Originally Posted by
tmiw
...
The US still has some of the highest mobile phone costs in the world. In other countries with actual mobile competition (read: 4+ viable carriers), rates tend to be at least half of what they are here, if not lower.
Also, T-Mobile was only able to be as big as they are now because of their failed merger with AT&T. Turns out a significant breakup fee can give a carrier enough money for needed network upgrades.
I think the size of this country plays a role in that. There's a lot of land mass to cover, including raised elevations. You then have a higher population so increased bandwidth is necessarry. You also have to remember the government plays a hand in your higher prices as well with their taxes and fees.
Right now I'm paying $50 a month for unlimited talk, text, and 15GB of data on Verizon.
I feel like those were a thing before Durbin.
In the article I cited on my last post - it states:
The total number of banks offering free current accounts fell by 50 percent between 2009 and 2013. In comparison, fee-free banking actually increased at banks not subject to the Durbin Amendment.
And...
(2) More than doubled the minimum monthly holding required on fee-free current accounts between 2009 and 2012, from around $250 to over $750.
(3) Doubled average monthly fees on (non-free) current accounts between 2009 and 2013, from around $6 to more than $12.