299 dell could.

For someone already on subsidized phone service, $299.00 is probably not an amount they can easily scrape together. I know, just speaking from personal experience, when I was forced to rely on the lifeline (during a period when I was laid off and temping to get by), that amount would have been swallowed up by food or rent before I could ever have justified spending it on anything like a computer.

 

[acadia11]

[citation][nom]deadlockedworld[/nom]I heart Julius Genachowski. However, I do agree that we have ridiculous monopolies that need to be ended to promote competition. Comcast comes to mind.[/citation]

Yes, but when AT&T was broken up, regional phone prices actually went up. The problem is that Americans try to categorize everything into one size fits all. The issue should never be capitalism or socialism or monopoly or no monopoly, the issue should be, is this effective or not. I abhor the monopolies of utilities from power , to local phone service, to cable, and so on ... but the issue is line distribution very few companies are willing to come in and lay lines. In my opinion the lines should be owned by the government but the service can be privatized in that way any company can come in and hook up their services and competition is fostered and eliminate monopolies. So government owns and lays the fiber cables, but servicers can come in and tap into the cables providing content, in teh case of phones, phone service, in the case of power, add power to the power grid, and so on ... this wasn't possible in the past, but with the modularized and distributed nature of networks now, it can be done.

 

[dealcorn]

A safety net for low income taxpayers makes sense. Any government involvement beyond that is nonsense. Government market leadership means they take your money through taxes and give it to their friends while saying it is for da peoples (i.e. as in "da Bears"). The art of how to take taxpayer money and give it to your friends while having a position that you should not go to jail is one are where Chicago politicians have provided national leadership. If there is no threat pf regulation, who is gonna hire da attorneys and who can be extorted for campaign contributions? Interest groups must be at risk or they will not pony up. There are priorities here, but they have nothing to do with communications.

 

[reggieray]

8 billion dollar phone subsidy, tax payer money at work to make sure we all have GPS enabled tracking devices on us at all times.

 

[Guest]

Those $45 tablets they are starting to sell in India (made by a company in Canada) could make great use of broadband. If India can do it, why can't the US?

 

[jungleboogiemonster]

For those who want more competition in the landline business, we have tried adding competition into telecom by allowing any business to access existing landlines and it just didn't work. So, now we're at where we are today with telephone companies only providing service where it's most profitable. We really need to look at how we got phone service to everyone in the country in the first place and follow that model, because it worked.

 

[dark_lord69]

They should do broadband service and try to get these people off typical phone lines onto VOIP phones. Then they would have internet AND phone (at a low price)...

I just wish the FCC would force cable companies that have a local monopoly to charge lower rates (on internet service). Since it is now considered "a necessity". My ONLY option for broadband is Charter. I can't even get DSL.

 

[TwoDigital]

I don't see what the fuss is about... for those that don't have broadband today; how about using the subsidy to get them set up with broadband INSTEAD of a landline? I've been using a $10/month rental IP phone line from Comcast for 10 years now instead of a traditional land line. I know the argument is going to be that it's not available in all areas... maybe the $8billion is a good start to get that up and running... copper phone lines (the ones that can't carry DSL) are a legacy of the 2-wire 1900's. Let's move beyond that rather than funding old technology forever.

 

[firekraker]

[citation][nom]reggieray[/nom]8 billion dollar phone subsidy, tax payer money at work to make sure we all have GPS enabled tracking devices on us at all times.[/citation]

Sorry but I could care less about tracking. Least of our worries. We need telco businesses to do the right things at times. Even by force by the Government.