So is it better to help people cope with the scenario where there is one ISP available? Or is it better to cause people to clamor more aggressively for choice?
It kinda comes down to whether you think your internet bill is your water bill or your cell phone bill. If it's your water bill, you expect it to be heavily regulated, to get it from one source, to have no options, to pay a price that is dictated from on high, get no customer service, no improvements in technology, and be free of any kind of discrimination, advertising, targeting, throttling, or manipulation of any sort.
If it's your cell phone bill you expect it to come from many sources, which you will shop between and choose based on customer service, improvements in technology, corporate bloat ad-ons, throttling, and manipulation.
Where I am right now, I have a few options for high speed internet:
- Comcast
- Centurylink (this is DSL, in my case it is fiber)
- Wireless providers such as sprint, t-mobile, ATT, Verizon
- T1 (I think there are a number of actual ISPs that service this)
- Satellite (Again, I think there are ISPs to choose from here)
I do not have access to U-verse. Right now in my house in terms of high speed internet, I actually have and use Comcast, Centurylink, Sprint, and T-mobile - each of which is an independent broadband pipe. Where my parents live, it's pretty much wireless, T1, and Satellite for them. They have a T1 line, I don't know who their ISP is.