Fiber Internet Flimflam, Healthcare Cost Hustle & Gas Shell Games

Today, I must wonder and ask my network for validation or to tell me if I'm spiraling.

My Ziply Fiber bill is going up five dollars. Some folks may scoff at that. And in the big scheme of things, it's not a big deal, but this news comes after I had to reenroll in our healthcare plan. I didn't have a choice. The fee is now another $214 monthly, from $785 to $999. 

OK, so I get it. Shit is more expensive now. As Ziply explained in their email, "Like many industries right now, we're facing rising costs, which has led us to make a change in pricing."

As for Regence, when I was in the Legislature, I helped pass a bill to get hearing aid coverage. I remember a report on the cost—I think it was between 30 and 60 cents per subscriber.

The bill details do not include a fiscal note for the cost to the State government. Still, with Regence participating in the state exchange and being an insurance provider for government organizations, government costs would also increase when providing their employees with insurance. But I would argue that another 60 cents max per subscriber to ensure kids can hear in the classroom, first responders don't lose all their hearing because of their jobs, and seniors don't become isolated is worth it, but that doesn't equal a $214 a month increase. Let's say ten bills like the hearing aid bill passed in the last two years. That's a whopping $6 increase. So, where is the other $208-a-month increase going?

Note: I did 20 minutes of research to find this report from three years ago and still can't find it. I don't get paid to write this blog, so this is where my research ended. I never said I was a reputable source. This is just an opinion.

This year, I will pay another $2,556 a year for the exact same healthcare I got last year because costs went up.

OK, fine.

Ziply has 350,000 fiber internet subscribers. In the email, they said, "We understand that price increases can be challenging, and this decision to raise our rates is not one we make lightly or often."

A five-dollar increase among all these monthly subscribers totals $1.75 million monthly and $21 million yearly. If they are hiring, that would be 210 new employees at $100k a year.

And there is more:

"Some of your other services will also see a price change: Your Ziply Fiber WiFi router lease will increase to $15/month. Having a Ziply Fiber WiFi router continues to provide you with high quality internet performance, monitored maintenance and troubleshooting support (sic)."

Oh, but there is good news! "More affordable phone service is available!"

Call them to get rates that will increase some arbitrary number in a year!

Here's the thing: I get it when our government institutions ask for more money because their health and internet providers are raising their prices, too.

I know they want to hire people to make things more efficient and deliver more service, even while some people yell at them for having "bloated" staff and pay!

Every day, I see the police officers and firefighters or lack of officers and firefighters. Every day, I notice the work of maintenance workers and parks staff, and I notice when there is a need for more of them.

When I emailed the Everett PD about extra patrols for my neighborhood after a slew of auto thefts on my block, I saw that the respondent to my request was the same person working on multiple different programs for the City of Everett and attending all the decision-making meetings. This person has bigger fish to fry and problems to address. The same person leading the Everett Police Department community relations "team" is the same person doing grunt work – and it's unfair to put all that work on them. We all only have 24 hours in a day.

But we didn't vote in the affirmative for the City of Everett to hire more employees or make things more efficient; we voted for them to lay people off and reduce hours. Your reason is your reason, but if you thought it would make your life easier and put more money in your pocket, you're in for a surprise.

I see the Snohomish County PUD ready and acting when we face a problematic storm – getting power on for people as quickly as possible and communicating with residents.

Every day, I see public service being paid for by my tax dollars, and it's not hard to notice when it faces challenges. So, when the City of Everett, for example, asks me to pay an extra $776.50 a year on the property I can sell for $700,000 to pay for the increased costs to provide me service and give their employees a living wage for increases in things such as healthcare and phone and internet service. Well, that makes sense.

But Ziply isn't telling me why it's another $60 a year. Regence isn't telling me what's behind the $2,556 more yearly. (Direct me to the report if you have one?) And that amount just gets me in the door and allows me to schedule an appointment. I still have a $60 co-pay to see if my abnormal pap smear means I have cervical cancer.

It's strange how we demand these answers from governments. And when they provide the answer, it's wrong for one reason or another. It's wrong to have more employees with lesser pay. It's wrong to have fewer employees doing more with pay equal to the work and hours.

It's wrong to pay people more; it's wrong to pay people less.

I'm not saying we shouldn't have these answers; we should, but the same standard doesn't apply to the private companies that everyone, including the government, is forced to use because of monopolies.

To be capable, safe, and successful in 2024, we need a phone and the internet. We need healthcare. We need many things to allow us to "pull ourselves up by our bootstraps" in the 21st century.

One of the Power P's Podcast's favorite TikTok accounts is Mr. Global. In one, he calls out some dude in California who is trying to blame Gov. Gavin Newsom for oil price gouging and demonstrates how oil companies are actually doing the gouging. California hasn't increased its gas tax rate since 2017, and it's 68.1 cents per gallon. No matter what the price of gas is on any given day, the State of California is getting 68.1 cents per gallon.

In Washington state, you pay 49.4 cents per gallon, which has remained the same since 2016. That was the year we passed Connecting Washington Transportation Package, which accounts for nearly every road project you've seen being built since then.

Did you know the average Washington driver pays $146.40 a year in gas tax? Interesting. (Thanks Jerry Cornfield, enjoyed this article)

You also pay 18.4 cents to the Federal Government. The same rate it's been since 1993.

So, when I look at a 2016 yearbook with a photo of the price of gas at $2.39 per gallon in 2016, or look at the pump and see $4.55 in 2024, I don't have to wonder where the increase per gallon is going. Hint: It's not to our state or federal government to fix and build our roads.

And many people might say, "The law says we must pay people more! That's what's raising the costs!" But if that was the case, couldn't we easily afford these increases too? Doesn't the cost increase mean someone is getting more somewhere? Wouldn't that extra money be passed on to us as well? Isn't that how the trickle-down economy works?

Oh, don't worry. We can all be so proud and grateful when Ziply, Regence, and many other companies see their platinum-level sponsorship on the screen at our non-profit fundraiser. We can congratulate them when they receive a tax write-off after donating so much more this year to the local non-profits dealing with the effects of their decisions. Now, more people can receive support from Volunteers of America when they are poor enough to get services.

But hey, I know. We have to work. We have to make money to pay for these bill increases and take care of our families. We don't have time to scream about a five-dollar-a-month increase. We don't have time to question the hands that feed us at work; we just have to keep going. We just have to be thankful we can afford it, at least right now. We just have to let the rich keep getting richer and hold on to power, or Ned Stark-it and get our heads chopped off. At least we were being ethical. Just ask Maren Costa and the many others featured in Netflix's documentary Buy Now.

Doesn't this all seem like a crock of shit? How did we get here? How did we get a World Wrestling Federation "Star" as the US Education Secretary? Why do we have to expend energy fighting to stop a sexual predator from becoming US Attorney General and running the same department that's investigating his crimes? Why is our next president's son, someone who will talk to world leaders on the United State's behalf, doing coke publicly at an event?! Perhaps it was ZYN Pouch? OK, I'll remember to bring my vape pen and a bong to the next rocket launch! Hey, it's legal!

Seriously, everyone. Stop being so goddamn stupid.

Yeah, I need internet too, and like you, I don't have any choice, but it doesn't make it OK. It doesn't mean any of us should learn over and take it from behind by a fiber company paying just $18 per hour to a Customer Service Representative because we don't ask any questions or hold anyone accountable.

Oh well. Hope my router keeps working!

Fiber Internet Flimflam, Healthcare Cost Hustle, and Gas Shell Games