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Business Title: Comcast sued a city trying to build high-speed internet — then offered its own version Competition wins againThe small city of Chattanooga, Tennessee, has played a large role in the movement to expand high-speed internet around the US. It wanted to build its own municipal fiber network, but was sued by incumbents like Comcast. After winning in court, Chattanooga built its own high-speed offering, but was prevented from expanding this offering to neighboring areas by state laws. Earlier this year, the FCC voted to overturn those restrictions. And today Comcast has come crawling back, announcing it will begin offering its own 2-gigabit service in Chattanooga. "I think we would have welcomed the incumbents to come into town and to have done some of this work, but frankly no one was interested in doing it," Danna Bailey, VP of communications at the city's Electric Power Board, told Ars Technica. Faced with a better, cheaper offering, Comcast is now playing catch-up. A similar transformation has played out in cities where Google has built out its Fiber offerings. The local ISPs are now scrambling to improve their speed and prices to match. "There are a few irrefutable truths about broadband," said FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler ahead of the commissions 3-2 vote overturning the Tennessee ban. "One is you can’t say you’re for broadband, and then turn around and endorse limits." You can try to endorse limits, and when you lose, decide to actually compete by selling it yourself. It's not a good look, but it is a win for consumers. Poster Comment: If Government doesn't intervene to provide REAL competition, the private sector will just squat on it's lazy ass and fleece consumers out of our hard earned cash. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 2. #1. To: Willie Green (#0) (Edited) This case illustrates why granting monopoly franchises to these big broadband companies is contrary to the public interest. It has been some years since Chattanooga tried to offer and then expand its 1Gbps service with Comcast trying to close them down (or stall them for years). And that succeeded for the most part. Now, years later, Comcast is offering its own, more expensive 2Gbps service. It's a shame to reward Comcast for behaving like such pigs, particularly where they have achieved virtual monopoly status in so many broadband markets. The public utility commissions and courts are supposed to protect the consumer and promote competition for public benefit, not serve as the handmaidens of some sleazy pack of lawyers at Comcast.
If Government doesn't intervene to provide REAL competition, the private sector will just squat on it's lazy ass and fleece consumers out of our hard earned cash. The government is mostly poorly equipped to actually run something like a broadband service. They need to review and strengthen laws against these ridiculous monopoly arrangements that the big telecoms use to drive any competitors from the market. Which is what happened in Chattanooga.
#2. To: TooConservative, Willie Green (#1) ...these ridiculous monopoly arrangements that the big telecoms Nah - let the market drive the competitors from the market. Case in point: Verizon has the the WORST customer service They overcharged me by a few hundred dollars. (Years ago.) Phone - local and long distance - Cable TV - broadband Internet - And years later - the collection agencies still call.
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