By: Philip | 11-26-2017 | News
Photo credit: Jorgosphotos | Dreamstime

Ma Bell Strikes Again! $400 Billion Broadband Bait and Switch

Ma Bell strikes again! The quintessential utilities monopoly, AT&T and others have been implicated on $400 billion broadband scam that has been running over two decades and continues to this day. Though you most likely were completely unaware of it, you've been swindled. It was a classic bait and switch and so far the heist is being pulled off without the slightest hitch. It's been said the difference between a pirate and an emperor is that the pirate has but the one ship, whereas the emperor has an armada. It's certainly true that if a private citizen were accused of the type of fraud that is rampant in the telecommunications industry, they would be held liable for serious crimes. Instead of upgrading to fiber optics, the telecomm companiues rolled out ADSL using the existing, crumbling copper wire infrastructure. This was after having pitched the idea of superior fiber optics technology as early as the 90's.

As of the end of 2014, Americans have been <a href="http://www.worights.cf/2017/11/the-book-of-broken-promises-400-billion.html">overcharged to the tune of $400 billion</a> by Verizon, AT&T and CenturyLink for the promised fiber optic upgrade. It varies state by state, but taxes, fees and surcharges are added on to the cost of services. Many of these extra fees end up as revenue for the providers. A lowball estimate paid from 1992 - 2014 is around $4000 - $5000 per household, to date. Some of those revenues were specifically earmarked to build new infrastructure to ensure broadband access to schools and libraries via federal subsidies and other programs that benefit phone and cable companies.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The Book of Broken Promises: $400 Billion Broadband Scandal And Free the Net <a href="https://t.co/3ZDVkSWSEN">https://t.co/3ZDVkSWSEN</a> <a href="https://t.co/JBMjTZwJrh">pic.twitter.com/JBMjTZwJrh</a></p>&mdash; World Production (@wrld_prod) <a href="https://twitter.com/wrld_prod/status/934393501667565568?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 25, 2017</a></blockquote>

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Had things gone as promised, we would all be surfing the web at gigabit speeds (1000 Mbps). As is, America <a href="http://www.netindex.com/">isn't even in the top 10 as far as global broadband speeds go</a>. Back in 1991, Al Gore rolled out his idea for the "Information Superhighway."

<blockquote>

There is a wire that goes into your home, school or office as everyone in America is entitled to phone service. This was based on a copper wire that was put in as part of the state-based utility and most of them are controlled by what are now AT&T, Verizon and Centurylink. And these networks were aging as almost all of America had been wired for phone service by the 1960’s.

Starting in 1990s, (though it varies by state), this copper wire was supposed to be replaced with a fiber optic wire, which would allow for new innovative services, not to mention cable TV and video. And it was always supposed to be an upgrade of the state-based utility known as the “PSTN”, the “Public Switched Telephone Networks”.

It was also supposed to be open to all manner of competition. You, the customer, would choose who offered you Internet, cable, broadband and even phone service over that wire.</blockquote>

From the 90's on to today, visible in companies' annual reports a laundry list of broken promises. Video-Dialtone services available by 2000 and other new services like interactive video and 500 channels of cable TV, tele-medicine, tele-commuting and more lofty goals that never materialized. For decades now, we have been overcharged to the tune of billions for services that never showed up. In addition to massive amounts of money obtained by literally defrauding their customers, corporations like the Bell companies enjoy massive tax write-offs, deductions and subsidies.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Out of 7.4 Billion People <br>6 Billion are without Broadband access 🤔<br>4 Billion are without🖱 internet access🤔<br>2 Billion without a 📱mobile phone 🤔<br>400 Million people without a Digital Signal. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DigitalDevMOOC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DigitalDevMOOC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/NeptTech?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NeptTech</a></p>&mdash; Sir Roger (@roger_dakey) <a href="https://twitter.com/roger_dakey/status/928605121050800129?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 9, 2017</a></blockquote>

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It doesn't end there either. Verizon, AT&T and the other telecomm giants have plans for more of the same. Plans are in the works to shut off 25-50% of their wired networks and forcibly "upgrade" customers to more expensive wired outlets. This would be akin to cutting off the water in an apartment complex on the same day you implemented a program of door-to-door sale of Fiji water by the gallon.

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3 Comment/s
Anonymous No. 12672 2017-11-26 : 01:05

Well jokes on you, I have fiber optic cable in my home.

Anonymous No. 12673 2017-11-26 : 01:26

It's funny since Verizon kinda has a gigabit plan, but it's not really a gigabit

Harrison Bergeron No. 12675 2017-11-26 : 01:52

The article is from three fucking years ago.

https://archive.is/WDFQN

This has only resurfaced because of net neutrality shills.

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