this post was submitted on 26 May 2026
577 points (98.3% liked)
Technology
84940 readers
3884 users here now
This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
Our Rules
- Follow the lemmy.world rules.
- Only tech related news or articles.
- Be excellent to each other!
- Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
- Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
- Politics threads may be removed.
- No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
- Only approved bots from the list below, this includes using AI responses and summaries. To ask if your bot can be added please contact a mod.
- Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed
- Accounts 7 days and younger will have their posts automatically removed.
Approved Bots
founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
Oh its a utility?
... so it should be publically owned and operated?
He didn't even say 'like' or 'akin to' a utility.
He said 'is a utility'.
... So then democracratize it.
And yeah, if WiFi is like that too, then yeah, lets have the public manage that as well.
... I wonder if ChatGPT can draw Altman looking at a broken clock being right twice a day.
WiFi is not a utility. Perhaps cellular service and fiber to the home should be, though.
WiFi is just the radio that gets you from your device to your router. It’s not the internet. Yes it’s an important distinction. Words have meanings. No, YOU’RE not being pedantic enough! 😤
I... I know the technical difference.
Apologies for using shorthand that you immediately interpreted correctly.
Shorthand that... you know, was used in the article.
Paraphrasing Sam Altman.
Because most readers of tech news can contextually figure out what is meant by that.
Weellll, unless you live out in the sticks on an island and all there is is long throw 2.4GHz wifi as your internet connection, at least when the weather cooperates and the rinkydink ISP has staff actually on the job. Then wifi is also a utility level service.
Like satellite internet for some. Hmm I know another equally misanthropic smug techbro who wants to privatize an entire utility sector… Had to set up a SStarlink system for someone recently. Had to make very sure the homeowners understand why we bridged the SStarlink router.
Or maybe the infrastructure in your building in or fairly near a city just sucks, and you use a 5G base station for internet.
This kind of thing is... extremely common in areas that broadly have unsubstantial net infrastructure, or just poorer areas of developed cities.
Fucking thank you. Smh, can't believe people don't know the difference between WiFi and internet on a fucking tech forum.
Well, there are municipal WiFi deployments for some smaller towns and cities that I'd call a utility, but I am not convinced that is what the previous comment is referring to.