Monday, December 18, 2017

How Many ISP's Do You Have?


One of the main arguments that the cable companies used in their campaign to end the rules that ensure the internet remains open is that the free market will protect consumers. They argue that if they start to rip-off customers then customers will simply move elsewhere. The major problem with this argument is that a huge number of consumers don't have a choice of broadband providers. If their ISP starts charging more or throttling certain websites then they have nowhere else to go.

You can find out how many broadband providers operate in your area using a new interactive map. Mapbox has used FCC data to show FCC Providers throughout the United States. If you enter your address into the map you can view how many ISP providers there are at your address and the name of each provider. The map is color coded to show the number of ISP's in each area. If you click on the map you can view the actual names of the ISP's at that location.

Esri has also released a number of interactive maps which explore How Net Neutrality Could Affect You. These include maps that look at where Americans are most likely to engage in high-bandwidth, high-visibility behaviors (such as streaming movies or playing games online) and where people currently have the greatest access to high speed internet.

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