Since there are so many complaints about satellite internet providers, I must comment so as to allow anyone considering satellite internet service to approch with caution. I have not done business with Hughes Satellite, so this is not necessarily a diatribe against them in particular, but against internet providers in general. Ideally, some legislation regulating the industry will ensue if enough people complain, one would think.
I was contacted by an 'agent' who explained the expenses to me carefully, so I made an informed decision not to buy. I thank that agent for that.
But here is the problem... And clearly there are many big problems if you take the time to read the negative reviews... Consider first, the money involved:
Let's say you have a million suscribers. $400 for the equipment is $400 million. Enough to build a factory the size of an auto manufacturer-andI don't see their needing that much money to make devices that smallish. Then calculate the monthly charge of $70/month... That's $70,000, 000 per month! That's $840 million a year... Add in the equipment charges, and we are talking about a billion a year! So why? So executive compensation permits them to buy a private island, and private jet to go to and fro?
How then can a company offer such poor service (as reported all over the web)... And slow speeds, and poor customer service. Any large bank that failed would kill to be able to gross that much money year. And all we are talking about is a million suscribers... Think about 50 million, and that translates to 50 billion a year! My God!
Does the phrase mercenary, devious, whorish, unbridled greed mean anything to anyone?!??? That's enough money to buy your own country... Say Paraguay... And just move all those citizens out.
If I were a satellite internet company, I would think in terms of underbidding the phone companies, and building an organzation of tens of thousands of employees, providing good service, more satellites... And become a national, generations long, revered company... No... I suspect they just want to grab as many billions as they can, buy that private island and declare bankruptcy.
In a word... These satellite comapnies are greedy and devious. And they don't need to be. All they really need is some modicum of morality and ethical conduct. Is that too much to ask?
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