The two-year contract you agreed to, was a promo price fixed for the next two years. In the fine print they tell you the price after your contract expires.

There is no need to freak out once the contract ends and your price increases back to the "normal" price. Shop the available ISPs for your address and lock in a new contract for the best package and offer available to you.

Uhh, because 8 8 6?

You asked for an answer and I gave you one.

FYI I don't think beer and slots are the reason this store has been shot up twice in a few months now. One stop doesn't have the same problem, does it?

Gambling addiction -> borrowing money -> playing slots and losing said borrowed money -> beef

Depends on the reason it's a HCOL area to begin with.

DC? No, it will always be HCOL as it's the seat of the federal government.

An oil boom town where the wells have dried up? Yes.

Ignoring those two extremes, yes I think you're right in theory, that less demand should in turn depress prices overall, but that is assuming the people fleeing aren't being replaced by people from an even higher COL area. Or even wealthy people from other countries.

Oh. Hmm. This appears to not be a hot take at all. In fact the opposite. A lukewarm take. Maybe even cold.