Review by dmark 
UPDATED: 2.3 years ago
member for 7.9 years, 42 visits, last login: 67 days ago
 Yakima,Yakima,WA
 $44 per month
 about 20 days
 "reliable, user configurable account, fast enough"
 "increasingly difficult to get a live tech support person on the phone, expensive"
 "offers fastest service where Qwest won't upgrade their lines in Yakima"
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(ratings match consensus)
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Charter offers the fastest download service throughout Yakima, especially in locations where Qwest won't improve their lines for their top-tier dsl service. I've had their service for 4 1/2 years, after a couple years of generally spotty and crummy wireless broadband, and because Qwest had not offered dsl in the area. In that length of time, there have been maybe not more than ten times of systemwide outages lasting for any length of time.
The regular monthly cost is about $50.00, but is about $10.00 less if bundled with tv. Charter seems to offer lower-priced promotions frequently, and, if not, you can usually bargain for a promotion when checking on signing-up. Charter doesn't require a minimum subscription length, and you can use your own modem. You do not need anything installed on your system at the time of service installation, and they will usually back-off when the tech attempts to load the usual cd of crap during initial installation.
Charter's TOS allows a maximum of 5 computers accessing the service at one time on a home account, but they don't seem to monitor that; in fact a tech implied that they never check anyways. Even though assignment of ip addresses is technically dynamic, you can count on having the same ip address until you disconnect from the grid for a couple of days or longer. Their usenet service provider (Highwinds) is okay, nothing spectacular, and two connections are allowed at a time, but speeds seem to be throttled. Large consumers of usenet may want an alternative service.
Tech support is available 24/7 on the phone via a toll-free number. But getting a live person is a hassle because you have to navigate a gauntlet of voice prompts before getting in the queue. The tech support crew seems more competent than the account support crew.
Charter made a name for itself in the net underground a couple of years ago by not rolling over when the RIAA came-a' calling, although there has not been much, if any, press on their current corporate stance protecting the identities of the assigned ip addresses. Protecting the privacy of their users, plus not forcing the emerging industry standard of 1 to 2 year service agreements, is worth giving Charter a look.
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Charter Pipeline
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