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johnnysoftwareJun 3, 2011Submitter
Okay, now I believe the US really is very far behind other countries in offering high speed broadband service.
ricksiteJun 4, 2011
The article says he gets 4G LTE service. According to other articles I have read recently, the 4G LTE has been running at around 40+Mbps. Just because he can't get it on a wire doesn't mean he can't get it at all.
nayriusJun 4, 2011
But being limited to 5GB of data make is so it is not true Broadband.
johnnysoftwareJun 6, 2011Submitter
Yep. Operating system and MMO game updates are quite large these days.
Half gigabyte updates for desktop computer OS are not rare at all.
Some of the updates Blizzard releases for WoW are jaw-droppers. Multiple gigs. The downloads are compressed but are sometimes still huge.
Watch some streamed movies or television shows and that's big. Then add in a few podcasts.
Plus updates for your phone/music device's apps, some music/shows you buy/rent, etc.
That is a modest amount of downloading but it could easily go over 5 GB per month quite often.
adml_shakeJun 4, 2011
And that assuming you can keep a good signal.
oldeggheadJun 4, 2011
Indeed: where we live [SW Virginia] not only is there no broadband, but no cell coverage. On top of a hill I can get about a bar-and-a-half of "1X" cell service. I'm resigned to the fact that I'll almost certainly not get broadband in my lifetime...
tosinoffJun 4, 2011
I'm sure he can pay off a cable company to do it..
mynameisjoeJun 4, 2011
No he tried that. He offered to pay them lay the cable to get it to his house. But they told him it would cost too much to rent the poles that the cable would lay on. (I'd offer a source but I forget where I heard him say that. Maybe on TWiT).
tosinoffJun 4, 2011
He's a billionaire (I imagine) he can't make his own private cable company? :-p
ravagedsoulJun 4, 2011
He's not even close to a billionaire. Wealthy by most standards, but not in the billionaire class.
tosinoffJun 4, 2011
He can ask steve jobs for a cool 100M
nikowolfJun 4, 2011
jobs is too much of a douche bag...
tosinoffJun 4, 2011
@nikowolf - agreed. the guy refuses to donate $ to charity, not cool
armandomJun 7, 2011
by most standards?
I want to be the guy who considers $100M middle class!
I think with that kind of cash I could figure out some way to get broadband to my house.
adml_shakeJun 4, 2011
It's not as easy as you think. Our company offered the local ISP the same deal that mynameisjoe is talking about, we'd pay for the lines to be ran the three miles from where the fiber connection ends, we'd pay for the equipment, and turn it over to them when done. All we asked for was a discounted price for the first 3 years of service. They flat out refused. Even when we offered to pay the full monthly fee.
michaelpintoJun 4, 2011
If this were Larry Ellison he'd just buy the city to make them lay the cable connection...
mrnaturalJun 4, 2011
I live 100 miles north of Los Angeles and I either get dialup on extremely noisy buried phone lines (moisture in the trunks) or Wildblue sat dish. On the sat dish I get less than 1mb down and less than 168k up! No VOIP, no streaming video. If I want VOIP or video I have to watch it on my iPhone! 3G is much faster.
mrnaturalJun 4, 2011
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention: I have the highest tier of Wildblue service for $100/month! There is a digital divide...I'm dangling my feet in it right now!
If the infrastructure isn't there no amount of money will get you in.
I thought Obama was going to make Broadband internet a human right!
psypher1Jun 4, 2011
Give the man some Got Damn internet!!!!! Better yet take it away from Steve while you're at it or lower it to 56k speeds!!! I always favored Woz over Jobs!!!
emecksJun 4, 2011
if he can't buy it he might be able to steal it ;)
fuuuudgeJun 4, 2011
I just envision Woz stealing government satellite connections to do high level computer wizardry and Neopets
kleon777Jun 4, 2011
THis is like choosing to live in the middle of nowhere and complaining that there aren't any Cheesecake Factories.
Closed AccountJun 4, 2011
you expect me to believe that Woz can't afford to run his own fiber line to his house?
confuciussayJun 4, 2011
Haha. This dude is so rich, he can easily afford his own Vsat. A direct satellite link with dedicated bandwith. Or even get his own 4G Mast connected at home covering the last mile.
rudegarJun 4, 2011
sats give great bandwidth but horrible latency
(though few people really understand what latency is)
confuciussayJun 4, 2011
vSat has poor latency, you are right.. tried to play Rainbox Six (Rougespear) years ago on it & died before I ever saw a terrorist!. For a dedicated link with fixed bandwith, It is still very decent.
coolbluJun 4, 2011
Perhaps he needs to work on a killer new iTeather!
protogenxlJun 4, 2011
I am sure he could get a T1 if he ordered it.
adml_shakeJun 4, 2011
if the loop runs in his area. Usually you only find those in areas that have business in them or if you are lucky enough you are between to areas that have it.
meedJun 4, 2011
honestly this guy has the money and influence to have his own private pipe to the internet to be laid down. He might not have DSL or cable, but does he really have no hardwired data service? I just can't fathom that a man who at one time moved to get better cell coverage in his home, would chose to move to a area without hardwired data service period.
rajj007Jun 4, 2011
i assume this is the funniest news i read.. its simply hilarious
arun_maniJun 4, 2011
hilarious .....!!!!!!
scooternrocketJun 6, 2011
Who f**king cares.