Comcast XFINITY → Re: Bandwidth Limits - All discussion here

LMAO!
I never said that Internet shouldn't be classified as a utility - re read *ALL* of my posts.
I stated that it is NOT a utility. Simply because it has not been deemed as one by the powers that be.

I look forward to Internet being a utility!
At This Time, it is not.
Was never my decision, was it?

Tell me, how long was electricity around before *THEY* decided to label it as a utility?

Me? Perfect? F*** no! No one is! No one ever has been either.
Facts are facts though... Someone, somewhere(not me!) classified our utilities *AS* utilities.
When *THEY* label internet as a utility, then I suppose it will be.

Can you, or anyone else, show me where the Government has classified internet as a utility?

No, you did not. What you did say and keep saying is that residential broadband is a luxury, which it would seem like quite a few people are disagreeing with you. What might be more accurate in a factual sense is that residential broadband is a luxury for you.

If you really do believe Internet access is a luxury and don't understand how it has integrated over the last decade in to the every day life of many people around the world, then maybe we should start another thread dedicated to that subject so you can get a better understanding of how people use the Internet in their daily lives.

In response to your other comment in another thread regarding using the Internet in relation to your employment, I don't believe I need a business class connection or service level to check e-mails and visit a few web sites. That would just be, well, silly.

From This Thread:From The Other Thread:

Tell me friend, can you show me anything anywhere that states internet is a utility - aside from a few users that think it is or should be?

Didn't think so.

A public utility (usually just utility) is an organization that maintains the infrastructure for a public service (often also providing a service using that infrastructure). Public utilities are subject to forms of public control and regulation ranging from local community-based groups to state-wide government monopolies.

Comcast is not within this group, is it?

Thanks!

Dadkins, to use your words, go back and re-read my posts. I never stated Internet access through HSI or otherwise was a utility. The comparison I would make if I were to make such a comparison would be to the public telephone network, which in most cases is not considered a "public utility" and typically has its own classification with its own set of nuances. What I have and continue to take offense at is your statement as fact that Internet access is a luxury.

Dadkins,

I will definitely concede that, at least in the great state of PA, internet use is not regulated by out state public utility commission. So you are right in that, as of now, internet is not classified as a utility. I am of the opinion though that it should be.

But I'll give you your premise on a technicality.

If internet is not a utility, and you want it, what does that make it?

NOTHING that is a utility is being forced on anyone - not power, not water, and not phone.

Other items are not utilities and overall, the majority of people do not have - like internet.
Cable TV is a luxury.
Sat TV is a luxury.
Internet is a luxury - usually carried over cable(a luxury in itself) or copper(phone lines - also a luxury) - right?

Your afore mentioned espresso, that is a luxury. Internet access or a telephone affects your ability to obtain or maintain employment, ability to effectively participate in educational services such as college or even to a lesser degree grammar school for starters. To answer your question as to what does that make it? For many today and for many more each day, it is called a necessity Dadkins.

Espresso - uses electricity - a utility.
Internet - a luxury.

Employment can be done by commuting and *going to work*.
College, that building we went to - I walked into?
Grammar school? In the '60s No, internet was not around, sorry!
Ya know, kids do still get taken to school everyday during the school year.

Internet is not a utility friend, no matter that you want it to be or you as an individual claims it to be. Sorry.

Maybe some time in the future, but not at present.

Sorry, no.It sounds like you haven't applied for a job recently, if that is the case, then good for you. For others, many are told to go enter an application online - some employers provide a terminal at their location, some do not.I'm glad you mentioned the 60s, it saves me from pointing out the obvious, it's been a while since you were in school, eh?If you're going to keep posting, the least you could do is also read the other posts. As I reminded you just a few posts up, I have never said Internet access is a "utility" or even ever stated that it should be provided through a public utility. That is a much more complex issue.

What I have said is Internet access for you may be a luxury, just as you (and for that matter myself) may consider espresso a necessity. For many others, affordable and reliable Internet access is more of a necessity, not a luxury. Its not a case of "utility" or bust...

Tell me pal, how the hell do you make Espresso without electricity?

Quit jumping around please.
The debate is whether internet is a utility or a luxury.
At this point in time, it is still a luxury.
Sorry if that turns your crank, but it's just the way things are.

Everything you listed above can be done without the luxury of the internet.

Say you are starting out - you don't have a phone... you apply for a job... are you screwed? No!
You go back to the place of possible employment and follow up.
No telephone, no internet.
You get the job, you go to work! No internet necessary.
You decide to go to college after work to better yourself, then instead of going home, you go to that big campus with "College" emblazend on it and go to class.
No internet, perhaps computers, but internet is not usually used in class(the IT dept usually blocks it).

Good grief pal, people EVERYDAY go to school, college and work without that thar interwebs.
How is that possible? Maybe because it is not a "necessity".

Anything else I can help you with today?

No Dadkins, I don't believe you could. For what its worth, earlier espresso machines did not use electricity, that is a more recent change.

Anytime, just ask!
Me or someone else, here in The Comcast Forum, will try to help out.

I'm not sure that's a great standard, either, because there are several Governments. Many cities utility districts offer broadband, so at some point they answered this question positively. So if that's the standard, then it becomes whether or not it is a utility specifically "here" or "there." This is beginning to sound like a semantics argument that itself doesn't make a difference how it is settled.

Utility. Okay - now what?
Not a utility. Okay - now what?

How did the cavemen make espresso?