9 great reads from CNET this week

Rick Broida, our Cheapskate blogger, is always looking for a bargain. That’s not always as simple as typing a coupon code into a window on the payment page of a shopping site. Sometimes it takes some effort and experimentation.

That’s how it went down when Rick decided to try out T-Mobile Home Internet, which is in a limited-availability pilot phase and had just arrived in his area. It promises unlimited high-speed service for $50 a month, less than half what he was paying Comcast for cable internet. Here, he recounts his experience, from dealing with T-Mobile to setting up the gear and checking speeds to, ultimately, using the service day to day for work and play.

That’s just one of the many in-depth features and thought-provoking commentaries that appeared on CNET this week. So here you go. These are the stories you don’t want to miss:

Finally, a low-cost alternative to cable. But would it be fast and reliable? I decided to find out.

Commentary: My family members were stranded without power amid 6 inches of snow and freezing temperatures — until Nextdoor and a stranger came to the rescue.

The Dodo and We Rate Dogs are some of the friendliest spaces online, but videos and tweets about dogs, cats, cows and piglets aren’t just about spreading good cheer.

In 2021 escorts aren’t just fighting against the stigma of sex work, they’re fighting for their right to be on the internet.

Georgia, Maine, Pennsylvania and others took mapping into their own hands, building their own granular data to pinpoint gaps in internet coverage and apply for federal funding.

Mississippi could become a broadband giant.

The oldest Chinatown in North America was re-created in the video game by a group of students and recent grads to preserve the neighborhood’s rich history.

Accessibility tech is steadily improving.

From grocery-getter to road-tripper to snow-blaster to campsite friend, over 12 months of testing, there wasn’t anything our Outback couldn’t do — and do well.