__NOTOC__
''Captive Audience: The Telecom Industry and Monopoly Power in the New Gilded Age'' is an American non-fiction book by the legal expert
Susan P. Crawford.
Summary
It describes high-speed
internet access
Internet access is the ability of individuals and organizations to connect to the Internet using computer terminals, computers, and other devices; and to access services such as email and the World Wide Web. Internet access is sold by Internet ...
in the United States as
essential (like
electricity
Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described ...
) but currently too
slow
In everyday use and in kinematics, the speed (commonly referred to as ''v'') of an object is the magnitude (mathematics), magnitude of the change of its Position (vector), position over time or the magnitude of the change of its position per ...
and too
expensive. To enable widespread
quality of life
Quality of life (QOL) is defined by the World Health Organization as "an individual's perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards ...
and to ensure
national competitiveness "most Americans should have access to reasonably priced
1-Gb symmetric
fiber-to-the-home
Fiber to the ''x'' (FTTX; also spelled "fibre") or fiber in the loop is a generic term for any broadband network architecture using optical fiber to provide all or part of the local loop used for last mile telecommunications. As fiber optic ...
networks
Network, networking and networked may refer to:
Science and technology
* Network theory, the study of graphs as a representation of relations between discrete objects
* Network science, an academic field that studies complex networks
Mathematics
...
."
Crawford explains why the United States should revise national policy to increase competition in a market currently dominated by
Comcast
Comcast Corporation (formerly known as American Cable Systems and Comcast Holdings),Before the AT&T merger in 2001, the parent company was Comcast Holdings Corporation. Comcast Holdings Corporation now refers to a subsidiary of Comcast Corpora ...
,
Verizon Communications
Verizon Communications Inc., commonly known as Verizon, is an American multinational telecommunications conglomerate and a corporate component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is headquartered at 1095 Avenue of the Americas i ...
,
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the world's largest telecommunications company by revenue and the third largest provider of mobile tel ...
, and
Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable, Inc. (TWC) was an American cable television company. Before it was acquired by Charter Communications on May 18, 2016, it was ranked the second largest cable company in the United States by revenue behind only Comcast, operat ...
.
Meanwhile, towns and cities should consider setting up
local networks after the example of pioneers such as
Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette (, ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and the most populous city and parish seat of Lafayette Parish, located along the Vermilion River. It is Louisiana's fourth largest incorporated municipality by population and the 234th- ...
's
LUSFiber and
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...
's
EPB.
See also
*
Institute for Local Self-Reliance
The Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) is a nonprofit organization and advocacy group that was founded in 1974. The organization provides technical assistance to communities about local solutions for sustainable community development in are ...
*
Comcast NBC merger
The acquisition of NBCUniversal by Comcast was announced on December 3, 2009, and was completed on March 19, 2013. The acquisition of NBCUniversal by Comcast included the Universal Pictures film and television studio, the National Broadcasting Co ...
*
Criticism of Comcast
A number of different controversies and criticisms have surrounded Comcast for various reasons over its recent history. Customers of the telecommunications company report low levels of customer satisfaction on both service and cost. Comcast has a ...
*
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdiction ...
*
National Broadband Plan (United States)
Connecting America: The National Broadband Plan is a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) plan to improve Internet access in the United States. The FCC was directed to create the plan by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, and u ...
*
Municipal broadband
Municipal broadband is broadband Internet access owned by public entities. Services are often provided either fully or partially by local governments to residents within certain areas or jurisdictions. Common connection technologies include unlice ...
*
Cities with Municipal Wireless Networks
References
Further reading
*
*
*
*
External links
Official website*
''After Words'' interview with Crawford on ''Captive Audience'', August 3, 2013
{{Internet access
2013 non-fiction books
American non-fiction books
AT&T
Comcast
Time Warner Cable
Verizon Communications
Internet service providers of the United States
2010s in the United States
Books about politics of the United States
Books about the Internet
Internet access
Broadband
Yale University Press books