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Comments on news posted 2013-04-02 08:22:05: Back in May of 2011 we were the first to exclusively report that AT&T would be imposing usage caps on the company's DSL and U-Verse users. ..

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78204168 (banned)
join:2013-02-28

78204168 (banned)

Member

Network congestion study..

I'd like to hear what if any network capacity study there may be on the wireless carriers networks as well. As a Verizon HomeFusion customer, I'm only allowed an extremely low data cap of 30GB of month and $10 per 1GB over. Every damn bill I've received since signing up on January has been $200 or more a month.

I live out in the sticks.. I can't afford to move somewhere else to get a wireline internet connection. I've already tried both satellite internet providers and they price gouge as well for having a broadband connection with an extremely low data cap.

It's pretty sad that my internet connection costs more than any utility bill I receive each month..

reepicheaper
@sbcglobal.net

reepicheaper

Anon

Can't do it.

It's technical. The bandwidth meters can't differentiate between internet and IPTV traffic. This is why the meter is being applied to IPDSL, but none of the Uverse types that carry video.

djrobx
Premium Member
join:2000-05-31
Reno, NV

djrobx

Premium Member

Time Warner?

...so they're laying off U-Verse caps for marketing reasons.

This could be the result of Time Warner not capping their service. These two companies seem to do things in lockstep (see Beaumont metered billing trials). I suspect that when TWC's Britt announced that Time Warner would continue offering unlimited plans to customers who want it, AT&T put this on the back-burner.

Either that, or AT&T is just incompetent, and they haven't been able to due this due to technical snags.
tkdslr
join:2004-04-24
Pompano Beach, FL

tkdslr to 78204168

Member

to 78204168

Re: Network congestion study..

A couple of items to reduce bandwidth usage and save some big bucks..

Start watching your PC usage by watching the appropriate "local area connection status" page(windows).. (mine is USB hardwired and separate from the rest of my local network, so it's fairly accurate).

Stop using IE..
Install the latest Firefox browser... Then install the following firefox add-ons ..

"No script", "Flash Block" and "Ad block plus" so you can control who and what your PC is down loading when you visit a web page.

Nearly every web page has ton's of useless crap added to them. Sometimes you have to experiment enabling various site specific(no script) websites to view content, but it keeps the bandwidth usage down.

Keep your Inet video usage down to less than 10 hours a month.

Reward, I routinely use less than my 5GB of my monthly 4G allotment(after that it's 60kb/s 2G time).. (Note: I keep my vid usage down to a couple of hours a month.)

I cut the At&t cord a year ago, saved >70$ month and never looked back.
bluedyedvd
join:2007-04-15
Overland Park, KS

bluedyedvd

Member

dsl users have a choice on what dsl provider they use.

dsl customers have a choice of what provider they use unlike cable the telco still have to share there lines, so just go with a uncapped service.

wizkid6
join:2002-03-31
Opelika, AL

wizkid6 to reepicheaper

Member

to reepicheaper

Re: Can't do it.

said by reepicheaper :

This is why the meter is being applied to IPDSL, but none of the Uverse types that carry video.

Wrong about IPDSL. It is also not being applied to IPDSL customers, which is probably the majority of 'U-verse' customers, myself included.
silbaco
Premium Member
join:2009-08-03
USA

silbaco to bluedyedvd

Premium Member

to bluedyedvd

Re: dsl users have a choice on what dsl provider they use.

If you are lucky enough to live in an area where there is a CLEC. Many of those areas already have U-Verse.

CAST SUCKS
@comcastbusiness.net

CAST SUCKS

Anon

if not for comcast poor cable tv I may as well dump ATT

if not for comcast poor cable tv I may as well dump ATT

Directv has better DRV better MRV better guide and better channel mapping.

Also lower mirroring costs.
Gdadkins
join:2009-05-11
Mantachie, MS

Gdadkins to bluedyedvd

Member

to bluedyedvd

Re: dsl users have a choice on what dsl provider they use.

They may have to share the lines, but that doesn't mean they have to share the lines at a cost effective price to another provider. I essentially have a private telco that is in this county (all surrounding areas are pretty much AT&T) and I have NO other choice in broadband in the form of other DSL providers OR cable. Although Comcast does do TV in my area, they will not do internet service in our county for whatever reason. The country directly west of us however, Comcast does deploy internet and VOIP services there.

So I'm still stuck on my $49.95 4.5 Mbps DSL that is required to be bundled with phone service, so I'm out roughly $75 a month.
elray
join:2000-12-16
Santa Monica, CA

elray

Member

No meaningful congestion?

Karl, you might want to scrutinize your sources.
maubs
join:2010-02-26
Farmington, IL

1 edit

maubs to bluedyedvd

Member

to bluedyedvd

Re: dsl users have a choice on what dsl provider they use.

No, I don't really have a choice. Only other option is DSL Extreme, and AT&T tells them my line is only capable of 3mbps when I'm getting 6 (well, 5) from them. Ugh.
No cable, Satellite/wireless are not a viable alternatives. I"m getting hit each and every month for overages with a 150GB cap. As a cord cutter, this is just gouging, when we're hundreds of miles from U-Verse territory as well.

Received 4/2. Seriously, AT&T, you need to charge me more!?

Dear AT&T High Speed Internet Service Customer,

We previously notified you that you exceeded your AT&T High Speed Internet data plan and were provided an additional 50 GB data pack for $10.

You have reached 75% (or 37.5 GB) of your additional 50 GB data pack for the current billing period.*

If you exceed this additional 50 GB data pack, we will provide you with another 50 GB of data for $10. You'll be charged $10 for every incremental 50 GB of data provided to you beyond your 150 GB plan.

Please visit att.com/internet-usage to review our helpful FAQs, view your personalized usage report**, and take advantage of our data calculator.

Thank you for choosing AT&T.

Sincerely,

Your AT&T High Speed Internet Customer Care Team

Please do not reply to this email. This address is automated, unattended and cannot help with questions or requests.

*As of 03/31/2013.

**On average, usage information will be reflected on the website within 1-4 days.

FifthE1ement
Tech Nut
join:2005-03-16
Fort Lauderdale, FL

FifthE1ement

Member

Comcast is looking pretty good standing next to ATT, lol!

It's really hard to bash Comcast when I'm getting 55MB/down and 11MB/up for only $70 a month! That is faster than most businesses and schools! Also currently I have no cap (Comcast stopped enforcing them) for now and it's awesome! Comcast may be overcharging for TV but for Internet I think they are under the average by quite a lot in my area. For the money the fastest you can get it DSL 6.0 from ATT (old Bellsouth area). Comcast blows that away!
en103
join:2011-05-02

en103

Member

AT&T doesn't care??

Well, corporations don't 'care' in the traditional meaning.
But, AT&T does care, in the financial / corporate meaning.
The difference between Uverse/DSL is mostly because AT&T wants to shed itself of POTS/DSL (and its regulations) for Uverse / Wireless.

The Limit
Premium Member
join:2007-09-25
Denver, CO

The Limit

Premium Member

What I would like to see...

...is a provider who actually cares about the customer, and is only in the business of providing a pipe for a reasonable cost. I'm not asking for free. In fact, just for future reference, I don't torrent hardly at all anymore. If I do torrent, it's mainly for the odd song that I can't find on iTunes. For the most part, just about all of my content has been bought by me thanks to Steam, redbox etc. I don't watch much TV, and I don't miss it to be honest.

I just want a pipe, unhindered by the provider, and not given all-access to Big Brother. I am not in the business of sacrificing my privacy for the marginal "safety" in return.

I think government regulation is needed, unfortunately, and that's not something that I type lightly. However, I know that will not come to pass in my lifetime, and if it does, great. If not, then it wouldn't come as a surprise to me.
en103
join:2011-05-02

en103 to FifthE1ement

Member

to FifthE1ement

Re: Comcast is looking pretty good standing next to ATT, lol!

While many don't 'need' 55/11Mbps, what many would like is typically lower cost. If I could pay $30/month for 6Mbps, I might take it over 55/11, as I really don't get much more out of it (at least currently).

Problem is that AT&T wouldn't give 6Mbps for $30/month w/o expensive POTS.

rolande
Certifiable
MVM,
join:2002-05-24
Dallas, TX
ARRIS BGW210-700
Cisco Meraki MR42

rolande

MVM,

Cap usage monitoring

If and when they do decide to enforce caps on U-verse, I can't wait to see how they calculate line usage. I have my set top boxes isolated from the rest of my network and have my own SNMP monitor on my egress router aggregating total usage per day and month. You can bet I will be holding them accountable and will be the first to post discrepancies here.
Automate
join:2001-06-26
Atlanta, GA

Automate to elray

Member

to elray

Re: No meaningful congestion?

Yes, that internet slowdown in the evening is just your imagination.[/sarcasm]

LightS
Premium Member
join:2005-12-17
Greenville, TX

LightS to FifthE1ement

Premium Member

to FifthE1ement

Re: Comcast is looking pretty good standing next to ATT, lol!

You really can't compare your cable connection to business and school connections based purely on speed. Business accounts have higher levels of support, better routing, and not to mention priority QoS so that they don't slow down during prime times.

As far as it goes for Comcast, yeah, if I could get those speeds for that price I'd do it lol. I've got 30/2 for $54/mo. and it's horrible.

buddahbless
join:2005-03-21
Premium

buddahbless to bluedyedvd

Member

to bluedyedvd

Re: dsl users have a choice on what dsl provider they use.

said by bluedyedvd:

dsl customers have a choice of what provider they use unlike cable the telco still have to share there lines, so just go with a uncapped service.

As another member has pointed out just because they have to share the lines does not mean it has to be at a fair or even reasonable price. For that reason ATT in my area ( far burbs of Chicago IL) has no competition from any company offering DSL over there lines. Not to mention that since Comcast decided to unobserved the area ATT is the only game in town.

Despite what many out here were told ATT years ago decided to not upgrade our area to U-verse, I/we were told by top end techs and department managers U-verse was coming in 2008-9. Now in 2013 I'm Still waiting and no Uverse why because ATT has a monopoly on the area. No competition means no reason to dump the cap or even upgrade our area to Uverse no matter how much we all ask for it.

If some company was to offer a type of MVDDS system out here( similar to OMG fast in miami ), see how quick ATT would up grade this area to U-verse to compete and never even mention a cap again.

Rangersfan
@sbcglobal.net

Rangersfan to reepicheaper

Anon

to reepicheaper

Re: Can't do it.

said by reepicheaper :

It's technical. The bandwidth meters can't differentiate between internet and IPTV traffic.

Your statement is not correct.
firedrakes
join:2009-01-29
Arcadia, FL

firedrakes

Member

same also with

century link and their prism. i know h have went over the 250gb cap more then once with prism also running

whamel
Premium Member
join:2002-05-09
Evergreen Park, IL
·AT&T FTTP

whamel

Premium Member

I feel bad for you all...


FREE Comcast Speed Upgrade
I get this with HD DVR TV service through Comcast for 70/month.
BUT I do empathize with U-VERSE and DSL. My Mom has U-Verse and pays over $400/month for 24Mbps internet but she does have the best TV package, the U450 I believe...
BiggA
Premium Member
join:2005-11-23
Central CT
·Frontier FiberOp..
Asus RT-AC68

BiggA to reepicheaper

Premium Member

to reepicheaper

Re: Can't do it.

It can be, they just haven't figure out how to do it yet. Typical for the company of idiots like the AT&T wireline side.

When will they realize that they need to run GPON fiber? And offer unlimited 1gbps connections? They would wipe cable out by offering what Google offers... 1gbps for $70...
BiggA

BiggA to maubs

Premium Member

to maubs

Re: dsl users have a choice on what dsl provider they use.

They only provision to the tier that you can actually fully receive, which sucks for the few like you who are out in the sticks. Here, it doesn't matter, as we have 100% cable coverage by franchise agreement, so anyone who knows their stuff is using cable.
elray
join:2000-12-16
Santa Monica, CA

elray to The Limit

Member

to The Limit

Re: What I would like to see...

said by The Limit:

...is a provider who actually cares about the customer, and is only in the business of providing a pipe for a reasonable cost. I'm not asking for free.
...

I just want a pipe, unhindered by the provider, and not given all-access to Big Brother. I am not in the business of sacrificing my privacy for the marginal "safety" in return.

I think government regulation is needed, unfortunately, and that's not something that I type lightly. However, I know that will not come to pass in my lifetime, and if it does, great. If not, then it wouldn't come as a surprise to me.

In my lifetime, deregulated markets have served us remarkably better than those regulated or operated by government.

AT&T/Pacific Bell and Verizon/GTE services were extremely costly and patently awful under regulation. With partial and/or full deregulation, the cost has come way down, even before adjusting for inflation, and the competition, while limited, provides a way out, where one was previously just stuck.

The big pipes will come, when they can be laid at a price point that the majority will pay. Government intervention will only increase the cost.
rradina
join:2000-08-08
Chesterfield, MO

rradina to BiggA

Member

to BiggA

Re: Can't do it.

It's April fools day and that's a good one...

Jim 1234
@sbcglobal.net

Jim 1234 to en103

Anon

to en103

Re: Comcast is looking pretty good standing next to ATT, lol!

If you can get Verizon FIOS that is the way to go. I got 15/5 Mb connection for $30/month with no cap.
JAQUEBAUER
join:2007-09-20
Fort Lauderdale, FL

JAQUEBAUER to bluedyedvd

Member

to bluedyedvd

Re: dsl users have a choice on what dsl provider they use.

Not true
JAQUEBAUER

JAQUEBAUER to whamel

Member

to whamel

Re: I feel bad for you all...

I would like to have specifics on your Comcast plan--is this a one year lowball price ? basic TV or bundled service ? Thanx.

whamel
Premium Member
join:2002-05-09
Evergreen Park, IL

whamel

Premium Member

One year low ball...but every time that expiration date comes, i call and "cancel" more so threaten to cancel, and they extend my contract pricing. Has worked 5 years in a row.
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