Reviews:
 ·Callcentric
| Actually it's a utility for me Without internet access can't pay my bills and do my on-line banking.
I pay my Mortgage,ISP,Power utility,phone bill,car-loan etc.
I haven't bought a stamp in 2 years.
Without internet I can't keep track of my stocks or trade my stocks. I can't order my Netflix movies.
The list goes on and on. So yes its a utility for me. maybe not for my neighbor. but definitely for me. |
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bbenso1
join:2004-11-28
Baltimore, MD | said by Safemaster:Without internet access can't pay my bills and do my on-line banking. Yes you can pay your bills and do your banking. You just have to buy stamps and drive to the bank instead of sitting on your butt in front of your computer.
said by Safemaster:I pay my Mortgage,ISP,Power utility,phone bill,car-loan etc. I haven't bought a stamp in 2 years. You do currently pay them online, but you don't HAVE TO pay them online. I can assure you that every company that receives your online payments would be just as happy to receive your check from the USPS every month.
said by Safemaster:Without internet I can't keep track of my stocks or trade my stocks. I can't order my Netflix movies. Yes, you can trade and keep track of your stocks. You just have to call your broker to get the information. Of course you can't order your Netflix movies since Netflix was created specifically for internet use, but you could drive to your local video store and rent them.
Every example you listed above simply shows that internet access is a luxury. You can do every one of the things you listed without internet access. You can just do it MORE EASILY with access. That, sir, makes it a luxury. |
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| I would say that, if you have a VoIP phone that uses your broadband, then yes, it is a utility just like a regular telephone.
Now, whether or not the telephone you are using is POTS or VoIP, and whether the VoIP should be considered a luxury versus a regular telephone, is also in question.
ADditionally, if using VoIP to make long-distance calls, it can be compared to a standard long-distance company. Is that a necessity or not? If the VoIP calls cost less, how can it be technically called a luxury? |
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| reply to bbenso1
I see. So I suppose we really don't need electricity as a utility either. Watching television isn't a necessity. Neither is using the computer. You don't need it for heating because you can just start a fire to cook food or heat up water. Don't need air conditioning. Just open a windows. Cold? Put on a sweater. See a few years ago that was the thinking, but things change.
Not too terribly long ago your argument could apply to just about every utility.
Water - What? Too lazy to walk to the well or creek?
Telephone - No need for it. Mail and the telegraph work fine.
Sewage or garbage - Dig a hole or just take it to the city dump.
What you are forgetting is the Internet is fast becoming (if not already is) the greatest source of information ever available. Much of that information is considered in the public interest to be made available. Most local governments post important info on the web. Most school students access the web because it's like a giant encyclopedia. Most businesses depend on the Internet to run their operations smoothly.
Times change, and use of the Internet infrastructure is fast becoming utilitarian for many, many people. |
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| reply to DSLTech5
It is technologically not feasable to have Voip without internet, however you can still get regular phone. If you can get broadband you have Voip available. If you can't get broadband then Voip is not available. If Voip is not availabe you have a basic POTS line. You know what just forget it that post was ridiculous and you know it. |
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| The question here is: Is broadband a luxury or utility.
While it is possible to have voip without internet (Line-powered voice. basically this is a regular tone until it reaches the dslam, then its voip until whatever the next handoff is). So that really isnt what we're discussing anyway.
If ther internet is the channel through which a lower-cost equivalent of long distance and local calling can be had, then I would say it is just as much a "utility" as a regular POTS line. The only difference is the added benefit of the internet.
The only way our government would NOT consider the internet vital to all of its citizens is if it is planning on moving the country lower on the technological evolutionary scale compared to others.
I'd say the internet is *not* a necessity, unless you cant afford regular phone service and a voip offering is cheaper. I doubt that.
Anyway, we shouldnt be comparing the internet to telephone service. Its by far a more advanced and useful tool than the telephone could ever hope to be. It is a utility of a different category alltogether, one which we don't have a "slot" to categorize it into yet. |
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