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by Morg the Army wife on October 13th, 2007

Morg the Army wife

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I've heard that some people think internet access should be free. What do you think - should it be free? Should 'free' mean cable internet access, or just dial-up? Who will pay for it?

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  • by somecallmeFred on October 14th, 2007

    somecallmeFred

    I think the internet should be free. With todays level of technology, we can easily provide everyone with a basic level of internet access. That level would most likely be a dial-up service, but a DSL connection is also possible. Anyways, dial-up is so outdated that I am surprised companies still make money providing it as a service. If a person wants a faster connection, they have the option of upgrading through any number of ISP's to a DSL, cable, or satellite connection.

    As for who would pay for it? I already have to wade through a sea of ads on the internet to find what I am looking for. How about using some of the ad revenue to pay for (internet for everyone.) I am sure that it doesn't cost that much to provide a dial-up internet connection since there are many companies out there charging $10 a month and still making a profit.

    Yes, free internet would put these companies out of business. However, many (if not all) of these companies are owned by communication companies that also provide FIOS/cable, DSL, and satellite internet connections. Free internet would actually help these companies by driving more customers to their faster, yet more expensive internet services. I.e. if you get people hooked on the internet, they will want more of it. In order to get more, they need a faster connection. With the amount of flash media, videos, and large files available today, people will want a faster connection soon after discovering what is available to them. Besides, if a person is already spending $10 a month on dial-up and it becomes free, they are just as willing to put that money toward a faster connection.

    Comments

    • I was wondering if anyone would see the comparison to TV ads paying for free airtime to customers. There are more ads on the internet than on TV, and there is surely enough revenue in them to pay for free airtime.

      Jewel

      by Jewel on November 14th, 2007

    • It has worked for decades with television. It should work with the internet as well. Peace.

      somecallmeFred

      by somecallmeFred on November 14th, 2007

    • companies are paying for those ads, so it isn't free money. Its business. And providing people with free internet is not good if they dont have computers in the first place. the biggest problem i have with this issue is that people say the world is moving to the net and those poor people are going to lose out because they dont have access to the internet. There will always be brick and mortar businesses and public places to go for information and anything needed to survive. The internet not like food- we live to surf, not surf to live....

      ecrunner

      by ecrunner on December 14th, 2008

    • How many poor people haven't had access to television? My family didn't have one until I was 12, but we still had the opportunity to see some of the shows and knew what most references to the shows, characters and plot lines were.
      Being poor doesn't mean you are left out of life. It only means you can't afford to have extras or have a personal whatever it is. Computers are relatively cheap nowdays. You can pick up a used one for next to nothing. If access to the internet were totally free, no one would be excluded from using it. As it is, you can use the computers in the library or the unemployment office for most things.
      Yes, the internet is not vital to survival, but neither is TV. Or radio! But the advertisers pay to reach the people who use these services and this supports the services. It benefits the businesses to have more people using the internet or other services.

      Jewel

      by Jewel on December 15th, 2008

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