Internet - loving Americans have been waiting way too farseeing for a squad of openhearted juggernauts in Washington to take on massive money - hungry transmission line company . This week , four exemption - fighting senatorstook their first swingin the signifier of a powerfully formulate letter to the Federal Communications Commission . The substance was clear : Bring down broadband price .
senator Bernie Sanders , Elizabeth Warren , Al Franken , and Ed Markeyjoined force in expect the FCC to investigatecompanies that are charging “ ridiculous prices ” for cable television and broadband services . The consumer advocates — quite correctly — fence that this nation ’s citizen are hale to grease one’s palms internet from “ de facto monopoly . ” The letterreads :
As the telecommunication industriousness becomes increasingly concentrated , this lack of choice has leave in huge price increases and often hapless service customers for consumers .
Then , the internet advocates get specific :
In addition to steeply rising prices , consumers are often unaware of the various fee that are tacked onto their monthly placard because of the lack of transparency in pricing . To reference just one example , Time Warner Cable begin load a cable modem rental fee in 2012 of $ 3.95 a calendar month . TWC then raise the Leontyne Price to $ 5.99 a month in 2013 . Today it charges $ 8 a calendar month , a 203 percent increase in three years ’ time , in addition to monthly broadband charge .
That ’s bullshit ! But it ’s familiar bullshit because these sort of electric charge and terrible client service have become commonplace , when dealing with big cable . We ’ve have a go at it for a while thatAmerica ’s internet is frightful , but now the nation ’s top lawmakers are fundamentally the scream the monopolistic diligence un - American .
Of course , a strongly word letter of the alphabet to the FCC does n’t not quite constitute an all - out war on big overseas telegram . The FCC will have to cooperate , though it serve that this is an issuing that President Obamahas been advertize for months now .
Inevitably , with renown consumer proponent like Elizabeth Warren and Al Franken push the good fight , it ’s certainly a good start . The fact that net neutrality pioneer Ed Markey and presidential candidate Bernie Sanders are backing them up bodes well for everyone . After all , we have to put up with this shitty internet . We might as well band together to fix it .
[ Bernie SandersviaArs Technica ]
Images via AP
Bernie SandersInternetPolitics
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