this post was submitted on 20 Dec 2023
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And pull themselves up by their bootstraps as usual?

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[–] PrettyFlyForAFatGuy@lemmy.ml 154 points 9 months ago (6 children)

Imagine living in the 2020's in the developed world and not realizing that internet access is a basic necessity.

Then imagine being the sort of person who would deny poor people basic necessities

[–] KpntAutismus@lemmy.world 92 points 9 months ago (1 children)
[–] skybreaker@lemmy.world 71 points 9 months ago

Might want to get that cough checked out. ...unless you're in America, in which case you probably couldn't afford it.

[–] PerogiBoi@lemmy.ca 44 points 9 months ago (1 children)

They know full well that internet is a necessity to participate in society.

That is why they are blocking it with every fibre of their being.

To them, poor people are poor because god is angry at them. They deserve to be poor.

[–] Asafum@feddit.nl 7 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

It's not that nefarious, it's more "we're a bunch of wealthy assholes and we know the best way to make the most money without having to actually make something worth a shit is to privatize necessities and then monopolize them. You literally need to buy from me! Also, you lot don't work hard enough."

I hate these people with every fiber of my being.

[–] quicksand@lemm.ee 4 points 9 months ago

My mom works with internet people. I remember when I was a kid she was making fun of them for saying internet should be a basic human right. Nowadays, it would be hard to find someone who doesn't think that lol

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[–] Cowbee@lemm.ee 73 points 9 months ago (3 children)
[–] MonsiuerPatEBrown@reddthat.com 34 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (2 children)

Hows about "Create local and municipal fiber to the curb to stoke competition and drive down prices" instead ?

[–] Cowbee@lemm.ee 16 points 9 months ago

Markets are extremely bad when it comes to proper allocation of essentials. Infrastructure in general should be nationalized at minimum, and heavily invested in.

[–] RedEyeFlightControl@lemmy.world 13 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

The local fiber provider skipped my street altogether because spectrum has a contract with the apartments, and they don't think it's worth running fiber to compete. I wish this was a joke. The providers are literally NOT competing at all. Residential homeowners are screwed because spectrum has a chokehold on the other half of the neighborhood.

[–] Asafum@feddit.nl 24 points 9 months ago (1 children)

It's literally a fucking necessity so if course it's privately owned... It's so ridiculous how we treat necessities... Tell me what job you can apply to that doesn't require it to be done over the Internet?

I remember when I could walk in to a store and shake the managers hand, then things changed and I got looked at like I was crazy "just go online and apply, why are you here?"

[–] Cowbee@lemm.ee 11 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Full agreement, way ahead of you. Instead of having a robust, publicly funded infrastructure-based necessity (internet service), it gets chopped up and sold piece-by-piece with price-gouging and local monopolies like warlords.

[–] Asafum@feddit.nl 5 points 9 months ago

Yuuup. Looking at you optimum. I have one option. :/

[–] Waluigis_Talking_Buttplug@lemmy.world 9 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (2 children)

My coop power company installed fiber, so my ISP is a coop. IMO I'd rather this that purely nationalized.

[–] Cowbee@lemm.ee 5 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Co-ops are cool, but markets in general have far too many disadvantages for me to advocate for market-based Socialism over a non-market solution.

[–] frezik@midwest.social 4 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Short of a complete revolution, market Socialisim is probably the most viable path out of capitalism. It doesn't have to stay there, and shouldn't, but it'll be a whole lot less messy than a revolution.

[–] Cowbee@lemm.ee 2 points 9 months ago

Depends on the country, honestly. In America, I'm more inclined to believe Syndicalism would work, reform won't meaningfully happen from within.

In general, I'm anti-tendency and believe that the material conditions of each space need to be analyzed independently.

[–] joel_feila@lemmy.world 4 points 9 months ago (1 children)
[–] yOya@lemm.ee 49 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Every penny that goes to social programs to help the poor is a penny that isn't going to corporations and their billionaire donors. Of course they want to cancel it, along with social security, medicare and public libraries.

[–] therealjcdenton@lemmy.zip 3 points 9 months ago

MORE GOD BLESSED MILITARY GROWTH

[–] Carvex@lemmy.world 33 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Always have money for war and bloodshed

[–] markr@lemmy.world 9 points 9 months ago

And whenever they have control, more tax cuts for the rich.

[–] Iseja@lemmy.world 24 points 9 months ago (3 children)

Damn 30$ discount. How much do you pay in the states for broadband access. I pay about 40$ each month for a 500/500 connection.

[–] Vyvanse@lemm.ee 5 points 9 months ago

Just got fiber in my area of the US, it’s $60 for 500/500, or $80 for 1000/1000

[–] fourfouroneone@lemmy.world 3 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I pay $100 a month in a rural area for 12down/500kup by bridging two DSL connections, the only thing I can get in the woods. I can't watch Hulu and browse the Internet at the same time.

[–] KpntAutismus@lemmy.world 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

just so i get that right, you pay 100$/month for 12mbit/s down?

[–] fourfouroneone@lemmy.world 2 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Correct. Insanity, right? Welcome to rural America.

[–] gamermanh@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 9 months ago

When I lived in Sacramento, CA I got 1gbps down, 15 Mbps up for like 100 bucks

An hour out into the rural areas and I pay 120 for 100 Mbps both ways ON FIBER

It's infuriating

[–] therealjcdenton@lemmy.zip 23 points 9 months ago (7 children)

Wasn't there a debate awhile ago that internet is a necessity rather than a luxury?

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[–] uid0gid0@lemmy.world 22 points 9 months ago

Just take it out of the oil and gas subsidies.

[–] donescobar@lemmy.world 18 points 9 months ago (1 children)

It’s what Republican Jesus would do, fuck the poor. We could fund Israel’s war with all that wasteful spending!

[–] KpntAutismus@lemmy.world 1 points 9 months ago

brainrot-level take incoming: jesus was a jew, it's obvious

referring to tax cuts for the rich

[–] ninekeysdown@lemmy.world 15 points 9 months ago

Fucking poor people!! Have they tried NOT being poor!? Bunch of lazy entitled poors!! /s

[–] markr@lemmy.world 14 points 9 months ago

Both parties are the same!

[–] CherenkovBlue@iusearchlinux.fyi 10 points 9 months ago

Lot of Republican governors of states that signed a letter urging this subsidy to be renewed. Seriously, broadband subsidies for rural areas should be renewed.

[–] Codilingus@sh.itjust.works 7 points 9 months ago

Lmao, their problem with it, is that the vast majority of people using the ACP already had Internet before signing up....Which just proves how much of a necessity Internet is.

[–] autotldr@lemmings.world 6 points 9 months ago

This is the best summary I could come up with:


Republican members of Congress blasted a program that gives $30 monthly broadband discounts to people with low incomes, accusing the Federal Communications Commission of being "wasteful."

The lawmakers suggested in a letter to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel that they may try to block funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which is expected to run out of money in April 2024.

The letter questioned Rosenworcel's testimony at a recent House hearing in which she warned that 25 million households could lose Internet access if Congress doesn't renew the ACP discounts.

"At a hearing before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on November 30, 2023, you asserted—without evidence and contrary to the FCC's own data—that '25 million households' would be 'unplug[ged]…from the Internet' if Congress does not provide new funding for the ACP," the letter said.

As Congress considers the future of taxpayer broadband subsidies, we ask you to correct the hearing record and make public accurate information about the ACP."

Unfortunately, your testimony pushes "facts" about the ACP that are deeply misleading and have the potential to exacerbate the fiscal crisis without producing meaningful benefits to the American consumer.


The original article contains 546 words, the summary contains 189 words. Saved 65%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!

[–] chb@lemmy.world 1 points 9 months ago (2 children)

We're is this technology related? It's completely political - something I don't want to see, but now also technology cannot be followed anymore, as most things here are political news with a tech keyword in the headline sadly :/

[–] hasnt_seen_goonies@lemmy.world 15 points 9 months ago (1 children)

But isn't broadband access one of the main requirements for using technology? I understand not wanting to interact with politics, but nothing in our life is truly separated from it.

[–] ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca 7 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Politics is everything

If your kid is the better player but the coach picks his kid to be on the team then that’s politics

If company puts a paid OS on their IBM machines because it’s made by the son of someone on their board instead of the superior free option then that’s politics

[–] asdfasdfasdf@lemmy.world 1 points 9 months ago

...broadband Internet has nothing to do with technology?