re: expensive US broadban, I would say something that may sound off
topic but in the US our economy is currently in a strained unnatural
condition. As a whole, we are spending more than we are making and
have been doing so for some time now. In other words, money... or more
exactly ... the real value of worth it represents ... is disappearing
relative to our previous state of the economy or relative to some other
countries' economies.
The point of this in regards to your question is that when you or your
economy has surplus economic value ... "your cup overfloweth" in real
terms so to speak ... then a lot of fringe benefits (or any kind of
benefits) are easily and cheaply affordable. Broadband costs can be
underwritten ... in fact road maintenance, health care, mass transit,
cheap housing, cheap gas etc can all be easily accommodated/ subsidized
by the government or by companies as a cost of doing biz simply because
the "bling" is there from other sources.
In the US now, that is not the situation and people and institutions are
having to scramble/ look for more ways to improve their bottom line. I
think one of the symptoms of this effect is everywhere you look things
seem to be costing a lot of money ... a lot more than we used to pay or
a lot more than is currently paid in some other countries...
?
db
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
I have had similar experiences. Red Roof Inns and their ilk provide broadband
free of charge, but upscale places typically charge $9.95 per day, more or
less. I stayed at the Hyatt in downtown Indianapolis in August, and I just got
back from a Marriott in Newton, MA and both charged.
I have an even bigger complaint regarding bargain vs. upscale hotels (somewhat ot): small places
(like the motel I stayed at in Ann Arbor in June) tend to give you "normal" cable
channels, but the "nice" places restrict you to some subset of what you'd get at home
(even with basic cable). Does anybody know why this is?
As far as other countries are concerned, I stayed in a number of hotels in
Japan this summer. Some were nicer than others, but the only one that charged
for broadband access was a resort near Mt. Fuji. I can recall staying at a
hotel in Nagoya which is used by many locals as a catering hall for weddings
(they take weddings very seriously in Japan); I'd say it was at least the
equivalent of the Marriott in Newton, and no charge for broadband.
As for quality of service, I'm no judge of that. I very seldom notice a slow
connection unless it's egregiously slow.
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