#coronavirus #COVID19 #FlattenTheCurve #RemoteWork #RemoteLearning #InternetProviders
We’re doing more things remotely these days.
We’re working remotely. We’re going to school remotely etc.
Most would rather not, but the pandemic has made it a way of life.
What if your Internet provider craps out on you for an extended period?
There’s no Plan B for that, unless you have data plans in your devices.
What if you’re in the middle of a virtual meeting, and, suddenly, everything freezes?
It may not be the provider’s fault. Road construction and other things can affect Internet access.
There are certain cost advantages to bundling phone, TV and Internet service. But all of them, in most cases, are dependent on the Internet. When the Internet goes down, they all go down.
And, when you’re stuck at home with no landline phone – yes, most of us have cellphones – TV or working computers, time surely passes slowly. Still, there is a positive here. It might encourage people to read more.
We also have the issue of limited Internet access, in general, in certain areas of the country – very rural and low-income urban areas come to mind.
What if we could make Internet service as universal, low-cost and essentially required as basic telephone service was decades ago? What if basic Internet service with reasonable speed were a public utility? That means costs would be regulated, providers would be required to make service available to all and have to get any rate changes approved by a governing body.
Certainly, providers would oppose that. If the providers don’t want that eventuality – and the pandemic has prompted people to think of that eventuality – they have to step up and provide essentially universal service, spreading the costs around in a reasonable fashion.
The pandemic has also given all of us time to think, especially when the Internet goes down.
Is your “old” life worth wanting back? Sure, we’d all like to get back into circulation, even back to work. But is that work giving you what you want from life?
If not, there are many programs that allow anyone, regardless of education, experience or background, to pursue their dreams part-time and, in many cases, provide an income that can dwarf what he or she is earning in the job they may not like. As a bonus, these programs can insulate you from the whims of employers, pandemics, economic ups and downs etc. You can even do these programs remotely, when your Internet is up and working.
To check out one of the best such programs, message me.
A few years ago, in Internet’s infancy, we thought of it as a luxury. Some even thought of it as an unnecessary monthly expense.
Today, life, as we know it, is online. The pandemic has emphasized that. The Internet is changing the way we do almost everything – some for the better, some, not so much.
Yet, we can’t live without it. We just need the providers to make it more universal, more reliable, more resistant to road construction and other outside forces and less costly.
Will these providers step up? Or, will other forces step in and force the issue?
We’ll all have to log in to find out.
Peter