Choosing a new internet provider.
So when it comes to choosing an alternative to Comcast, the choice is a little more limited. Because of my internet troubles I have now chosen a new internet provider. AT&T DSL.
Well, I really only have 2 options for internet service- Comcast and AT&T. So when one service provider pisses me off, I have little choice. BUT it isn’t all that bad.
Comcast HSI provides me a 6Mbps download and a 1 Mbps upload speed. With powerboost, this can sometimes “feel” a lot faster – but only if you have a powerboost compatible modem. Until I replaced my modem a few weeks ago (Thanks to some crummy advice from Comcast), I did not. Now powerboost looks great on Speakeasy.com/speedtest, but I am not sure how valuable it really is. For those of you who do not know what powerboost is, it is basically the ability to download files at a super fast rate for the first few megabytes of the file – after which the file will download at the regular 6mbps.
DSL does not have powerboost, but it does have an equivalent 6mbps download, and 1mbps upload. Indeed, this is the maximum for my area, but in many places (Fresno included diatoid), there is a 10Mb per second service available – which is faster than what Comcast currently offers.
The 6Mb service is $35 per month, if you also have a phone line. With no phone line it is $45 per month – or $40 if you tie it in with your AT&T wireless plan. AT&T also offer a $150 rebate for switching from cable, so long as you sign up for the phone service as well. There are also other rebates available if you sweet talk the AT&T rep with your english accent. However the rebates are only available if you order a phone line, which you must keep for 30 days.
So what I did was order the most basic phone line money can buy ($11 with taxes and fees), I talked the rep up to $200 in rebates, and will cancel the phone line after I have received them taking my service cost to be $40 per month (I am also a AT&T Wireless subscriber). If you count the rebates, I amortize out a years internet service to cost me $24 per month!
Basically, the same service (not counting powerboost) for half the price. I will be testing the speed of the internet when it is installed on Tuesday, and will report on how it compares. I hope it will be more than adequate for me.
Btw, if you go for the 6Mbps service, you also get a free subscription to AT&T Wifi. This is what is at all the Starbucks now as well as many airports. So if my internet does go out at home, I will only be left paying for the coffee, the bits will be free. 🙂
Kevin singh Said,
September 4, 2008 @ 12:11 pm
AT&T is total BULL. When i got the service 2 years ago I got the basic 1.5mbps down though they said the 6mps is avaliable if I want it, but I went with 1.5.
and for the past 8 months my downstream has been degrading. it is now down to 768K down(the minimum ammount they gurantee).
So I called them and they said they are not capping it, and that its my line and im too far from the node. They also said the 6mpbs isn’t avaliable where i live(middle of clovis). But they cant explain why the 6mbps was avaliable 2 years ago when it cost more, but now its not.
So I asked them What i can do they basically gave me the finger.