Should Internet access be free?

[kail]

In this point, no. More important things to worry about when it comes to tax dollar spending like healthcare or even education. Once we can manage these priorities, I see no reason for gov't funded Internet if financially viable. Lot of this I don't expect to happen anytime soon.

[schwarzkopf]

These things are not "free" - your taxes pay for them

Any reasonable person uses the term free to mean "at no direct cost to me", to do otherwise means that free is no longer a useful word and should never be used again.

As to if it should be free, then at a basic level free access to all necessities should be free - but only basic access.

Right now - shelter, food and health are more urgent things to make free as basic access to the internet is pretty damn cheap already.

[DrStiglit]

It should be free when all my other utilities are free.

[callipygoustp]

Yes, I believe internet access should be free; by free I mean covered by taxes.

[Torched]

Having the internet is not a human right, it's a utility and a luxury, you don't need the internet to survive, so no, it should not be free.

[Evil Midnight Bomber]

I'mma go with a no on this one. I pay for the top tier internet and the government would probably only shell out for the basic level shit.

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Having the internet is not a human right, it's a utility and a luxury, you don't need the internet to survive, so no, it should not be free.

If it's a utility its not a luxury.

[Katchii]

I think access should be "free" at a base level with higher levels of performance coming at a cost similar to how basic TV channels are available for free with an antennae with cable being a premium service.

[jcf190]

My cable bill is my lowest monthly bill. If you can afford water and electricity, you can afford high speed internet. If you can't afford those things, then having internet access in your home is the least of your problems. I live in a podunk rural southern town and we have free WiFi hubs all over the place. If you need free internet, you already have access to it.

[Nathreim]

Nothing is free in this world get used to it.

[the game]

Why do Millennials think everything should be handed to them?

[Katchii]

Having the internet is not a human right, it's a utility and a luxury, you don't need the internet to survive, so no, it should not be free.

With the number of things that require an e-mail address or have online applications (which usually require an e-mail address), having access to the internet is a basic necessity in today's world if you want to work. Some cities already provide it for "free" though that in itself is not an argument for ir, just saying others already support the idea.

[Gemini Soul]

I think it should be free like 2MBS, and if you want over that then you have to pay.

[Ragedaug]

So instead of paying $50 (or enter your price for ISP access) to your ISP and having some semblance of control, you would rather give that $50 in taxes to the government so they can create a Federal ISP, where they decide when to get around to fixing fix their repeater / router / (enter your internet access failure here), and they can decide how much access you should get, and they can decide when to throttle your connection, and they can decide IF they ever want to run fiber and gig speeds...etc, etc, etc.

You pay $50 either way. The question is, who do you want to control it. If you pay the ISP, you at least have a choice (in some markets) and ISPs have a motivation to provide good service (in some cases). If the internet is run by the government, you will have no say and whatever political party is in charge for the day will have complete control over what you can and can't see.

I really don't think you've thought this all the way through.

[Wyrt]

The internet is considered a basic utility now. ISP fall under the same rules that the water, gas, electricity do to have the server up and running. Then have to have it back up and running in a timely manner if its not.

Just like the gas, electric, water can get fined for not having their service back up and running so can the ISPs.

How do I go about making Comcast suffer for their shit tier service?

[Masark]

Why do Millennials think everything should be handed to them?

We don't. We think various things should be handed to everyone and that when that happens, everyone benefits, either directly or indirectly.

[callipygoustp]

We don't. We think various things should be handed to everyone and that when that happens, everyone benefits, either directly or indirectly.

Gen-X-er here, and I completely agree with the above sentiment.

[Wyrt]

We don't. We think various things should be handed to everyone and that when that happens, everyone benefits, either directly or indirectly.

People don't understand that. They still think trickle down economics is a real thing and beneficial to society.

[Vargur]

Should Internet access be free?

Ok we live in a age where you can get free internet from your local starbucks for free but why do we still pay ISPs for internet access?

I know people will say 'Oh i dont want the government to give out free internet cause they will be able to track your viewing' BUT we now have where ISPs can sell your viewing habits to corporations for profit.

Should Internet access be a right like the right to visit a library or the right to have the police show up at your door free of charge.

Is having something for free really something to fear? I mean you pay taxes so the government can drop a 300 million dollar bomb on a bunch of savages armed with AK-47s! So why cant they support free internet access?

(free) Wi-Fi is a perk of visiting said location and enticing you to buy their products, it's not free, unless you're a hobo.
There were some talks of wireless WANs many years ago, but there's no need for ISPs to cut their profits right now, but to reinvest and expand.

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I think it should be free like 2MBS, and if you want over that then you have to pay.

I already have that with my phone carrier, unlimited band after a certain traffic marker which limits speed.

[Taneras]

We don't. We think various things should be handed to everyone and that when that happens, everyone benefits, either directly or indirectly.

"Should be handed" means other people should work to pay for it.

You could argue that everyone benefits, and in some small way everyone would probably benefit with free internet access. But there's also harm present. It's harmful to infantilize adults and condition them into being more and more entitled/dependent. When all your basic needs are covered, when you have a free cellphone and internet access, subsidize cable, etc. where does the urge to work for your own things come into play? Why work 40 hours a week only to do 20% better? You'll also start convincing people who do work not to. I'd take a substantial pay cut if I got to stay at home and not work, and you're kidding yourself if you honestly don't think most people would do that - especially if they know a big chunk of their taxes goes to pay for people who don't work.

My suggestion is to focus on fixing the economy and job markets to help people find work and pay for their own. Society functions only because people work. We don't need to incentivize working less or not working at all with more and more freebies.

[Wyrt]

My suggestion is to focus on fixing the economy and job markets to help people find work and pay for their own.

Which requires building up the middle class, making them more educated, and taking away unnecessary monetary worries like getting injured. Fixing the economy has to start in the middle.