Featured in this episode of Chaos Lever
Hometown heroes- well not actual heroes, more like loathsome infestation- Comcast and their internet service Xfinity have fessed up to lying about their broadband coverage. I know. I’ll pause for a moment while you pick your jaw up off the ground and re-coiff your hair.
Better? Let’s continue.
Excellent investigative journalism by Ars Technica reports that two residents in Colorado objected to Comcast’s coverage claims through the challenge system set up by the FCC. Comcast said “nuh-uh”, despite the fact their own website reported no service available for the residents. This is not the only incident and unlikely to be the last, since the updated coverage map from the FCC rolled out earlier this year.
The good news is that residents can now challenge the accuracy of the maps. The bad news is that the challenge process could take up to four months, and that’s about 119 days more time than I would want to spend on correcting Comcast’s bullshit. As the map and the process are both relatively new, the FCC is still ironing out the kinks and trying to make the process more consumer friendly.
We applaud Ars for being the watchdog so badly needed to try and keep the ISPs in check. Now it’s up to the FCC to start using that $42B in federal funding as a stick more than a carrot. [Ed.- Every carrot is a stick if you hold it right.]