Big US ISPs Try to Make Competition illegal (Engadget)

[Drew Wilson]

Man, Time Warner Cable -- you are some shady players. Hot on the heels of the ISP's decision to withdraw DOCSIS 3.0 trials from areas that have rejected its tiered billing plan, we're hearing that TWC's teamed up with Embarq to persuade the North Carolina state government into banning community-owned broadband services. Why? Well, turns out the 47,000 residents of Wilson, NC got tired of paying for slow broadband, so the city government launched its own fiber ISP called Greenlight that offers some pretty solid packages ranging from $99 for 81 cable channels, unlimited phone service, and 10Mbps (down and up) internet to $170 for every single channel including premiums and 20Mbps up/down internet. (There's even a "secret" 100Mbps up/down internet plan.) Of course, these prices blow TWC and Embarq out of the water -- the comparable basic Time Warner plan has fewer channels and less bandwidth for an "introductory rate" of $137 -- and rather than compete, the two giants decided to lobby the North Carolina legislature into proposing bills that outlaw community services like Greenlight.

More... (http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/22/time-warner-and-embarq-cant-compete-with-city-owned-isp-trying/)

This is is stupid on soooo many levels.

[Signa]

How long before the anti-competitive lawsuit comes around? If people can use MS for being a monopoly, I don't see how this can't win.

[Drew Wilson]

A more detailed article is on Daily Tech (http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=14934). The more I read into this the stupider (I can't believe I'm using that made up word again) this all gets to me.

Edit: DailyTech links to a nice little blog (http://savencbb.wordpress.com/about/) by the city that's fighting against the big telco's. Now it'll be far easier to see how this war will go. Brilliant stuff! :smile:

[Signa]

A more detailed article is on Daily Tech (http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=14934). The more I read into this the stupider (I can't believe I'm using that made up word again) this all gets to me.

Edit: DailyTech links to a nice little blog (http://savencbb.wordpress.com/about/) by the city that's fighting against the big telco's. Now it'll be far easier to see how this war will go. Brilliant stuff! :smile:
What? Made up (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/stupider)?

[1cooldude]

Imagine if more communities follow that road. :theyareontome:

[drtoker]

More and more communities are building their own infrastructures to carry services that blow ISP's out of the water. Get used to it, and start compeating, instead of focusing on profit (higher prices) and filesharing wars that do little except piss your customers (who PAY you) off.

[1cooldude]

I am just waiting for my community to jump right in and start this thing of broadband self reliance.I would leave my ISP in a sec.:theyareontome: