Spectrum Maine Charter Communications $16,000 to install internet service ! Waterville Maine

Just because some group of people or organization feel that Internet Access is some basic human right, that doesn't make it so. If you ask enough people you will find that there are groups of people who think we have a right to just about anything.

Perhaps you should read more into that block of text you cut and pasted from Wiki. It isn't about having unlimited access when ever you want it. But like most people with an Entitlement Attitude you figure that everything should be handed to you.

You have access to the Internet and aren't being suppressed. You just need to go to your local library when they are open, which based on where you say you are from your library has it.

This isn't a freeway or road project that will benefit the community as a whole where tax dollars could be used, this is to benefit YOU or at most a limited number of people. So yes you are expected to cover a portion of the cost. I can almost gurantee you that while you think 16K is a lot of money, it is probably costing them more, even if it is as you say only a "few hundred yards".

As that "few hundred yards" is where the other service ends. But this isn't something they can just connect two ends of the wire and give you access. Additional lines may require additional capacity and hardware. It will likely require obtaining right of ways, or perhaps they couldn't obtain them and have to run lines even farther. 

Even if you have other utilities they may be required to burry additional lines for the cable, if you are on utility poles it may require new poles to handle the additional cables. There is other networking and switching equipement that needs to be added to handle the Higher Capacity lines.

So no, this is NOT a RipOff.

Of course if you still think you should not have to pay for it, then go down to your local government officials make your case that Internet is a Basic Human Right and get them to pay for getting you access.

Good Luck....

When homes in the adjacent street a few hundred yards away have sevice. Seems like a rip off to me.

"The right to Internet access, also known as the right to broadband or freedom to connect, is the view that all people must be able to access the Internet in order to exercise and enjoy their rights to freedom of expression and opinion and other fundamental human rights, that states have a responsibility to ensure that Internet access is broadly available, and that states may not unreasonably restrict an individual's access to the Internet"

 Service is NOT available there! To tie you into the nearest service point would require construction! This is nothing unusual because not every place has service. No rip off here!