iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 07/04/2026

In Frontier's 2020 bankruptcy, we got to look at its internal bookkeeping system, and learned that the company treated 1m customers who had no alternative carriers as special assets because it could charge them more for worse service and poor maintenance: pluralistic.net/2022/12/15/u... 20/

pluralistic.net

Pluralistic: How cable monopolists tricked conservatives into shooting themselves in the face (15 Dec 2022) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow

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By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 07/04/2026

This means that US fiber networks tend to be *under*built (the opposite of Germany's overbuilt networks), meaning that even if you're buying "gigabit" fiber, you're probably sharing that one gig connection with your whole block or neighborhood. 21/

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By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 07/04/2026

You only get your nominal throughput at weird hours when all the other subscribers aren't streaming Netflix. Note that there *are* cities in the US with a better situation; particularly cities served by Ting, which is owned by Hover, the amazing domain registry.) 22/

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tempura13.bsky.social @tempura13.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

Indeed, the latest trend is “bulk service” where if you happen to live in an apartment community you TV and Internet service is bundled into your rent with no opt-out.

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