[newton10471]

Do you live in NYC? I do, and I don't have at all what I'd call "a number of good options" for internet access. In my area, there's two companies who operate similar to a monopoly (Verizon and Optimum), and regularly raise prices arbitrarily and often for no reason.

[nategri]

Having two choices actually might put you well above average for the US. Back when I was in Mountain View, CA (a few miles from Google HQ) it was either Comcast or nothing and the irony was not lost on me.

[komali2]

AT&T had an offering when I lived in Mountain View that was so comically terrible as to not realistically be an option at all.

[fivefive55]

This is still true as of last year. Comcast was the only viable option.

[berbec]

You get two? My block on 78th and 1st has Twc, I mean Spectrum, and I don't know what I'm going to do when they get kicked out of the state.

[sebleon]

Ah, I meant 'good' relative to options in the developing world. Getting +20Mb/s for under 0.1-5% of your annual income puts you way ahead of most people on Earth.

But yes, I'm sure there's cities out there with more options than NYC.

[crazygringo]

Yeah... every apartment of mine has had exactly one option, TWC=>Spectrum (in Manhattan) or Optimum (in Brooklyn).

I've lived in 4 apartments in 7 years and never once had a choice.

[frenchman_in_ny]

A lot of this may have to do with the building & management -- often times, the building's condo/coop board strikes an exclusivity deal with the ISPs and get a share of the revenue.

[I'm on a condo board]

[user9182031]

I live in the West Village and have ONE choice... Spectrum :(