The transcript discusses the high cost of mobile data in the US, with the US having the fifth-most expensive mobile data compared to similar markets. The cost of 1 gigabyte of data is influenced by several factors, including the cost of infrastructure, maintenance, repairs, updates, administrative costs, and taxes. The transcript also highlights the lack of competition among major US carriers, which contributes to higher prices. Moreover, it mentions that the cost of data doesn't necessarily reflect the cost of maintaining the network. The transcript also discusses the lack of investment in rural areas, where average mobile download speeds are often slower and data costs are higher. The transcript concludes by mentioning potential solutions to this problem, such as competition, government investment, and infrastructure sharing, but also warns that consumers in low-income areas may not always benefit from these initiatives.
1. The total cost of a two-line AT&T bill is over $142. This cost includes charges for 4G LTE access, international calling, and various fees and taxes [Document(page_content='00:00:00.41: [Narrator] Take a look at this AT&T bill\n00:00:02.06: for two phone lines.\n00:00:03.63: The total comes to over $142.\n00:00:07.52: There are charges for 4G LTE\naccess, international calling,\n00:00:11.85: and a bunch of fees and taxes.\n00:00:13.90: It\'s confusing and expensive.\n00:00:16.52: But it\'s not just this bill.\n00:00:18.51: Compared to similar markets,\n00:00:19.77: the US has the\nfifth-most-expensive mobile data.\n00:00:23.40: These prices aren\'t set at random.\n00:00:25.63: There are a lot of factors that affect\n00:00:27.95: what 1 gigabyte costs.\n00:00:30.16: And these high costs are hurting everyone.\n00:00:35.61: Let\'s go back to that graph.\n00:00:37.17: The US has four major carriers:\n00:00:39.46: Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint.\n00:00:43.33: But even though the US\nhas multiple carriers,\n00:00:45.98: their prices aren\'t competitive\n00:00:47.68: like other countries with four carriers.\n00:00:50.29: Research firm Rewheel found that median\n00:00:52.69: mobile gigabyte prices in\nthe US were 16 times higher\n00:00:57.18: than