Comcast Is Choking Internet Speeds in America

In Hong Kong, Internet speeds are super-fact, gigabits upload and download in a flash for only $35. Europeans who come to America are appalled and shocked about how "slow" our Internet speeds are for what we pay. Americans have an average of 10 megabits to upload and download with from their ISP for $40-60 a month. Verizon charges $300 a month if you want 500 megabit service. Google ISP is limited, but they offer one gigabit for $70, which is 100 times faster than what Comcast\ATT provide.

Part of the problem is installing the fiber optic cables required. Many easements and permits are required. All are costly and America's infrastructure is copper wire to nearly all homes. Google can do this because the city they install in streamline the permits and easement issues for the fiber cable. Many of these cities also do not take a 5% kickback fee in revenues for cable franchise fees. So, Google installs their gigabit Internet system. When Google offered it to their home city of Mountain View, CA., they were turned down because of the revenue demand.

Should Comcast acquire the nation's second largest cable, Time Warner, there is little interest in pursuing the costly conversion to gigabit service. They already overcharge 30 million homeowners for bundled packages. Their Internet speeds top out at 20 megabits a second. half of Time Warner's profits are Internet related, not cable. I see why Comcast wants to buy them for $45 billion. About 37% of US homes have Internet speeds of just six megabits a second and a monthly bill of $45 for it. Another 37% have a cable bill and a phone bill.

Verizon did have plans to spend millions to upgrade to fiber cable in 18 million homes, but they have decided it is not worth it. ATT never had the plans, instead they use existing copper and some fiber cable and are content with just tens of megabits per second service, which for many is fine.

Comcast is dominating the cable and Internet market with few plans in the next 7-10 years to install fiber cable because of the hassles in doing it. If they do, you can be sure the bill will NOT be only $35, as in Hong Kong. Your best bet for getting the gigabit speed is to move to Kansas City, Mo., Austin, TX., Provo, Utah, Chattanooga, TN. Luckily, Google is looking at another 35 cities to install its super-fast Internet that Comcast refuses to do.