Slow internet? Fast internet? You might be paying the same price

A Q&A with Angela Siefer, executive director of the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA). 

How much do you pay for internet service each month? NDIA found that lots of customers are paying about $60 a month for their internet packages. Some get super slow internet speeds, while others get super fast speeds. "This is definitely an issue that should bring people together," Siefer said. "This is an issue in rural areas and urban areas. It's an issue in rural areas because it's not profitable for internet service providers to roll out in areas where the customers are far apart. It's also an issue in urban areas where providers have chosen not to upgrade their old copper networks. So, we have community members in both kinds of places who are paying way more for their internet than really seems fair."

When asked, "Why is home broadband internet so important for access when people can also access via their phones or on any sort of mobile device?" Siefer said, "So, mobile is not a solution because of data caps. That's the super-fast answer. You can't do everything you need to do with your data cap. If you don't have a data cap, you might be able swing it, along with free Wi-Fi, whenever you can get near free Wi-Fi. But if you have a data cap, and you have a household that more than one person in it, it is insufficient."