[admin]

Monopolistic cable providers make internet access an unaffordable luxury for tens of millions of Americans

Last year, about 1% of American households cut off their internet service. That's not as surprising as experts may suggest.

The internet which promised to connect all Americans with everything from educational opportunities to Facebook status updates has become, unfortunately, a luxury even for the middle class. Cable companies that have functioned as oligopolies have made it that way.

"At the heart of the problem lie a few powerful [cable] companies with enormous influence over policy making. Both the wireless and wired markets for high-speed internet access have become heavily concentrated, and neither is subject to substantial competition nor oversight. Companies like Time Warner Cable routinely get their way when they seek to prevent local officials from encouraging competition. At the federal level, Verizon Wireless is keeping the FCC in court arguing over the scope of its regulatory powers a move that has undermined the agency's authority. As a result, prices are too high and speeds too slow. A third of Americans opt not to buy high-speed internet access at home, often because they can't afford it."

Posted at http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree...-companies