Swingerhead
Premium
join:2004-04-06
Richmond, VA | Markup is whatever people will pay
What do you think the markup is on the bean juice from Starbucks? People pay it so the price remains the same. When they leave for greener pastures, deals will be offered. |
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insomniac84
join:2002-01-03
Schererville, IN | That is the problem. Because of monopolies and duopolies, it's very easy to charge much more than is reasonable. For most people there is nowhere else to go. |
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jimbo2150
join:2004-05-10
Youngstown, OH
| said by insomniac84  :That is the problem. Because of monopolies and duopolies, it's very easy to charge much more than is reasonable. For most people there is nowhere else to go. Exactly. While people in a larger city may have a few more options, people in most suburbs and rural areas have 1 or no options and cannot switch except back to dial-up. Most do not want to do that, and have no other viable broadband offer.
Also, most Starbucks don't suddenly add $3.00 markup to a product that has already been on the market for years at $1.10 and is consistently getting cheaper as time passes.
In telecom that is what is going on. A product which has been offered unlimited for years is now in jeopardy of becoming marked-up as a luxury commodity after starting out as such and then becoming an average product that most could afford. Also, the cost is constantly coming down and they still want to start charging more and offering less!
I suppose one good thing can come of this: if companies start seriously pushing this it can give a serious boost to the idea of making broadband a utility. The companies that are looking to overcharge for the same or less service may actually cause their own downfall over the idea. Caps and limiting bandwidth is already showing signs of mass anger by the public.
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- "Techie" Jim |
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Sammer
join:2005-12-22
Canonsburg, PA
1 edit | Avoid competition at all costs!
said by jimbo2150 :said by insomniac84 :That is the problem. Because of monopolies and duopolies, it's very easy to charge much more than is reasonable. For most people there is nowhere else to go. I suppose one good thing can come of this: if companies start seriously pushing this it can give a serious boost to the idea of making broadband a utility. The companies that are looking to overcharge for the same or less service may actually cause their own downfall over the idea. Caps and limiting bandwidth is already showing signs of mass anger by the public. Why does TWC want overage charges, to avoid video competition and price gouge. Why is the U. S. broadband network beginning to suck compared to some other countries, because AT&T, Comcast, TWC, and the other Dinosaurs think they're entitled to make outrageous profits and excessive top executive pay without competition. These Dinosaurs and their heavily lobbied (bribed?) Congress and State Legislature critters make sure the cost of entry for any new competitor is outrageously high. |
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tiger72
SexaT duorP
Premium
join:2001-03-28
Saint Louis, MO
clubs:
 ·T-Mobile US
 ·RoadRunner Cable
| reply to insomniac84
Re: Markup is whatever people will pay
said by insomniac84 :That is the problem. Because of monopolies and duopolies, it's very easy to charge much more than is reasonable. For most people there is nowhere else to go. And let's not forget the issue of collusion which may very well be taking place
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"What makes us omniscient? Have we a record of omniscience? ...If we can't persuade nations with comparable values of the merit of our cause, we'd better reexamine our reasoning."
-United States Secretary of Defense (1961-1968) Robert S. McNamara |
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jazzlady
join:2005-08-04
Bartonsville, PA
·ProLog
| reply to Swingerhead
said by Swingerhead :What do you think the markup is on the bean juice from Starbucks? People pay it so the price remains the same. When they leave for greener pastures, deals will be offered. Maybe- but Starbuck's have been closing all over over the country, so what does that tell you? |
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KrK
Heavy Artillery For The Little Guy
Premium
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK
 ·AT&T Yahoo
·AT&T DSL Service
·Cox HSI
·AT&T Southwest
| said by jazzlady :Maybe- but Starbuck's have been closing all over over the country, so what does that tell you? That you can get just as tasty coffee for a lot cheaper somewhere else. Try getting just as fast broadband a lot cheaper somewhere else. There isn't a "somewhere else" nor is there "A lot cheaper" either.
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"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power." -- Benito Mussolini
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jazzlady
join:2005-08-04
Bartonsville, PA
·ProLog
| said by KrK :said by jazzlady :Maybe- but Starbuck's have been closing all over over the country, so what does that tell you? That you can get just as tasty coffee for a lot cheaper somewhere else. Try getting just as fast broadband a lot cheaper somewhere else. There isn't a "somewhere else" nor is there "A lot cheaper" either. LOL
You're right.
As far as coffee goes, nothing beats the coffee I make myself, at home. Grinding your own beans fresh for every pot makes a huge difference, believe me...
As far as getting cheaper broadband- you got me on that one. I have 2 choices where I live- cable modem at rip off prices, or dog slow overpriced Verizon 3 Mbps DSL.
I love the Verizon rep who called me last week trying to convince me that in actuality- their 3 Mbps DSL was "just as fast" as my 15 Mbps cable connection...
Uh...sorry- no. Last I checked, 3 was one fifth of 15. I can see he was at the top of his class in math....  |
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patcat88
join:2002-04-05
Jamaica, NY
| reply to jimbo2150
Re: Markup is whatever people will pay
said by jimbo2150 :Exactly. While people in a larger city may have a few more options, people in most suburbs and rural areas have 1 or no options and cannot switch except back to dial-up. Most do not want to do that, and have no other viable broadband offer. Also, most Starbucks don't suddenly add $3.00 markup to a product that has already been on the market for years at $1.10 and is consistently getting cheaper as time passes. Starbucks has been getting disruptive competitors, McDonalds and Dunkin Donuts "cheap latte" products being rolled out.
Now is there anything remotely on the horizon as being a disruptive technology to the duopoly other than BPL (LOL) and WiMAX (and Clear seems pretty dead by now, its only hope is business/govt contracts in the city it did manage to set up service, but many cities already have their own 4.9 ghz WiMAX or HSDPA networks). |
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KrK
Heavy Artillery For The Little Guy
Premium
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK
·AT&T Yahoo
·AT&T DSL Service
·Cox HSI
·AT&T Southwest
| reply to jazzlady
said by jazzlady :Uh...sorry- no. Last I checked, 3 was one fifth of 15. I can see he was at the top of his class in math.... It's that "new Math" where the answer is relative depending on what you need the outcome to be
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"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power." -- Benito Mussolini
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jimbo2150
join:2004-05-10
Youngstown, OH
| reply to patcat88
said by patcat88 :Now is there anything remotely on the horizon as being a disruptive technology to the duopoly other than BPL (LOL) and WiMAX (and Clear seems pretty dead by now, its only hope is business/govt contracts in the city it did manage to set up service, but many cities already have their own 4.9 ghz WiMAX or HSDPA networks). Even those will be a joke. BPL will probably never see the light of day (for many reasons... it just isn't very feasible). WiMax will eventually come out and while a few cities are pushing their own networks, the rest will only see WiMax or any fixed wireless through the carriers that are already out there: AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile... That will not create competition, just a new way to get same internet (probably less speed).
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- "Techie" Jim |
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