European Union Will Fund Public Wifi (axios.com) 65
An anonymous reader writes: The European Union is moving towards getting free public wifi into unconnected locations around the bloc. A new agreement will provide 120 million euros to "fund equipment for public free Wi-Fi services in 6,000 to 8,000 municipalities" across the E.U.
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"The free market could decide this for itself,"
The 'free market' doesn't exist in that sense, markets are always run according to various sets of rules.
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In the US the 'free market' has created entrenched players who can stifle any advancement to suit their own profits
the free market is way too oversold, I would love to have some socialism driving the development of new technology
Re: How do you plan to pay for this? (Score:3, Insightful)
Dummies who cry free market about these things forget about natural monopolies. We used to understand that you had to regulate natural monopolies, but now we are too stupid to understand that certain businesses aren't really good candidates for the free market with telecom and the internet perfect examples of businesses that should be regulated monopolies
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I think it may not be that clear cut. Maybe infrastructure vs service? Also, a certain amount of market iniative is needed, otherwise the innovation doesn't happen, unless it is the sort of grand nation project that is far too risky for any private entity.
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In the US the 'free market' has created entrenched players who can stifle any advancement to suit their own profits
the free market is way too oversold, I would love to have some socialism driving the development of new technology
"Have you read your manifesto today comrade?"
Yes/No
No? Well, you have been reported to the wifi secret police. Stay where you are. We're coming to award you a free stay in Club Gulag.
I'm sorry, but socialism has basically fucked up just about everything it's ever been exposed to (to a greater or lesser extend). So when some yutz comes along and goes, "I know it doesn't work. But you know what we need? MORE SOCIALISM!" I tend to look at them like the inbred, indoctrinated mouth-breather that they are.
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Ah. Lacking in an ACTUAL argument, you simply fall back on name calling.
Very adult of you. Are you going to fight me next? Maybe book me in the hall?
How cute!
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"I'm sorry, but socialism has basically fucked up just about everything it's ever been exposed to"
Public ownership is common in the US, and many many other countries in the world including those with the highest living standards, in other words, a mix of socialism and capitalism is the norm.
So when he said "I would love to have some socialism driving the development of new technology" I'm assuming he meant he would like to see some new tech driven more by user interests and less by the drive for profits at
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Oh c'mon... It's only 120 million euros. How much is that in Beluga Caviar?
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Oh c'mon... It's only 120 million euros. How much is that in Beluga Caviar?
Yeah, that's what they said when the United States started paying for stuff for the states. Look at us now. The Federal government has all the power and the state governments are a joke. That's exactly where the EU is heading. They modelled their system after the USA and are following the same path where the EU slowly takes more and more power from the individual countries until they cease to exist. An interesting history lesson, the word state used to be synonymous with nation until the USA redefined
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Subnationalizing the states was the price of freedom from slavery and disagreeing is a hate crime.
And I will disagree. Slavery was already dying. Whites enslaving blacks was the final breath of slavery and a short part of overall slavery. Most of the racial problems we have today are because of the last 200 years of slavery where slave traders tried to make people think blacks were inferior to whites to try to keep slavery from fully dying. Before that any race could be a slave owner and any race could be a slave. Racism only became a part of slavery at the tail end of slavery when it was already o
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Look at us now. The Federal government has all the power and the state governments are a joke.
Hold on there, pardner. I live in Texas and I can assure you that our state government is not a jo...oh wait
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No, I'm sorry... The correct answer is ~13,400 kilos
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Less, you'd spike the price buying that much.
Re: How do you plan to pay for this? (Score:1)
Yeh giving free things to citizens is so bad. Better ban mums giving milk to their children, and better yet ban the American military for its socialist national defence program...
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Typical self centeeed American, England is a sub national state and has quite different laws compared to wales or Scotland and doZens of other British territories around the world.
American states are very similar to England,Scotland, and Wales. They had and still have in some cases quite different laws from state to state but every year that goes by the laws get more and more homogenized and the states lose more and more powers to the federal. The federal government discovered that it could collect more money than it needed and then give it back with strings attached to make the states comply. The states technically could not comply but only at the cost of not getting their fair sh
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Oh c'mon... It's only 120 million euros. How much is that in Beluga Caviar?
I much prefer osetra.
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The free market could decide this for itself, or local governments could provide incentives for businesses to increase connectivity with voters approving tax credits. Instead, the leftist leadership of this is going to force it on everyone in the EU and raise the already ridiculously high taxes even more to pay for it.
How is there a difference between "tax credits" and other forms of funding/subsidies? Do you really think that "tax credits" are a free lunch (instead of shifting the tax load to others, too), or are you desperately trying to build a strawman against progressive politics?
So 20,000 euro will disappear in 6000 shitholes (Score:1)
This has to be a payoff of some kind. 20,000 euro isn't enough to pay for significant 'Public Wifi'.
The money will disappear without a trace. Plop.
Starry-eyed idea (Score:4, Interesting)
Funding hasn't been secured for this, just to start somewhere.
What kind of speeds are we talking? What kind of data caps? If it's like my current mobile data plan in Germany, 500 MB per month is nothing on today's internet. May as well go without entirely.
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Speed limits? Datacaps? What are you talking about. In many parts of Europe you can happily walk around connecting to WiFi without concerning yourself with those terms.
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What kind of access rules, how about I retitle free WiFi to what they really intent SpyFi. The access you are talking about is the access into you and not the other way round. Why free WiFi because SpyFi, that's why.
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Why free WiFi? Because access boosts the economy. As for spying, you're naive to think they will do more or less than any other ISP, and stupid if you're not already taking countermeasures*.
*This post not seen by my ISP due to HTTPS.
Duh. Can't spy on them if they're not connected. (Score:3, Interesting)
We've hit the point where the (depressingly high) percentage of the western world that's willing and able to pay for the privilege of being tracked 24/7 has already done so, so now it's time to pick up the stragglers by giving it away for free. The ones who still refuse will eventually be forced in as it gets increasingly difficult to participate in the modern world without internet access.
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How funny it is. When free WiFi came out over a decade ago everyone flocked it to for free internet access. I think Sta
then the wifi allergy (Score:2, Interesting)
back a few years ago when it looked like maybe there might be a wireless alternative to comcast time warner, there was a sudden explosion of people and nonprofit organizations claiming that there were many people suffering from wifi sensitivity...I believe that these were bogus claims being backed by money from comcast, time warner etc...watch for wifi allergy complaints to make a comeback if this idea takes off
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back a few years ago when it looked like maybe there might be a wireless alternative to comcast time warner,
Might be? We've had wireless internet in this area for a decade now at least. I'd say there can be a wireless alternative, if only someone thought there would be profit in providing it.
And don't get me started on how useless the local uni has made the 2.4G band by blanketing campus in WiFi nodes. It's so bad that you can find places where you can't use a bluetooth headset and the headset is 6 inches from the device.
wifi sensitivity...I believe that these were bogus claims being backed by money from comcast, time warner etc.
It's fun to spread conspiracy theories, but don't discount the dumb factor and fear of the u
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watch for wifi allergy complaints to make a comeback if this idea takes off
This is the EU, not the USA. We actually have mental health care here.
What about cellular carriers? (Score:1)
If my phone can get on WiFi for free, I will not need cellular services — Facetime/WhatsApp/Hangouts some other VoIP will kill cellular service.
Cellular carriers know this and are sitting on their hands. I predict one (or more of the following):
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Fellow Americans can get a taste of the "free" government-provided WiFi by buying an Amtrak ticket and trying to use Amtrak's WiFi during their trip...
Amtrak is quite up-front about the limits on the WiFi they provide and why. They aren't intending to be a full service ISP.
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So would've been Facebook's "Free Basics" Internet-service in poor countries — denounced by all the progressives [theguardian.com] and, indeed, banned by India's government [slashdot.org] already... Because KKKorporations are evil and mean only to enslave you, whereas government-provided services always have good reasons for their limitations...
However you justify its deficiencies, the "free WiFi" being discussed
Underlying ideology (Score:2)
EU loves infrastructure projects that serves its only true goal: create an optimum currency zone [wikipedia.org].
This project require capital and labor to be perfectly mobile within the zone, hence the subsided transport and communication projects where free market failed to create the approriate conditions
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