Cable Beats Phone Companies for New Internet Subscriptions - For the first time in over three years, more people want cable Internet
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Dogfather @ 17th May 02:55PM:
Duh
What do to the telcos think will happen when they charge $7.50 for Caller ID, $1.50 how dare you not want to be in the phone book fee and the awesome you aren't using enough long distance fee.
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DJ_Kismuth @ 17th May 03:04PM:
About Time People Realize
...that DSL sucks. It's slow, those line filters are a hassle to install, PPPOE is annoying and pointless.
Cable is faster, you plug in, and it works.
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gigahurtz @ 17th May 03:05PM:
I just made the switch back to Cable from DSL ...
and I'm happy I did. DSL was slow, PPPoE was a pain and it was more expensive. I now have a faster connection and better pings.
Cable > DSL.
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jchambers28 @ 17th May 03:11PM:
About Time People Realize
that to get dsl you have to be close to a co to get the service
where as cable you can be anywhere as long as the lines are are available. In my area 1.5 is the fastest that you can get which
is a joke I have a 12meg connection with cable threw cox and beats the hell out of dsl any day of the week period.
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JoshC1 @ 17th May 03:23PM:
Like I say to people who bash DSL...
...It all depends on the area where you live. For people who live in the sticks, cable may not be available and DSL is the perfect solution for these people. By the way, you do not have to be THAT close to a CO to get dsl service.
»/distance
Another thing, DSL is a Digital Subscriber Line. Unless there is HEAVY saturation at the DSLAM (which cable can also have this problem), DSL is an isolated network, which means you don't NORMALLY have to deal with bandwidth hogs who think that downloading 200 GB a month (which steals bandwidth from other paying cable customers) is ok. For example, in my city we have Charter Communications. Charter is TERRIBLE here. Just about EVERYONE I know (excluding a few) NEVER get their advertised speed. Granted that those on DSL have the same problem, my area here (Windstream serves our area for DSL) has pretty good DSL. The connection is stable and I normally see 75-80% of my download speed (pings are AMAZING as well when gaming). DSL is not as slow as you guys make it to be.
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knkayotte @ 17th May 03:25PM:
Some of us need DSL
I'm lucky enough to be hooked into the CO and get a steady 5 down, 750Kb up. I know Cable now blows this away, but cable is not offered in my neighborhood. DSL is the only real choice I have.
One of the drawbacks of living in a rural area.
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Mr Matt @ 17th May 03:28PM:
A race between parasites.
:mad: I do not believe that the Telco and CATV industries really see broadband as part of their core business. They seem to view the broadband business as a peripheral revenue stream, with their primary objective of providing service with no new wires. Telcos use Data over Voice and CATV Providers use DOCIS. Both industries appear to be trying to do broadband on the cheap. I only see companies that provide Data, Voice and Video over a broadband transport medium like fiber, serious about broadband technology.
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IndyDoug @ 17th May 03:39PM:
DSL runs on old technology
The telcos are behind the times. DSL is their attempt to remain relevant. Nobody really needs land lines anymore...including DSL.
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LeftOfSanity @ 17th May 03:39PM:
Re: A race between parasites.
said by Mr Matt :
:mad: I do not believe that the Telco and CATV industries really see broadband as part of their core business. They seem to view the broadband business as a peripheral revenue stream, with their primary objective of providing service with no new wires. Telcos use Data over Voice and CATV Providers use DOCSIS. Both industries appear to be trying to do broadband on the cheap. I only see companies that provide Data, Voice and Video over a broadband transport medium like fiber, serious about broadband technology.
Huh? Internet is pure profit. No content providers to pay. There is still plenty of bandwidth to squeeze out of both cable and DSL. Docsis 3 is right around the corner. I think it will be viable for some time.
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JasonX @ 17th May 04:00PM:
I love my DSL
I'm really surprised to see so much DSL bashing. Yes, you can't get it everywhere, but if you CAN get it, it's excellent at least in my experience.
I've had no more than two or three outages in 10 years of having DSL (and I'm quite serious about that, my connection has been remarkably reliable). My speeds are rock solid and never vary, regardless of the time of day. I have AT&T DSL Elite, so my upstream speed (768 kbps) is as good as or better than anything I can get through Comcast. My download speed is 6Mbps, and frankly I was happy with 3Mbps when I had DSL Pro, so cable's higher downstream speed is not a selling point for me. DSL costs much less, at least in Houston. I don't understand the complaints about PPPOE. My router keeps me logged in, so my connection is just as plug-and-play as a cable connection, from the user perspective. Is anyone these days, especially on this site, seriously not using a router that logs them in? As for installing filters: is this really a complaint? It takes all of five minutes, and you do it once and never do it again. Big deal.
So, besides download speed (and possibly ping, for which I have no basis for comparison), I can't imagine how a Comcast cable internet connection could possibly make me any happier than what I have now with AT&T DSL.
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battleop @ 17th May 04:01PM:
People don't care about the format
They don't care if it's Cable or DSL. They care about how much they get for how little they pay.
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mod_wastrel @ 17th May 04:30PM:
Hardly surprising
given the decision by the phone companies to neglect DSL in favor of their new fiber build-outs. I know people who've been trying to get DSL (instead of cable) but haven't been able to--their area is getting fiber sometime this year or next. It's going to be a race to see if all the new fiber can win back potential subscribers who wanted DSL but couldn't get it so went with cable instead. If you want off of dial-up and cable is the only thing available, then you'll get cable.
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anon @ 17th May 05:14PM:
Re: People don't care about the format
Exactly, only the minority cares about PPPoE or DHCP and whether it's Cable or DSL.
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EPS @ 17th May 04:42PM:
Their loss
I've used DSL and cable internet- I've always had consistently superior experiences with DSL- the speed may have been slightly lower, but it went down far less often than the cable internet did.
Of course, so much of this is really just on where you live. As is noted, phone companies are shifting their focus away from DSL, which means areas that don't yet get it probably won't, but could get the next-gen solution someday. Cable companies are still focused on cable internet deployment.
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ebubman @ 17th May 04:55PM:
Re: People don't care about the format
said by battleop :
They don't care if it's Cable or DSL. They care about how much they get for how little they pay.
strongly agree. i'm paying for broadband and want a broadband experience @ the lowest price. we've had both dsl & cable isp. both were prefectly adequate----while one costs a lot more (aka comcastic).
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Smith6612 @ 17th May 04:55PM:
I have DSL...
and I couldn't be happier with it. Time Warner is fixing up their slow down issues at night with my area, but the DSL has always given me steady, solid speeds with no jitter unless I cause it, very low pings (have had pings as low as 12ms before to a game server). I am slightly over 2 miles from the RT, but the service has always been up, hasn't disconnected for about a year (the modem says in it's logs), and it's just kept me happy. I wouldn't say DSL sucks, but as always, it depends on where you live.
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xxTRAGEDYxx @ 17th May 05:03PM:
Dsl VS Cable
I've been a cable internet(RR) guy for 7 yrs. Until, that is, my wife and I found out that the local telco (Windstream) offers FASTER & CHEAPER service than TWC RR...
I know this isn't the case everywhere. I've always kind of looked down on DSL, and thought it was slow, high latency, etc..etc.. but to my suprise, atleast here in N.C. that just simply isn't the case!! So, IMO, DSL isn't as bad, if at all, as everyones trying to make it out to be
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Steve Mehs @ 17th May 05:32PM:
Re: Like I say to people who bash DSL...
quote:
DSL is not as slow as you guys make it to be.
Sure it is. Dead Slow Line is the new dial up. I have the choice of 3Mb DSL from Verizon or 15Mb Cable from Time Warner. There is no comparison, DSL is a half dead turtle limping for life on the German Autobahn. On sites that support the speed I can download at, Microsoft, iTunes, I can download at 95%+ of my allotted bandwidth.
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en102 @ 17th May 05:50PM:
Re: Duh
Telco:
Still attempting to live off old school legacy bundles
Eg. DSL bundled with POTS (POTS is obsolete + expensive and tons of regulatory fees and unfees)
Uverse: Internet only available with TV service, VoIP not available in many markets, meaning its overpriced in comparison to Cable.
FiOS: High acceptance rate (duh), not highly available.
Cable: High(er) rates, moderate costs unless bundled. Many bundle options (i.e. VoIP + HSI only!)
--
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Gogo1 @ 17th May 06:02PM:
Re: About Time People Realize
said by DJ_Kismuth :
...those line filters are a hassle to install...
wat
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bogey780 @ 17th May 06:15PM:
Re: About Time People Realize
You lack the technical skills to plug a phone into a box and plug that box into a wall?
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anon @ 17th May 07:03PM:
Re: About Time People Realize
said by bogey780 :
You lack the technical skills to plug a phone into a box and plug that box into a wall?
Do you lack reading comprehension skills?
He said DSL filters were a hassle to install, not that he couldn't install them.
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ja2007123 @ 17th May 07:47PM:
The good thingg about DSL is.....
no download caps and no throttling.
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grumpy3b @ 17th May 08:01PM:
Re: Like I say to people who bash DSL...
bandwidth hogs?
So you believe the ads about that from, what a DECADE AGO? No such thing...one uses a service that one pays for...period. I have unlimited DSL and I use it to watch movies or whatever online and legal. So no cable to throw away money on...now if you want to talk over-priced cable (as in TV) fees are what are truly overpriced.
And BTW, if you really feel there is such a thing as a bandwidth hog...what about cable TV subscribers who watch TV pretty much 24/7? Don'taugh I know many Seniors who have their TV on either almost or all day, every day. They use the bandwidth from that side of the service and nobody ever whines about "fair use" and extra fees or cancelled service.
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grumpy3b @ 17th May 08:03PM:
Re: Like I say to people who bash DSL...
btw, I realize the TV side is a constant stream and different but the point is there is still overhead to the use of the TV side.
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funchords @ 17th May 08:37PM:
Re: About Time People Realize
said by DJ_Kismuth :
...that DSL sucks. It's slow, those line filters are a hassle to install, PPPOE is annoying and pointless.
Cable is faster, you plug in, and it works.
I have to agree with you. I recently installed Verizon DSL in an apartment and I couldn't believe what a terrible experience it was from start to finish.
It's amazing how little DSL has improved through the years. :(
--
Robb Topolski -= funchords.com =- Hillsboro, Oregon
HTTP is the new Bandwidth Hog...
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funchords @ 17th May 08:42PM:
Re: A race between parasites.
said by LeftOfSanity :
Huh? Internet is pure profit. No content providers to pay.
For both MSOs and TelCos, Internet customers are probably the most expensive to support.
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funchords @ 17th May 08:46PM:
Re: I love my DSL
said by JasonX :
My speeds are rock solid and never vary, regardless of the time of day. I have AT&T DSL Elite, so my upstream speed (768 kbps) is as good as or better than anything I can get through Comcast. My download speed is 6Mbps, and frankly I was happy with 3Mbps when I had DSL Pro, so cable's higher downstream speed is not a selling point for me.
Cable doesn't deliver that 6 Mbps/768 Kbps around the clock, where DSL will deliver it should you want it to.
Once you figure in Cable's caps, you end up with LESS than what the average DSL customer gets.
--
Robb Topolski -= funchords.com =- Hillsboro, Oregon
HTTP is the new Bandwidth Hog...
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NOCMan @ 17th May 08:57PM:
Re: Duh
You forgot 3.95 for DTMF. Having worked on telco switches I know that pulse dialing is about 10x more expensive and requires much more than a single card that can decode DTMF.
--
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bogey780 @ 17th May 09:14PM:
Re: About Time People Realize
I understand his comment just fine.
What's the hassle about plugging a box in the wall? I wouldn't brag about how that's making my life difficult. PEople would think I was mildly retarded.
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dvd536 @ 17th May 09:18PM:
Re: Like I say to people who bash DSL...
said by JoshC1 :
Another thing, DSL is a Digital Subscriber Line. Unless there is HEAVY saturation at the DSLAM (which cable can also have this problem), DSL is an isolated network, which means you don't NORMALLY have to deal with bandwidth hogs who think that downloading 200 GB a month (which steals bandwidth from other paying cable customers) is ok.
Tell that to me who's qwest dsl was slower than dialup during peak hours.
--
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dvd536 @ 17th May 09:21PM:
Re: The good thingg about DSL is.....
said by ja2007123 :
no download caps and no throttling.
tell that to sympatico dsl users[has both caps and throttles p2p]
--
When I gez aju zavateh na nalechoo more new yonooz tonigh molinigh - Ken Lee
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Shrapnel64 @ 17th May 09:27PM:
Area(s) and ISPs vs Competition
It all comes down to What Area, Who your ISP is, and whether there is competition.
In my area, since Excite@Home, Cox has done a tremendous job at keeping my connection up, fast, and reliable. I had 1 downtime within the last year which was out for 14 hours due to storm damage. I can't say I blame them (although my SLA says 4-hour downtime)...but, it has been my experience that at least at this home, DSL was not reliable at all.
Cable has its perks, and though I don't live in a highly populated area (there are 17 other cable modems on my particular street), I can't say that I have ever experienced anything less than my advertised speeds (especially with the new 'PowerBoost' technology). Pings are at least half of what I received on DSL service.
Now, back in 2004 when I had DSL, it was pretty good. In 2008, I think I am more satisfied with Cable...because as the American society goes...I want it, and I want it now. Faster is better...Fibre is the future.
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espaeth @ 17th May 10:24PM:
Re: About Time People Realize
said by funchords :
I have to agree with you. I recently installed Verizon DSL in an apartment and I couldn't believe what a terrible experience it was from start to finish.
Really?
When I signed up for Embarq in 2006 they shipped me out a Zyxel 660 DSL router/modem. It was just a matter of plugging the 660 into the phone line, my firewall into the modem, and the box negotiated a DHCP address from upstream. No PPPoE to mess with at all.
One thing I will say, I get consistently higher MOS (mean opinion score) numbers on DSL than I do on cable. Jitter is significantly lower, even though minimum latency is usually a bit higher.
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anon @ 17th May 10:36PM:
Uverse
Phone co's wanna do a credit check before giving you service......That's a recipe to eliminate about 1/2 of your potential customers......Good plan dipshits......
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mental_guy @ 17th May 10:41PM:
Re: Duh
I think that PPPoE in DSL is useless. I guess that it was planned as a temporary solution to move dial-up customers, but kept way too long now. Seriously, what's the point of having it these days? I have both cable and DSL and I find pppoe to be a weakness of DSL.
My cable is down like this only if there is maintenance on the line.
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myosh @ 17th May 10:46PM:
Re: Area(s) and ISPs vs Competition
said by Shrapnel64 :
Now, back in 2004 when I had DSL, it was pretty good. In 2008, I think I am more satisfied with Cable...because as the American society goes...I want it, and I want it now. Faster is better...Fibre is the future.
Faster may be better given the state of our economy, price will be a big factor. People may drool at 50 Mbit/s downloads but if it's going to cost $50-75/month, that will scare alot of people away.
I originally started with a cable modem but I gave it up because DSL was cheaper. I was paying $43/month for Comcast's 3.0/384 HSI but switched to 3.0/512 DSL from SBC for $25/month, an $18 savings per month. Service has been rock solid since day one.
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anon @ 17th May 11:33PM:
DSL service is the best
DSL service is just as good as cable internet. DSL can do everything that cable internet can do.Telephone company land line phone service is BETTER than cable phone service. DSL and telephone company land line phones will be around for a long time.
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JoshC1 @ 17th May 11:34PM:
Re: Like I say to people who bash DSL...
Did you read what I posted =)? I said it depends on the area served. I am defending DSL and you guys are running it into the ground =(.
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JoshC1 @ 17th May 11:38PM:
Re: Like I say to people who bash DSL...
Not as much as you are implying. Besides bandwidth hogs DO exist BTW. Just because you pay some $100 or less fee for your internet connection doesn't mean that you have the right to download 500 gigabytes worth of data every month. If you think that is wrong, then why not buy the same pipe for yourself? I'm sure you don't want to spend thousands of dollars for the same amount of bandwidth.
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David_ @ 17th May 11:39PM:
Re: Area(s) and ISPs vs Competition
You´re absolutely right ! Price $$$ is the most important factor into which one is the favourite broadband experience for the less technical user, (such as joe average who´s not a dslreports member)
My case is a bit different than your experience, down here my triple play with the phone company (dsl internet at 600kbps, satellite tv plus phone line) would cost me about $100usd x month, while the same package with the local cable company would cost me $75 usd, but including the sports package and 2 digital cable boxes plus 350 minutes of local calls and unlimited minutes to calls made to numbers of the same company. (both total prices including all taxes and fees and it´s not a promo price)
So I chose the cable company, which in march upgraded all customers on their 600kbps tier to the 2mpbs tier free of charge. (but they did it only because 2 cellphone companies lit about 85% of the country with 3g service at a very affordable price of $40usd x month)
I was perfectly happy with my 600kbps service so next month I´m going to call the cable company to downgrade my pack to the 1mbps service because that´ll save me $20usd x month.
Right now the cable company offers 3 tiers of service , 1mbps triple pack ($55 usd x month), 2 mbps triple pack ($75usd x month) and their gold package of 4mbps triple pay service for $110 x month.
Last but not least , there is a new service that started last july, they are offering iptv triple play , basically ADSL2 technology ,about the same as Uverse in the states and my neighbordhood is wired for it, but even though they offer up to 20mbps service for a few dollars more x month their IPTV service is still full of bugs and highly unreliable. (my cousin has their service.)
I´m my case no matter what service is available to me in regards of high speed broadband I´ll choose whichever is cheaper to me for the most speed I can get.
--
Viajando por el mundo!!!
My Photo Sets
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JoshC1 @ 17th May 11:41PM:
Re: Like I say to people who bash DSL...
What the heck is wrong with a 3 meg connection? You need a 15 meg connection for what reason again? To download music? That's a bit overkill, no offense.
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N10Cities @ 17th May 11:41PM:
Re: About Time People Realize
said by bogey780 :
I understand his comment just fine.
What's the hassle about plugging a box in the wall? I wouldn't brag about how that's making my life difficult. PEople would think I was mildly retarded.
When you have to crawl behind furniture or reach under beds to attach the filter, it is a hassle....not that big of one, but one nonetheless... :p
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JoshC1 @ 17th May 11:45PM:
Re: Hardly surprising
Wait, so now you generalize ALL phone companies that do this? Where is your proof? We know that verizon is doing it, but my provider surely isn't and they provide FTTH (in new areas, but still).
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fatmanskinny @ 18th May 12:07AM:
Any data on....
the amount of cable VOIP signups as opposed to telco landline signups or disconnects?
--
The only place where Success comes before Work is in the dictionary.
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espaeth @ 18th May 12:22AM:
Re: Duh
said by mental_guy :
I think that PPPoE in DSL is useless. I guess that it was planned as a temporary solution to move dial-up customers, but kept way too long now. Seriously, what's the point of having it these days?
None of the DSL providers I've used have ever used PPPoE.
Qwest w/ 3rd party ISP had PPPoA configured right on the Cisco 675, so no PC-based client was required.
Embarq creates a L2 bridge via an RFC1483 tunnel and serves up IP address info via DHCP to clients.
This is definitely one of those "your mileage may vary" items.
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RR Conductor @ 18th May 12:24AM:
Re: About Time People Realize
said by jchambers28 :
that to get dsl you have to be close to a co to get the service
where as cable you can be anywhere as long as the lines are are available. In my area 1.5 is the fastest that you can get which
is a joke I have a 12meg connection with cable threw cox and beats the hell out of dsl any day of the week period.
That and have a CO that is equipped for it, I live in a very rural area in Northwestern California, and besides being 19,000 cable feet from our AT&T (former SBC,former Pacific Bell) CO, it isn't even equipped for DSL. We have Comcast HSI (formerly Adelphia here) and it rocks, good thing because it's the only broadband we can get. The nearest DSL equipped CO is 8 miles south of me in Ukiah, the "big" town in Mendocino County at 16,000.
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mod_wastrel @ 18th May 12:44AM:
Re: Hardly surprising
My final sentence was a generalization. For all of the previous sentences, I was being generic, meaning it could be true for all phone companies or just one depending on where you live, which for my area is Verizon. The point is, it might be a bad business decision... only time will tell.
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hottboiinnc @ 18th May 12:50AM:
Re: Duh
Cable is cheaper depending on what you order, who your provider is and how long the promotion is for. Which with some providers they'll let you renew that promotion after it expires. Also I don't see Cable any higher than Telco's especially VZ when it comes to Cable. We've already seen them hike their rates several times.
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hottboiinnc @ 18th May 12:54AM:
Re: Duh
ATT requires PPPoE they have it built into the router/modem. But thats only after you install their AT$T Yahoo! Software.
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cdru @ 18th May 01:26AM:
Re: About Time People Realize
I thought it was a hassle replacing my old cheap cable splitter that was good for uni-directional cable with one that was good for bi-directional. It actually took longer as the old splitter had corroded some around the connectors and I had to get out my pliers PLUS I had to unscrew it from the side of my house where it was mounted PLUS I had to detach the ground screw as it was also being used as a grounding block. It was a hassle....not that big of one, but one nonetheless...
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funchords @ 18th May 01:30AM:
Re: About Time People Realize
said by espaeth :
Really?
Yeah. It was 2 weeks from order to live, but the road during those two weeks was quite bumpty indeed. Click on the Verizon DSL review that I left.
Things that haven't changed:
- They don't know what service they're offering to you until they hook it up
- Their repair service operators are not allowed to think for themselves
- The Westell 327W modem they shipped out has a UI that would make Rube Goldberg proud
The Comcast HSI people can run circles around these Verizon clowns (excepting the executive floors of the Comcast tower, of course). It's amazingly difficult to find someone from Verizon with both a pulse and a brain!
--
Robb Topolski -= funchords.com =- Hillsboro, Oregon
HTTP is the new Bandwidth Hog...
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anon @ 18th May 01:49AM:
Re: The good thingg about DSL is.....
Sympatico also has overuse charges and this June they'll (overuse charges) be unlimited. Speed throttling will be a blessing for many people saving them thousands of dollars a month in overuse fees.
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Madness @ 18th May 02:03AM:
Re: Duh
That "not using enough long distance fee" really p'd me off. Verizon waived the, "honor of having their long distance service on my line" fee (w/ VZEncore), but then had the nerve to start charging me $2 (later upped to $4) every month if I made less than those amounts in long distance calls.
So I ported my number to a prepay cellphone, switching my DSL to dryloop & weaseled a contract of them to keep the same $29.95 rate I was paying before w/ the Encore bundle.
As for the DSL itself, I'm satisfied w/ it. Been trouble-free for as long as I can remember. A router maintains the PPPoE so I don't even deal w/ the "logon" anymore. And then I'm not on P2P/Torrents downloading 300GB/month of crappy movies or other garbage so the 3Mb is more than adequate.
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supergirl @ 18th May 02:10AM:
Re: Duh
said by Dogfather :
What do to the telcos think will happen when they charge $7.50 for Caller ID, $1.50 how dare you not want to be in the phone book fee and the awesome you aren't using enough long distance fee.
Caller ID with bell now is $9 by the way. I bet about 50% of customers here in Pensacola have Cox Digital Phone instead of BellSouth. It is literally $20 cheaper than everything with Bell.
Cox only has the 911 charge (which probably goes to the Telco not Cox) and the FCC Connection Charge. Before I left Bellsouth, they had a $.50 hurricane cost recovery fee. A basic line was like $20-25.00 with Bell. Add another $25 and get everything with Cox including tracking all your calls online and even download voicemails. Cox is also digital so sound quality beats the heck out of Bell's analog (especially if the wiring is old as hell like mine was). I paid $37.95 for 3/500 with Bell (6/768 not available) but only $42.95 for 8/500 with Cox (I have the 12/1 now for $56.95). I got 10/500 with 8/500 and get 15-32/1 with the 12/1. I agree PPOEE sucks.
--
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leofe4 @ 18th May 02:54AM:
Welcome back
I am also one of those statistics. I just switched from DSL back to cable internet. I've had DSL for about 4 years now with Verizon in the Houston area. I switched to dry-loop internet after being tired of all those telephone fees, only to pay for close $50/month. I tried a VOIP for my home phone and couldn't even get on it due to the slow speeds. My speeds would drop so low during peak times (1PM to 1AM), that simple web browsing was slow. Several calls to tech support were no help.
Now, Comcast is now offering a $20 a month for first 6 months and around $50 for speeds that I couldn't imagine! I am FREE to roam the internet again!!!
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heat84 @ 18th May 04:35AM:
My only complaint is upload speed
The only problem I have with my DSL is the upload speed. Why is it such an big deal to have upwidth faster than 1 Mbps?
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Shrapnel64 @ 18th May 05:54AM:
Re: Area(s) and ISPs vs Competition
said by myosh
Faster may be better given the state of our economy, price will be a big factor. People may drool at 50 Mbit/s downloads but if it's going to cost $50-75/month, that will scare alot of people away.
Granted, price IS still a factor. However, with dryloop dsl costing $40/month, why not spend a few extra bucks to go with something faster from the cable co (unless your cable co is a monopoly and you hate their guts).
I actually pay $84/month for 5Mbps/2Mbps -- a bit steep, but it is business grade for my Web/Exchange server. Next month my contract expires, in which case I won't renew, since I feel that it is not cost effective to run my own e-mail server for the few people that I do. So, back to savings of $42/month (so, I basically will get 1 month free of residential hsi for every month I paid for business hsi).
However, while price IS a factor in today's society -- those of us who are more "power users" than "users" are going to want FAST regardless of the cost. I can deal without TV service ($75/month) if I can get 15Mbps/15Mbps from Verizon for $70/month. Most of the content available via TV is available on the web (Fox has many of their shows on their web site to watch....Fox is a major channel that I end up watching).
Edit: Formatting Error
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LeftOfSanity @ 18th May 08:04AM:
Re: Like I say to people who bash DSL...
said by JoshC1 :
What the heck is wrong with a 3 meg connection? You need a 15 meg connection for what reason again? To download music? That's a bit overkill, no offense.
You forgot the /s
(I hope) lol
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Voyager2K2 @ 18th May 08:54AM:
Re: Duh
Not a Floridian but I was in FL in Vero Beach in 2004.
I was at my parent's house helping clean-up after Hurricane Francis.
I can tell you the very last utility that was restored after BOTH Francis AND Jeanne (I didn't get out in time) was cable by a long shot.
Think about it. Does cable maintain an adequate full-time infrastructure work force? I am pretty sure most of the Subs that Comcast relied upon were making at least triple what CC was paying them doing clean-up after the storms.
Granted I am sitting here up North with my FIOS triple play which has not been down once in over a year since the install (even during power outages. I have a UPS connected to the ONT so I have yet to need VZ's battery.). But I have been there and done that Supergirl and wonder if you are gonna come crying about how long it took Cox to restore service after the next big one hits you.
Think about it. I hope you have a lot of minutes on your cell phone contract. You will need them.
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prestonlewis @ 18th May 09:10AM:
Re: My only complaint is upload speed
Every telco in different communities have different problems. Where I live (Sacramento) DSL suffers from a lack of infrastructure. A half dozen or so COs to service the entire county of millions, only a fraction of whom live close enough to a CO to get any kind of "broadband" speeds. Promises of more COs or RTs to cover more homes with DSL and increase speeds of existing users have never happened, after literally years of false promises. In my community, cable is the only real choice, unless you are one of the handful of homes close to one of the handful of COs which are not many people to really have a choice.
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BosstonesOwn @ 18th May 10:45AM:
Re: About Time People Realize
said by funchords :said by espaeth :
Really?
Yeah. It was 2 weeks from order to live, but the road during those two weeks was quite bumpty indeed. Click on the Verizon DSL review that I left.
Things that haven't changed:
- They don't know what service they're offering to you until they hook it up
- Their repair service operators are not allowed to think for themselves
- The Westell 327W modem they shipped out has a UI that would make Rube Goldberg proud
The Comcast HSI people can run circles around these Verizon clowns (excepting the executive floors of the Comcast tower, of course). It's amazingly difficult to find someone from Verizon with both a pulse and a brain!
Yeah because comcast tech support is any better.
Last nite I was at a very rich clients home replacing computers. It took 6 calls to comcast to get them to understand that the arris EMTA was having a problem with the data side. The 6th call I got a very good woman , who reset the data side and sent a new configuration file to the modem , all worked. At least with Verizon I don't have to make 6 calls to get a good tech , takes maybe 3, usually 2.
--
"It's always funny until someone gets hurt......and then it's absolutely friggin' hysterical!"
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blips @ 18th May 10:57AM:
Re: Duh
I have never installed AT$T's Yahoo software. I have installed my DSL, my parents & a few of my friends.
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JoshC1 @ 18th May 11:13AM:
Re: Like I say to people who bash DSL...
??? I don't get it =-/
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JoshC1 @ 18th May 11:17AM:
Re: Hardly surprising
You have a point about it being a bad business decision because DSL is still a lucrative broadband option. It may not be as fast as cable or fiber (fiber beats cable/dsl any day), but for those who don't have the availability of cable or fiber (except for a lot of you who are either stuck with wireless or satellite), DSL is the most bang for your buck.
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tmc8080 @ 18th May 12:35PM:
telco price increases
there have been across the board price increases for internet access from the major telcos.. while cable companies have mostly held steady.. and it shows in terms of total subscription additions.
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chd176 @ 18th May 12:47PM:
Re: Like I say to people who bash DSL...
I have 10/768 as well as most of my friends. CenturyTel offers 512/256 (I think) 1.5/256, 3/512, 6/512, and 10/768 and 15/768 where there is fiber. Of course you have to be close enough to the CO or RT to get those speeds. I never have been on cable but if I did have cable available to me then the MAX speed they offer is 768/256 for an amazing $99.99 a month...no thanks. my 10/768 cost $49.99. Like I've said before over and over about DSL vs Cable it's all about location, location, location!
--
10,000/768 CenturyTel PPPoE DSL line (really 5,000/768 ;))
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anon @ 18th May 12:52PM:
New Trend?
This is a bit of shock since Verizon has launched FIOS and AT&T has launched U-Verse(Re-Verse). No doubt-hands down FIOS is ridiculously light years superior to Re-Verse. Why? Because FIOS is mostly an all-fiber to the NID network and Re-Verse is NOT! I am an AT&T(former BellSouth tech), I've worked for over 5 years on DSL and the majority of our trouble issues are due to the antiquated cooper plant. The Re-Verse platform allows for 3,000 ft. copper. I wonder how many people who do know(especially outside techs because WE ARE the ones who know and make it work-contrary to management spewing BS) just laugh at this concept of mixing copper to transmit this high bandwith?
Also AT&T is using the heck out of contractors down here in South Florida. We are continuously going behind them repairing what they should have and at times not repairing due to the aformentioned copper concept. Our customers either put up with multi-technician visits(mostly contractors) or they are just way too fed up and change to cable.
What has ALWAYS separated the phone companies from cable is the customer service the phone companies ONCE DID PROVIDE.
THIS IS A FACT AND IS THE REASON FOR THE BUCKING OF THE TREND THAT HAS LASTED FOR THE LAST 3 YEARS!!! ANYONE THAT SAYS OTHERWISE IS FLAT OUT LYING BECAUSE MANAGEMENT KNOWS THIS!!!
Would enjoy feedback!
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Steve Mehs @ 18th May 12:56PM:
Re: Like I say to people who bash DSL...
That's an awful and disgusting attitude to have. 15Mb is too slow and you’re defending 3Mb? Without demanding more, we'll never get more. How many HOURS would it take to download a few years worth of Microsoft updates on that crappy connection? How many HOURS would it take to download a season of CSI with that crappy connection? With high def video streaming on the horizon, more and more people having home networks, 15MB is barley acceptable in this day and age, and 3Mb, we’ll you might as well just leave the internet.
Questioning my need for more speed is just absurd, not demanding more speed is just plain wrong. DSL is the new dial up, AND DON’T YOU FORGET THAT!
--
Time Warner Cable Subscriber
Digital Cable & Road Runner Turbo
252 Channels, HD DVR & 15/1 Broadband
I Don't Want No Stinkin' Fios!
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MysticGogeta @ 18th May 01:05PM:
Re: About Time People Realize
Customer service sucks everywhere. The best service is the one that hardly goes down, so you don't have to deal with them.
--
Team Discovery-Join the fight
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JoshC1 @ 18th May 01:39PM:
Re: Like I say to people who bash DSL...
Dag gummit if people would just read my posts! I was replying to your need to download music; you never mentioned any of that other stuff. Besides, I wasn't putting down cable and its speeds. You are the one whose bashing DSL. It's great that you can get 15 meg, but what about others who only have one choice? DSL is great for those who don't have a choice or have a crappy cable ISP.
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funchords @ 18th May 02:22PM:
Re: About Time People Realize
said by MysticGogeta :
Customer service sucks everywhere.
I don't agree with this, however...
said by MysticGogeta :
The best service is the one that hardly goes down, so you don't have to deal with them.
...I definitely agree with this.
I've had really good luck with Comcast support -- with the exception of the Sandvine thing which was an exception to the trend. I really do believe that I'm lucky to live in an area where support has been good and has remained good. I understand that many Comcast areas have terrible customer support issues.
The JD Power satisfaction surveys are essentially relevant. I'll accept that "Customer service sucks everywhere" is widely held opinion. I don't share it. But if it helps us to agree somewhat, I'll offer the idea that "some suck less than others."
--
Robb Topolski -= funchords.com =- Hillsboro, Oregon
HTTP is the new Bandwidth Hog...
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ebubman @ 18th May 05:34PM:
Re: Area(s) and ISPs vs Competition
your point about cheaper broadband service is well taken but i'd bet quite heavily that you don't have dsl for $25/mo without the additional cost of the pots line. what say ye? bub
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MysticGogeta @ 18th May 06:16PM:
Re: About Time People Realize
Problem in my area which was the same when I had Time Warner was their severe lack of communication. When I had issues (Disconnects mainly) and they would come out do some work and it happened again and again so I would get another one out here and he would be clueless what the previous tech did.
I wish they would write notes or something to get issues solved faster this is probably costing them money. Luckily the last 7-8 months or so its been great. I rarely see one disconnect a month and its usually for less then an hour.
--
Team Discovery-Join the fight
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Pathfinder @ 18th May 11:10PM:
Re: My only complaint is upload speed
You think DSL is bad. Here is Time Warner in my area.
Road Runner Basic............................................
Speeds up to 1.5 Mbps/256 kbps $ 29.95
Road Runner Standard......................................
Speeds up to 10 Mbps/512 kbps $ 44.95
I'll stick to my 3M/768 for $29.95 thank you,
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jimbo48 @ 19th May 10:25AM:
HSI and DSL
Taking a look at the "distance" charts and what to expect form XDSL makes me cringe. I couldn't maintain my employment if I had ADSL of 768/128 max. or a SDSL of 768/768. Taking the 80% of max as expected actual performance, add on the corporate security needs and I've got about 50% of this MAX throughput. Nothing worse than telling a customer you're on line with to wait while your browser is still pulling down information that should have been there a LOT quicker. Or a n email server that can't download that ppt file the client just sent you. I had 1.5/256 a long time ago and it hasn't improved much in 5 years (at least). I can now get 2.3/300 on a good day and 1.6/256 and lower on the bad days. Even if Cable were heavily congested it would still deliver faster throughputs (up and down)than my available DSL offerings. The bad thing about cable (in my area) is their "don't give a damn" attitude and constant rate hikes for services never delivered. Granted DSL is a good solution(better than Cable) IF you happen to be close enough to the CO, the infrastructure is in good repair and using quality equipment, but not everyone has that luxury. Better technology solutions are slow to come for too many areas of the United States yet are needed (along with a laundry list of other more pressing needs)
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mlohrwork @ 19th May 12:21PM:
Unless Comcast notes the traffic
In our area Verizon ignores the old service DSL for fios. I have both slow business class DSL and Comcast Cable. I usually ftp large>5Meg files via DSL which is roughly twice as fast in the receive mode and nearly equal in the transmit mode (despite the measured 384 to 1 Meg difference short-term). The server has separate ethernet cards and the same software on both sides. Comcast starts out fast and then slows down. The DSL remains at a higher sustained rate with no noticeable slow down. They both work. DSL is clearly the business choice. I like the high burst rates of Comcast for browsing the web.
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myosh @ 19th May 04:22PM:
Re: Area(s) and ISPs vs Competition
said by ebubman :
your point about cheaper broadband service is well taken but i'd bet quite heavily that you don't have dsl for $25/mo without the additional cost of the pots line. what say ye? bub
Of course I have local phone service thru AT&T bub ;).
I've been a PacBell/SBC/AT&T local phone customer for years (even when I had Comcast HSI) so in my mind, the local phone service is not an "additional" cost. My monthly bill from AT&T for local phone and DSL is roughly $45-50.
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