As of 2021, more than half of the world is connected to the internet. While many places still lack the infrastructure needed for an internet connection, internet users are experiencing a penetration rate of about 100 percent. The US is among the largest online markets in the world with around 313 million active internet users. Internet was once considered as a ‘nice to have but in 2021, it has changed to a ‘must have’.
As a ‘must have’, Xfinity internet proposes bundles that offer reliable speed, seamless streaming, and affordable rates. Xfinity offers its internet connection to 40 states in the US. You can also check for the availability of the bundles in your state and pick one that suits your budget and internet browsing needs.
Unavailability of the internet
The COVID pandemic has turned out to be an eye-opener. With everyone being stuck at home and looking to the internet for solace, FCC (Federal Communications Commissions) has realized that there are up to 42 million Americans for whom essential internet is not available and a million more for whom it is available but not affordable.
The United States has an internet access problem in 2021, especially in rural areas. The problem with the unavailability of the internet in rural areas is that internet service providers are not very willing to invest there. Since rural areas are remote and far away from the urban population, they hesitate because it requires a lot of money, time, and labor. People are also deprived of internet connection due to their high prices. Having an internet connection is now as essential as food and water, which is why the internet should not be claimed as a luxury, rather a basic right.
What you can do as a citizen of the US
Internet service providers have hidden prices in their customers’ bills that they deliberately neglect to mention. This can often cause unexpected stress to your already tight budget. However, if you are being asked to pay an unfair amount of money for your internet bill or any time you feel like the ISP is not coordinating, there are some things you can do for yourself:
- Internet service providers want you to be stuck and not bother to context the price, which is why you should call and ask for a more affordable price. Know your current price, know what kind of promotional packages you have applied for, or if there are any extras that you are paying for. When you have all your information on hand, call and ask their representative for the lowest affordable rate.
- People do not want to have internet with a slow speed of course, and they are willing to pay a lot for faster speed. But what they don’t know is that they might be paying for too much bandwidth. Wall Street Journal did a study on how much can be used on available bandwidth. After using the streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and YouTube simultaneously, they found that by only using 5% of their 150mbps, their video quality didn’t improve with higher speeds, and videos didn’t launch quicker. This means that many American households are paying for the premium they don’t need.
- You could even buy your modem device, instead of renting one out from the internet service provider. That way you also get to upgrade your Wi-Fi at your own pace, instead of having to wait for ISP to send a guy out.
- You could also threaten to switch internet service providers by asking your ISP for better rates and faster speeds. If your ISP doesn’t agree, you might have to change. You must look up comparable internet service providers in your area as well.
- Many internet service providers neglect to mention extra fees and price increases for your phone or internet bundle. You will have to scan the invoice for any additional payment and call them out if there are any services that you did not apply for.
- If you are looking to provide an internet connection to any rural or remote area, what you can do is get ahold of a supportive government partner, and together with the help of service providers, much can be done by the locals in making that happen.
Above are some of the things you can do to get a reliable internet speed with an affordable rate for yourself but we still have a long way to go until the FCC (Federal Communications Commissions) help ISPs to provide reliable internet access to users.