(NOTE: This is a semi-off-topic response to the quotation below.)
That being said, the rising cost of DSL (legacy or otherwise) continues to astound me. Although with AT&T almost nothing surprises me. I had Sonic 6 Mbit Legacy DSL until AT&T sabotaged the infrastructure in this area mid-Covid. For years, AT&T has waged a campaign of obfuscation and disinformation about their copper lines. They continually moan about how expensive it is to maintain (which is true) but then play musical-hardware behind the scenes and falsify reports on what they have or have not done. While I still had service, I often had conversations with reps from AT&T that indicated they were unaware of the service potential of the line on my street, let alone my area, because the company had set a mandate that new service could only be 768K to 1.5 Mbit, despite my own 6 Mbit connection farther down the street on the same Node.
Similarly, AT&T has played this game with customers using POTS for basic phone service, particularly in areas that have no other option (except possibly expensive satellite). After allowing their copper infrastructure to degrade (either by attrition or intentionally), AT&T then announced they want to shut down POTS and be relieved of COLR obligations (Carrier Of Last Resort).
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/202 ... ment-plan/
AT&T's brilliant strategy: Get a massive tax windfall, lay off numerous employees, continue building out fiber in certain areas, and cripple or disconnect legacy infrastructure where you don't want to be bothered supporting customers, all while raising prices due to "maintenance costs".
$80 for 1+Mbit? While I am outside SF, I share this frustration. My 6 Mbit Sonic DSL (on AT&T line) started around $40+ and increased twice to end up at $60+ before service was cut off. I understood the Sonic price increases in the interest of helping pay for new infrastructure, but then some of us have been left with out options and it feels a bit like having subsidized another city's improvements. To be fair, Sonic does have to weigh the cost benefit of each installation area or they might begin sliding into the red financially. Building new infrastructure is a complex and fraught process, especially in this state and most especially within the bay area.I’ve been a Fusion DSL customer for years, enduring numerous price hikes. Now, I pay over $80 per month for a DSL line that offers only a measly 100 KB upload and 1 MB download speed. This is especially frustrating considering gigabit service is just a few hundred feet away on the other side of Market Street. I’ve patiently waited for better and cheaper options to become available. ...
That being said, the rising cost of DSL (legacy or otherwise) continues to astound me. Although with AT&T almost nothing surprises me. I had Sonic 6 Mbit Legacy DSL until AT&T sabotaged the infrastructure in this area mid-Covid. For years, AT&T has waged a campaign of obfuscation and disinformation about their copper lines. They continually moan about how expensive it is to maintain (which is true) but then play musical-hardware behind the scenes and falsify reports on what they have or have not done. While I still had service, I often had conversations with reps from AT&T that indicated they were unaware of the service potential of the line on my street, let alone my area, because the company had set a mandate that new service could only be 768K to 1.5 Mbit, despite my own 6 Mbit connection farther down the street on the same Node.
Similarly, AT&T has played this game with customers using POTS for basic phone service, particularly in areas that have no other option (except possibly expensive satellite). After allowing their copper infrastructure to degrade (either by attrition or intentionally), AT&T then announced they want to shut down POTS and be relieved of COLR obligations (Carrier Of Last Resort).
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/202 ... ment-plan/
AT&T's brilliant strategy: Get a massive tax windfall, lay off numerous employees, continue building out fiber in certain areas, and cripple or disconnect legacy infrastructure where you don't want to be bothered supporting customers, all while raising prices due to "maintenance costs".
Statistics: Posted by macguyver — Wed Jan 01, 2025 12:37 pm