FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler Says Switching ISPs Is Too Hard 145
Jason Koebler writes Did you hear about those Comcast service calls from hell that have been cropping up over the last couple months? So did FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, who said today that switching internet service providers is too damn hard, in part because ISPs have grown used to having a monopoly on broadband services. "Once consumers choose a broadband provider, they face high switching costs that include early-termination fees and equipment rental fees," Wheeler said in a speech today. Wheeler didn't specifically say what the FCC will do (if anything) to change that, but said the answer is to help facilitate more true competition: "If those disincentives to competition weren't enough, the media is full of stories of consumers' struggles to get ISPs to allow them to drop service."
And he missed the really egregious costs (Score:5, Funny)
Selling your house or breaking your lease, truck rental and fuel to haul all your shit halfway across the continent, being unemployed for however long it takes to find a job within commuting distance of your new home, etc.