If you’re not familiar, it’s a 3G/4G wifi hotspot tied to the Verizon network. The actual device is built by Netgear.
Now in testing I notice it suffers more dead spots than my 4G cell phone from MetroPCS.
Plus it’s a 5GB limit per month on the JetPack where my MetroPCS phone is unlimited.
And looking at coverage paths for both devices the MetroPCS phone wins particularly in northeastern North Carolina.
Now my two cents on the matter. I’ve long been in the networking side of things and I can tell you – the cost these ISP’s are talking about is fairly trivial when it comes to upgrading service.
But net neutrality is very important. I think the FCC should clamp down on all the ISP’s and classify them as common carriers, subject to full regulation. And that includes NET NEUTRALITY.
We pay enough for what I consider to be sub-standard service. And it’s the wild, wild west when it comes to what the ISP’s do with regard to pricing that is really impeding us economically in the U.S.
And that in nineteen states, including North Carolina the big carriers like Verizon, at&t, Comcast and Cox have gotten laws passed that say a co-operative cannot build out their own network. That is ludicrous. First off in the section of North Carolina he visits in the video – they’re never going to build out there. But they’re trying to protect something that they have no intention to build out. Isn’t that ludicrous.
And I really think we should regulate the ISP’s. Make them put aside 20% of annual net income for infrastructure upgrades. If we did that there would be no end to the wonders we’d see when it comes to the net in the near and far term future. That’s all you need to do.
Of course if we really wanted real net neutrality we’d say all the last mile belongs to the people, not the companies and that all could compete to use that last mile. It’s what they do in Germany and France.
So I check my mail today and there’s a mail piece from Cox – $89.99 a month for Advanced TV, phone and 18mpbs net. Hmm. Well I like my 30mbps net connection.
So I recently noted my bill for just tv and data went up to $162.99 a month. Ut si!
So here’s what I got when I called:
For about $20 less per month I get phone service which I’ll probably not use anyhow. I also get Advance TV and a new cable box with an upgraded guide service and six months of Starz or some such for free. And the net service – because I opted for the telephone service they’ll replace my ancient SB5100 with a DOCSIS 3.0 modem. My net speed will rise to 45mpbs.
I suppose they got beat enough by Verizon Fios enough that they had to do something. But here in the U.S. we did it all wrong. We should have made the broadband providers such as Cox and now Verizon common carriers. That way everyone could share the coax or fiber, like they do in France. And then we wouldn’t get so screwed.
For example – what I detail above? In France you can get the triple play for $40 a month.
So as you might be aware, we had ourselves a little blizzard here in the northeast. 2 to 3 feet of snow, 50 and 60 MPH winds, power outages, heating outages.
For example, our power ceased functioning at 7PM on Friday. We spent most of Saturday in a cold house but then our friends power came on so we’re staying with them.
And here we are three days out and no electric power. This means I’m going to rip National Grid a new one.
For example here’s something to ponder. I know Verizon’s copper and fiber are up and running, so too Cox’s coax network. So explain to me how National Grid’s service is SO fragile yet the other services are up and running.
And then you have the nitwits saying it’d cost $400 Billion to bury all the wire in the U.S. So do it! Leave Verizon and Cox on the pole and bury every last bit of the electrical infrastructure. I mean, what’s on the poles now is over a hundred year old technology. It’s time we modernize.
Highways are all clear down to pavement and they’re still touching up here and there on I-95. Local roads are atrocious for example one street near where I live still has two foot deep snow on it, the street I live on has just a narrow little band plowed on it. It needs to be fixed – my city Councilor Bryan Principe is being proactive – there are bucket loaders and plows going around the area now cleaning up.
And BTW, I I get just a little money I have a mission in life – to break National Grid into a million little pieces. And while I’m at it, I want to put shots across the bow of Verizon and Cox too. It’s good to have a mission.
I’m talking about Cox and Verizon in this one.
Last night I attended MoDev-RI (And upon reflection I believe it should be MobDev) and we had a hellish time getting Google’s Android SDK up to snuff on the computers there, and then to further irk us, those with the HTC Thunderbolt had issues. And to top it off, I found out that the Sparkfun Electric Sheep I won won’t work with my Samsung SCH-R910! I think Google really needs to get the act together – and get tighter control on what vendors and carriers can do to the Android distro on the phones.
For example, I had the Samsung SCH-R910 Indulge, Keyron has the LG Optimus. Both Android phones – but completely different UI’s. Maybe I’m fussy here but Microsoft and Apple didn’t get where they are by putting an OS out there and letting OEM’s and cellular providers muck with the user interface. A prime example, on my phone you swipe left/right. On Keyron’s it’s up/down. Bad move Google.
But this brings me to the point of this post. I note both Cox and Verizon offer watch instantly apps for IOS, but nothing for Android. Yet Android is moving up there. In fact if last nights group was any indication I saw but one iPhone yet the computers were majority MacBooks.
This not having it for Android has come up in the past. When the City of Providence rolled out the ProvConnex app it was only for IOS. I raised a small stink and suddenly there’s an Android version. Not to say that you can try to register for ProvConnex and get your credentials, only for the Android app to say it can’t log you in. Ut si!
It’s that human propensity to go for just good enough. I understand why Google let OEM’s and carriers fuck with Android, but it’s not going to serve them well. And Cox and Verizon both need to get their shit together and offer an Android watch instantly app too.
Because for the prices Cox and Verizon charge, just good enough isn’t going to fly.
Spewing Truth in the face of Lies 