Items tagged with ISP
Have you ever received a service bill and wondered what all those strange charges are? You call up the service provider and ask for a breakdown and explanation. By the time you're off the call, you're more confused than you were in the first place. Well, apparently, that seems to be by design if a new study revolving...
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It's official, Google Fiber is finally expanding to new locations. Cities in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nebraska, and Nevada are all slated to get access to the fiber internet provided by the tech giant out of Mountain View, CA. This comes four years after the current head of Google Fiber took his position at the top...
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SpaceX is currently accepting reservations for a new Starlink Premium service tier that promises a big increase in downloads speeds at respectable latency levels, though you'll pay through the nose for it. Not literally, of course (that would be gross). But at $500 per month, Starlink Premium is not for the faint of...
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Between data caps, outrageous costs for speed, and billing issues abound, it is a wonder that Internet access has not become a basic right and utility. However, it seems that the state of Virginia and Governor Ralph Northam are stepping things up to accelerate a $700 million 10-year plan to connect unserved...
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In today's work from home climate, a reliable internet connection is more important than ever. From logging in to corporate networks and remote meetings from home, to kids trying to access online assignments while simultaneously joining in on Google Meet/Zoom sessions, high-speed internet is now of even greater...
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It’s a Christmas miracle! A law that will be going into effect on Sunday will make it so customers no longer have to pay rental fees for their own networking equipment. Also, ISPs will be required to delineate and itemize everything that goes into a bill. This is a big win for consumers everywhere and a step forward...
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From net neutrality (remember that happening?) to outrageous prices and data caps, ISPs have been a necessary evil for most people. Specifically, people have had contempt for Comcast for some time, and the pain-train is not set to stop any time soon. Comcast recently added data caps into the internet plans for eastern...
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Roughly a month ago, we reported that SpaceX was seeking beta testers to try out its Starlink internet service. Starlink consists of a "constellation" of over 600 micro-satellites, which are currently in orbit around the Earth. SpaceX eventually hopes to put as many as 30,000 of these micro-satellites in orbit – if it...
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Let me come right out and say exactly how I feel—data caps are a load of horse manure. Yes, I know, in theory they prevent the Internet from buckling from a handful of abusers, so that we can all enjoy access to a vital resource. But in practice, I'd argue they are unnecessary. Need proof? Take the current situation...
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If you’re one of the millions of Americans stuck at home right now due to COVID-19/coronavirus, some of you may have noticed that your broadband speeds have taken a hit in the past few weeks. It shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise that an influx of workers “telecommuting” instead of working from the office, and...
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Pressure on ISPs is building as a result of the coronavirus and the glut of people who are moving to online work and learn. The problem that many consumers are having is their Internet service has data caps. Presumably, the data caps will be hit quickly with the increased demands from remote workers and from people in...
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Digital pirates who illegally download and share copyrighted material could be in for a chilly winter, or something like that. Not because of hefty fines, mind you—though that is always a possibility when it comes to file sharing copyrighted content—but due to throttling that could impact the functionality of smart...
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Because there clearly haven't been enough ISP router vulnerabilities popping up this past year, another one helps usher in the new month. This one is being dubbed "SharknAT&To" (because every vulnerability needs a catchy name!), a portmanteau involving the cult classic in-the-making, Sharknado, and leading internet...
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The only people who think data caps are a good things are the ISPs that make huge amounts of money by charging customers each month for overages. While ISPs with data caps are in the minority, new research from a company called BroadbandNow has surveyed every internet provider out there and found that out of all the...
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It's amazing just how fast politics can move when corporate interests are at risk. Merely two years ago, we reported on the Federal Communication Commission's approval of clear net neutrality rules - a major win for the open Internet. It didn't take long before parties inside and outside the FCC got to work on trying...
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Comcast does not have a stellar reputation for customer service. Just the opposite, it is one of only two companies to be voted by Consumerist readers as the "Worst Company in America," earning the blog's not-so-coveted Golden Poo award in 2010 and again in 2014. Comcast made a vow to change that perception, and there...
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Living far away from a major city center can offer a huge number of perks (like peace and quiet), but quality Internet access is rarely one of those perks. While many of us might curse at our meager 50Mbps connections from time to time, there are many others who are still at the mercy of latency-ridden satellite or...
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Earlier this month, we told you about a Senate bill that would undo what had been deemed overreaching “midnight regulations” by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that were aimed at protecting consumer privacy. Today, the Senate voted along party lines (50-48) to kill the FCC measure that would require ISPs...
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Cox Communications is standing up for its subscribers by so far refusing to spy on their online activities and take legal action against those who download copyrighted material. That stand has already cost the ISP $25 million, the amount a Virginia federal jury recently came up with when it ruled that Cox was responsible for the activities
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New York is a crowded place, but that's no excuse for ISPs to deliver under performing broadband service. To prevent that from happening, the state's Attorney General, Eric Schneiderman, is asking the public to visit a special website designed to test their Internet speed as part of an ongoing investigation.
The...
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When Google released its Fiber Internet service five years ago, it was quite something to behold. While most of us were dealing with modest broadband speeds (or worse), the big G was offering Internet speeds that could max out our home routers. At 1Gbps, Google was allowing people to both download and upload up to a...
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It appears that Verizon's supercookie is indeed "super", as we're still unable to escape it. Earlier this year, Verizon came under fire for making use of a cookie that works even when offline, and was impossible to disable. After a bit of prodding, the company decided to let users disable it, but not without getting...
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