James' World 2

Click the link below the picture

.

Like many of her neighbors in East Carroll Parish, in rural northeast Louisiana, Wanda Manning has struggled to get decent, affordable internet service. “I’m paying a lot of money each month, about $140, to get internet and phone service, but the internet isn’t dependable,” she says. “I often have problems staying connected. I’ll be in a meeting one minute, and the next minute I’ll find I’m no longer online.”

But Manning, a retired teacher who is part of a local church organization that has made headlines fighting to bring better internet service to East Carroll, is better off than many others in the community, who either don’t have internet or have to rely on dial-up service. “When I was teaching school remotely, we had people walking around their trailers holding up MyFi mobile hotspots just so their kids could be in school,” she says.

East Carroll is not unusual. In communities across the country, millions of people find it hard to find or afford a reliable high-speed internet connection. In addition, many internet bills are confusing, making it difficult and sometimes impossible for consumers to compare prices when shopping for a better, less expensive plan.

Those problems emerged from an analysis of more than 22,000 internet bills that Consumer Reports and several partner organizations collected from people around the country. Data from the project will be used to support a public-service and advocacy campaign called “Fight for a Fair Internet,” to encourage lawmakers, regulators, and internet service providers (ISPs) to improve broadband access and affordability.

.

CR’s analysis found hard-to-understand bills that make it difficult for consumers to compare plans. Illustration: Chris Griggs/Consumer Reports

.

.

Click the link below for the article:

.

__________________________________________