Broadband policy shift in the US drops fiber priority, could funnel billions to Starlink

[kiwigraeme]

Attempts to generalize usually result in nonsense, just like the claims above.
The majority of US population has the same internet access as most of the first world. But the US is HUUUUGE, and there are plenty of vast, sparsely populated areas - they are the problematic ones. As you may have guessed already, the ISPs are not rushing to compete and build infrastructure in areas with one person per square mile. But an affordable satellite connection solves the problem right away.

Oh, and Germany is not socialist - it's a densely populated country with tons of mobile/ internet/ etc. providers - that naturally results in cheap plans. If they were socialist, they'd be without internet still.

Yes I know germany is not socialist , I'm being facetious - Like aust , NZ , canada, UK etc and most of western Europe it's social democracy - just repeating what was less educated Americans say .
However for being the richest country in the world - Internet is a bit of a lottery - ISP with monopolies , getting funding and doing not much . Ie not really free market.
Rest of old/new world has has made reasonable attempt to get fiber to most of their citizens and I doubt many small towns of say 400 people missed . Yes starlink or alternatives are a great option for those miles from even a village or main highway/road

But I have seen people in USA showing wide divergent in what are are paying and getting - that many have to consider bandwidths etc. Sure some get 1000M/b connection for $40 or less , but others pay $100 plus for what is really sad bandwidth for 2025 .

In NZ I pay OK for fiber , but still don't have the sweet mobile plans of many countries in the world .
Lots of countries made it a priority to connect 95% plus of their citizens
I just think like USA health care pay a lot and federal tax subsidies , but too much grifting and not enough whip . Doge will actually make grifting easy for those lined up for it , us less oversight

Thing is Trump promised lots of infrastructure spending , maybe that's just roads , maybe just slush funds for reds states who knows

Think even heard stories that towns/municipalities were sued trying to set up their own networks, backbone, ISP - as that would stop the ISP with the monopoly exploiting them for 3X the cost

 

[ZedRM]

I have fiber run to my house and all of you pretending it's solid and will last forever are just giving away that you haven't tried it yet.

Then you have a bad fiber install. We have fiber here and it's perfect. Has been for the entire time we've had it.

 

[ZedRM]

Yes I know germany is not socialist

Are you sure? I ask because Germany, Britain and the USA all seem to be heading in the goose-stepping direction of things.

 

[ScottSoapbox]

BEAD should be defunded like CHIPS.

Eliminating corporate welfare is how you "drain the swamp".

Shifting who gets the corporate welfare is just the same Crony Capitalism that created the swamp with a different face.

 

[Axiarus]

It's illogical to go with fiber when you're in a very rural place. That's why the requirement was eliminated. Isn't that what this program is for in the first place? Remember who Donald Trump's political base is... Literally all the rural places in the US. If you really think that fiber optic infrastructure is going to cover all of the US and it'll be more economical to do so, you're crazy.

As someone who uses 300 Mbps fiber optic Internet, I cannot tell the difference from when I had 60 Mbps cable Internet. There is no need to prioritize Gigabit Internet. I also get complete outages occasionally, so I don't really think cable or other types of Internet delivery were the problem with reliability.

The changes don't favor Elon Musk or SpaceX. In reality, the program used to be biased before. Maybe you should think about it some more lol?

If you can’t tell the difference between 300down/300up vs 60down/20up something is wrong with you.

 

[RudyBob]

Starlink and Musk get things done. Money funneled to Stacy Abrahms gets nothing done. If I had to wait for ground based high speed internet and I still am BTW then I would not have it and I am ten miles out of town.
I am all for Starlink and against the legacy internet providers

 

[kiwigraeme]

Are you sure? I ask because Germany, Britain and the USA all seem to be heading in the goose-stepping direction of things.

The attack world wide is on the centre, crazy swings , incompetent and compromised politicians allowing trojan horse attacks by even worse populist politicians - offering factually false simplistic solutions - Daddy figures - from incredibly weak bad fathers ( that's the funny part - eg Trump is such a weak person - real emperor with no clothes - Would crumble in fear.
Does anyone think he would be a good fireman ? Mussolini , Hitler the same weak - only power in controlling others . Putin is probably battle hardened to be fair , shows it his complete control of The USA at the moment

Really with attacks on media , ignorance of voters , flooding on media of BS and the likes of Fox - who clearly say it's an entertainment network , don't believe our BS on behalf on a very nasty owner

Think is ultimately you have to believe in human kind.
People are already to revolt against the greed and nastiness of the corrupt billionaires.
Those guys aren't normal - they don't care about nothing but the game.

But as the chickens start coming home , huge climate change - floods, water security , dought , endless heat waves , food security - You will see more attacks on corps - like fire bombings on Tesla
Billionaires and family will live in pretty prisons - People will out them , and where they hide

They are the enemy , not those they make you hate. No Trans people did not take your job , they didn't give you gay fantasies.
Their are still many too far in the cults , nothing is their fault , facts are as they choose - If say next 4 years in The USA is bad , it's Bidens fault , no matter crap air, drinking water , reduced Medicaid/care , much higher prices, more unemployment , more hatred

Like Climate change deniers , will NEVER admit they are wrong - denying for decades warm was getting warmer - this people are inherently very weak and cowards - we have to accept that - They are also incredibly selfish, wilful , nasty , only caring for themselves , don't even care for their own grandkids futures - just amazes me

 

[cyberblogger]

Many times it seems the politician scammers set funding for an internet program only to funnel it and launder the money out of the project.

I see no difference between Musk and the Claydesta internet isp scam it came out to be.

 

[cyberblogger]

Another layer of this that people don't understand is satellites only have a lifespan of 5-7 years in space.
There are fiber trunks created in the late 1970s and 1980s that are still operating.

 

[trieste1s]

The US is just amazing at making binary choices. Like somehow fibre and Starlink cannot coexist, one must thrive while the other must go extinct.

 

[ZedRM]

The US is just amazing at making binary choices. Like somehow fibre and Starlink cannot coexist, one must thrive while the other must go extinct.

You might be misplacing some blame. Did you not stop to think the vocabulary of the article wasn't deliberately chosen?

 

[ZedRM]

Eliminating corporate welfare is how you "drain the swamp".

You seem to be unaware of where the phase "drain the swamp" came from. Stop using it in the wrong context. Makes you look bad.

 

[lonetac]

I have fiber run to my house and all of you pretending it's solid and will last forever are just giving away that you haven't tried it yet.

been using fiber for 15 years and I WFH. Never had an outage once and never have any performance issues.

The tech is objectively superior.

Sure.

 

[ScottSoapbox]

You seem to be unaware of where the phase "drain the swamp" came from. Stop using it in the wrong context. Makes you look bad.

I'm using it in the context made popular by the former and current President of the USA.
Feel free to educate us on the deep history of the phrase, but acting like the most famous and common current usage is not correct is just silly.

 

[trieste1s]

The US is just amazing at making binary choices. Like somehow fibre and Starlink cannot coexist, one must thrive while the other must go extinct.

Hey look, in actuality, its gender that should be binary. Economic and political decisions shouldn't. But you guys collectively have turned it upside down.

 

[TempleOrion]

Hey look, in actuality, its gender that should be binary. Economic and political decisions shouldn't. But you guys collectively have turned it upside down.

Yeah bring culture wars into a discussion about broadband LMAO. You may *want* there to be two genders, unfortunately for you, science disagrees. Just like it does about climate change, vaccines and the flat/hollow earth, all of which right whingers like to moan about

*You* guys (ie fascist bootlickers) are really twisting themselves into pretzels trying to distort reality in order to defend Agent Orange and Muskrat, it's freakin' hilarious.

 

[ZedRM]

I'm using it in the context made popular by the former and current President of the USA.
Feel free to educate us on the deep history of the phrase, but acting like the most famous and common current usage is not correct is just silly.

Using a term or phase in it's "popular" form does not make it correct nor does it make you look any less...um.... Forest-Gump-ish.. By your logic, the phrase "Easy-Peazy" is perfectly acceptable. It is not and just sounds brainless.

 

[ZedRM]

Hey look, in actuality, its gender that should be binary. Economic and political decisions shouldn't. But you guys collectively have turned it upside down.

What the f-ing hades does that have to do with broadband internet?

Yeah bring culture wars into a discussion about broadband LMAO.

I agree. That was weak.

 

[trieste1s]

Yeah bring culture wars into a discussion about broadband LMAO. You may *want* there to be two genders, unfortunately for you, science disagrees. Just like it does about climate change, vaccines and the flat/hollow earth, all of which right whingers like to moan about

*You* guys (ie fascist bootlickers) are really twisting themselves into pretzels trying to distort reality in order to defend Agent Orange and Muskrat, it's freakin' hilarious.

No solid arguments, just name drop "science", "fascists", "whingers" - name-calling and gaslighting are the order of the day.

Agent Orange and Muskrat ARE hilarious labels though.

By the way, because of your self-righteous (lefteous?) anger, you probably did not realise that I write as a non-American. The "you guys" in my previous post is all of America: the militant wokelibs, the reasonable left, the centre, the reasonable right, the racist-jingoist. I kinda wonder where on this spectrum you are, though. I don't think the reasonable left or the centre or the reasonable right will resort to routine name-calling and gaslighting.

I tried my best (to parade my rightness.. pun intended), but in political quizzes, I'm centrist economically and very slightly right of centre socially. Or perhaps it's the other way round. Nevertheless, I'm at the figurative bullseye on the 2D spectrum.

Addendum: just retook politicalcompass.org
Economic Left/Right: -4.75
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: 1.38

Heh, I'm actually quite economically left!

 

[trieste1s]

What the f-ing hades does that have to do with broadband internet?

Just a macro observation. It's like the societal or national equivalent of having a bad day, where everything is going exactly wrong, every decision being made is erroneous.

 

[ScottSoapbox]

Using a term or phase in it's "popular" form does not make it correct nor does it make you look any less...um.... Forest-Gump-ish.. By your logic, the phrase "Easy-Peazy" is perfectly acceptable. It is not and just sounds brainless.

Since you avoided the request to educate us with the superior way to use this phrase and instead chose to respond with an ad hominem attack, I consider the debate won and will ignore you going forward.

 

[ZedRM]

Just a macro observation. It's like the societal or national equivalent of having a bad day, where everything is going exactly wrong, every decision being made is erroneous.

No, your comment was a directed insult toward the USA.

Since you avoided the request to educate us with the superior way to use this phrase

If it were worth my time...

and instead chose to respond with an ad hominem attack

Attack? A quip is an attack?

I consider the debate won and will ignore you going forward.

Reacting with your ego? You? I'm shocked../s

 

[trieste1s]

Another layer of this that people don't understand is satellites only have a lifespan of 5-7 years in space.
There are fiber trunks created in the late 1970s and 1980s that are still operating.

Who's going to fund all the last miles in rural and sprawling suburban areas? According to StrongTowns, all the asphalt in suburbia are already a deleterious financial sink. Do the same for fibre and the maintenance will add up down the road, pun unintended.

 

[cyberblogger]

Who's going to fund all the last miles in rural and sprawling suburban areas? According to StrongTowns, all the asphalt in suburbia are already a deleterious financial sink. Do the same for fibre and the maintenance will add up down the road, pun unintended.

I don't see it being an issue considering power lines and dsl/phone line are much higher maintenance. About 60% of the US could be covered with what is already installed along interstate highways, that currently most of it is not utilized.

 

[trieste1s]

I don't see it being an issue considering power lines and dsl/phone line are much higher maintenance. About 60% of the US could be covered with what is already installed along interstate highways, that currently most of it is not utilized.

Utilized or not, there is a maintenance cost to pay. The entire nation pays.