hamish225: why doesnt their government do what we did here with UFB?
Because the big teleco/media companies are busy bribing the governments in the US to retain their monopolies! (Which is why we should be making a big fuss about anything that looks the same here!)
Lorenceo: They tried to in the 1990s. The companies that received the subsidies to build out fibre networks either pocketed the money, or built infrastructure and have left it sitting in the ground doing nothing. It's more profitable for them to milk as much as they can out of their old copper (which sounds somewhat familiar).
Another consideration is the US is a very strange place politically. If the government tries to do something that'll benefit their citizens, someone will scream socialism and that'll be the end of it. Just look at how much trouble their healthcare reforms have had.
strange that their government didn't make sure they couldn't do that.
here i was thinking it was a governments job to help its citizens, my bad!
Having spent 5 years in the Caribbean acting for us companies/entities I've realised the only thing US citizens want their government to do is to stay out of their lives. Try to legislate for anything that would help the community and you're a raving red socialist. They simply cannot get their heads around how a place like France can be a capitalist country and yet provide its citizens with social services - the same applies to their view of NZ when you explain we have a universal health system and an unemployment scheme that will pay someone for years who is unemployed. People might like to think Democrats are like our Labour party - they most certainly aren't; Democrats are like John Key's National party and Republicans are even further to the right.
Otagoladthe same applies to their view of NZ when you explain we have a universal health system
I have a surprise for you: NZ does not have universal health care.
and an unemployment scheme that will pay someone for years who is unemployed.
You have to agree with me that this is indeed a policy with well-documented disastrous outcomes.
Anyway, socialism needs people in government willing to hold a gun to someone's head and force them to hand-over money. No wonder many people are very wary of that.
Otagoladthe same applies to their view of NZ when you explain we have a universal health system
I have a surprise for you: NZ does not have universal health care.
and an unemployment scheme that will pay someone for years who is unemployed.
You have to agree with me that this is indeed a policy with well-documented disastrous outcomes.
Anyway, socialism needs people in government willing to hold a gun to someone's head and force them to hand-over money. No wonder many people are very wary of that.
Compared to the USA we do have universal health care and I agree that long term unemployment payments is a nightmare.
sbiddle: I spent 11 days in the US a few weeks ago. Hotel WiFi was terrible, T-Mobile was terrible, and all I heard at tech conference for 3 days was how terrible US internet is.
I had the same experience. Was in San Francisco for 2 weeks recently. Hotel WiFi was very unreliable, and T-Mobile coverage was crap. I went with them because the Hotel clerk recommended them as being good value for money for a temporary pre-pay deal.
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