High-Speed Access to Internet

Re “City Hall Split on Policy for High-Speed Internet Access,” June 15: I am an avid Internet user on holiday from Canada. Boy, was I shocked to discover that the media capital of the world still doesn’t have high-speed access to the Internet. We Canadians have enjoyed high-speed access for several years. Here I am in L.A. trying to show my cousin some neat things to do with the Internet and it’s like trying to bake a cake on a campfire. My California cousin is embarrassed and I’m disillusioned. With all the apparent bickering, it seems it will still be a problem next year when I visit.

The Canadian solution was to pool the capital and resources of all the major players in order to benefit the consumer with “lower prices, improved technology” (yadda, yadda, yadda) and “an explosion of innovative new services”; and let’s not forget high-speed access to high-speed access. Otherwise, I love L.A.!

DANIEL BARRON

Calgary, Alberta

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It seems as if L.A. Internet consumers are about to get the shaft. When giants like AT&T; tell us they cannot afford making cable line upgrades unless they can have the monopolies our cable TV providers currently enjoy, I get suspicious.

I don’t doubt for a second that if L.A. were to have open Internet access, allowing consumers to actually make a choice, AT&T; would be there right along with everybody else vying for our ISP dollars. Has the mayor’s office already made the decision for us?

GIL BERNARDY

Los Angeles