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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..
tkdslr
join:2004-04-24
Pompano Beach, FL

tkdslr

Member

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.

reality_in_m
@airadvantage.net

reality_in_m to 78204168

Anon

to 78204168
All 'both' of my local providers have a 5gb cap with relatively high prices. I would be elated with "only" 30gb. But, due to network congestion, we could never really reach the 5gb cap. Barely hitting 1.2mb during off-peak and nearly as fast as dial-up during peak.

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.

wizkid6
join:2002-03-31
Opelika, AL

wizkid6

Member

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.

Rangersfan
@sbcglobal.net

Rangersfan to reepicheaper

Anon

to reepicheaper
said by reepicheaper :

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

Your statement is not correct.
BiggA
Premium Member
join:2005-11-23
Central CT
·Frontier FiberOp..
Asus RT-AC68

BiggA to reepicheaper

Premium Member

to reepicheaper
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...
rradina
join:2000-08-08
Chesterfield, MO

rradina

Member

Re: Can't do it.

It's April fools day and that's a good one...
CplEstesUSMC
join:2005-02-16
Douglasville, GA

CplEstesUSMC to reepicheaper

Member

to reepicheaper
reepicheaper: "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."

IPTV is IPv4 Multicast and Internet is Unicast with the exception of RFC 1918. Very Easy to separate with any old stateless ACL
BiggA
Premium Member
join:2005-11-23
Central CT

BiggA

Premium Member

Re: Can't do it.

It *should* be easy to do. Remember who we're dealing with here.

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.
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.
silbaco
Premium Member
join:2009-08-03
USA

silbaco

Premium Member

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.
Gdadkins
join:2009-05-11
Mantachie, MS

Gdadkins to bluedyedvd

Member

to bluedyedvd
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.

Forsaken77
@optonline.net

Forsaken77

Anon

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

That's insane pricing. I pay $30/month and I get a 50/5Mbps connection. It's getting to the point that when you move to a new house or apartment that you have to ask if internet is offered there, along with property taxes and the quality of the schools. Internet is not a luxury anymore, its fast becoming a necessity.

Twaddle
@sbcglobal.net

Twaddle

Anon

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

I researched that very topic before buying a retirement home. Saw beautiful homes at good prices but NO INTERNET services, spotty or no cell phone service so passed on them. The Internet is a utility that more and more people use to gauge desirability. If a private company won't offer the internet at reasonable prices maybe just maybe a city/state offering s/b considered. I pay for water and garbage to a city so why not Internet?
Jillxz
join:2009-02-18
Cochran, GA

Jillxz to Forsaken77

Member

to Forsaken77
Nope. We don't have a choice in my area . Both providers that we do have , cap data at 120 GB for one provider and 150 GB for the other one. ZERO providers wih no data caps
cubguy
join:2010-07-09
Lawrenceville, GA

cubguy to Gdadkins

Member

to Gdadkins
said by Gdadkins:

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.

We are one county below you and only in Amory and Aberdeen do they have any cable that offers highspeed broadband. Smithville has it via DSL and we have it a few places out in the central county but AT&T has chosen to "overload" a DSLAM here and the service fluctuates on a daily basis. A smart more for them would be to break a line somewhere and roll some of the current customers onto a new DSLAM somewhere where everyone would be equally service with quality service. This far out...Cable isn't even an option.
maubs
join:2010-02-26
Farmington, IL

1 edit

maubs to bluedyedvd

Member

to bluedyedvd
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.
BiggA
Premium Member
join:2005-11-23
Central CT
·Frontier FiberOp..
Asus RT-AC68

BiggA

Premium Member

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.

buddahbless
join:2005-03-21
Premium

buddahbless to bluedyedvd

Member

to bluedyedvd
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.
TBBroadband
join:2012-10-26
Fremont, OH

TBBroadband

Member

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

Actually you do have options for DSL. It's just only up to 6megs. And chances are its from MegaPath/Covad/Speakeasy, DSLX or some other reseller/wholesaler.
JAQUEBAUER
join:2007-09-20
Fort Lauderdale, FL

JAQUEBAUER to bluedyedvd

Member

to bluedyedvd
Not true
cramer
Premium Member
join:2007-04-10
Raleigh, NC
Westell 6100
Cisco PIX 501

cramer to bluedyedvd

Premium Member

to bluedyedvd
If I were drinking Dew, it'd be dripping out of my nose right now. This isn't 1999. 99% of 3rd party DSL providers were pushed out of the market by the local "we own the wire" telcos -- the ones from whom you say have to allow access. When a UNE costs $60/mo, you cannot compete with the telco provided service at $40/mo. Sure, on paper they're required to sell lines, but the costs will not be competitive -- and as Covad has proven all over the country, the local telco does screw with their lines and drag their feet fixing *any* issue. (I've been a Covad customer [read: reseller], and had to deal with this stupid crap personally.)

Like the dialup days of old, the days of anyone being as ISP ended long ago. The local telco doesn't want any competition, and has complete authority to prevent it.
slopoke
join:2012-05-20
London, OH

slopoke to bluedyedvd

Member

to bluedyedvd
We have no choice cause no one wants to share out here.
Jillxz
join:2009-02-18
Cochran, GA

Jillxz to bluedyedvd

Member

to bluedyedvd
We don't have any uncapped data provders in my area. We have no choice here. Not everyone lives in the suburbs of a large metropolitan area

We have two choices here. AT&T DSL or ComSouth cable with DSL or Fiber optic cable depending on where you live. Both have data caps.

AT&T is capped at 150 GB for Extreme DSL 6.0 $48.00 Monthly or ComSouth capped at 120 GB for 10Mbps $49.95 monthly.
BiggA
Premium Member
join:2005-11-23
Central CT

BiggA to bluedyedvd

Premium Member

to bluedyedvd
Luckily CT was smart and way back in the day even before broadband and did 100% cable buildouts by franchise agreement. And I have no bandwidth cap (for now anyways). I'll probably do 300+GB this month.
davidhoffman
Premium Member
join:2009-11-19
Warner Robins, GA

davidhoffman

Premium Member

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

Wow! Am I understanding your statement correctly? All of CT residences are capable of an easy connection to hybrid fiber coaxial cable HSI with just a regular service call, as long as they are connected to the regular electricity grid. Even if they are also required to be in a regular POTS service area that would be amazing. I must be missing something.
BiggA
Premium Member
join:2005-11-23
Central CT
·Frontier FiberOp..
Asus RT-AC68

BiggA

Premium Member

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

AFAIK, everyone in CT is provided cable to the edge of their property, so the only time they would have to build out is if they have a ridiculous driveway, and every case I've ever heard puts that being done at the MSO's expense, I'm not sure how much the cost is. I'm sure there are exceptions, like islands, but in general, that's the case. The franchises were done by town, and to do that town meant that town, not some parts of it. There might be some requirement like X houses per cable mile, but in CT, that would effectively be the same as EVERYWHERE, as we have a high density overall. HFC is just a given here. TVC, a local overbuilder is also 100% overbuilt, I don't know how that works for MDU's, but at least in the complex I'm in, we can get either, and AFAIK, it is DPUC mandated to offer the tenants either. That, and every system has PEG channels, DPUC mandated that the cable provider charge and pay for, and allocate access at the same level as other channels.

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.
elray
join:2000-12-16
Santa Monica, CA

elray

Member

No meaningful congestion?

Karl, you might want to scrutinize your sources.
Automate
join:2001-06-26
Atlanta, GA

Automate

Member

Re: No meaningful congestion?

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

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.
elray
join:2000-12-16
Santa Monica, CA

elray

Member

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.

buzz_4_20
join:2003-09-20
Dover, NH

buzz_4_20 to The Limit

Member

to The Limit
As do I. That is exactly the product I have now.

But most companies don't want to be the dumb pipe...

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.

Metatron2008
You're it
Premium Member
join:2008-09-02
united state

Metatron2008

Premium Member

Re: Cap usage monitoring

And you think at&t will care because..?

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

rolande

MVM,

Re: Cap usage monitoring

False advertising is false advertising. That is what the Federal Trade Commission is for. It is the same idea as a gas station adjusting their regulators to deliver less gas than what you are paying for, except that that market is highly regulated with much greater oversight. AT&T will be forced to care, though, when the FTC gets involved for a false advertising claim.

If you do or say nothing, then nothing will ever change. While I am not naive, as to how things work, I still believe in the system and the power of the consumer. AT&T is using strong-arm economic tactics to get customers off their legacy services. They know they will shoot themselves in the foot if they try to put caps on U-verse, for now. It will be nice when investor pressure pushes these carriers to expand their footprints to start creating real competition on the last mile. The problem is they still have too much room for growth in their existing footprints. So they will continue to compete on bundling services rather than truly going head to head for individual services and we will continue to see ridiculous prices and caps relative to the rest of the world.
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...

••••••
JAQUEBAUER
join:2007-09-20
Fort Lauderdale, FL

JAQUEBAUER

Member

ATT/Bellsouth DSL in zip 33332

As a ATT/Bellsouth DSL Xtreme customer for over 10 years, I find the service has been very reliable up until the start of 2013. Aperodic disconnects are the norm, along with very slow ( 50K) dnload speeds when using a torrent client (utorrent) I believe I am being throttled, as I often exceed their bandwidth caps and are fined practically every month. Last week, ATT ended my email access, and was forced to change both DSL account log in and email passwords, which had been the same for 10 years. ATT made this change Overnight without notifying me, and so 2 hours were wasted on the phone with a offshore tech troubleshooting. This aint your Fathers Bell System--ATT seems to be run by Monkees today. Uverse ? I live 2 miles from where it is available, but will never see it. Competition ? Thats a fallacy today, if one lives "at the end of the wire" Comcast is joke, with old coaxial cable and noisy repeaters, I fired them long ago. So for me its either Satellite via Hughes net, ATT with data caps and throttling, or nothing. The PSC should have oversight over DSL, but thats not in the cards. Besides, most commission members are sleeping with ATT anyway. A Class Action Lawsuit is needed to force ATT to play fair, yet the contract they hold customers hostage to prevents customers from lawsuits-holding customers to "arbitration." Thats a joke too. The US is behind the free world in DSL bandwidth, and today Internet access is like a utility-like water and sewer, yet we are at the mercy of crooked providers like ATT.

WHT
join:2010-03-26
Rosston, TX

WHT

Member

AT&T DSL Rebranded as uVerse

In Oklahoma at least, AT&T sells single pair DSL as uVerse.

So (tongue in cheek speaking), will AT&T cap only the single pair uVerse users?

•••••

buzz_4_20
join:2003-09-20
Dover, NH
(Software) Sophos UTM Home Edition
Ruckus R310

buzz_4_20

Member

What are these Caps People Keep Talking about?

I'm not sure how they have it setup but doesn't all the bandwidth come from the CO. U-Verse and DSL have the same connection to the internet at the Cable Plant?
Seems like stockholder ball washing to me.


KrK
Heavy Artillery For The Little Guy
Premium Member
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK

KrK

Premium Member

Because they can?

Lack of a competitive market. Enough said, really.

Lagz
Premium Member
join:2000-09-03
The Rock

Lagz

Premium Member

what the fuck is a fauxcademic?

what the fuck is a fauxcademic?

DWN2DV8
@bhn.net

DWN2DV8

Anon

Because they are ditching DSL

Interesting to bump into this article.
According to the AT&T tech who came to my condo yesterday to do line testing to verify 12down/1.5up, and happily said I should be really close to those numbers over one pair of copper. %0/mo buys Brighthouse at 10 down, 1 up. AT&T is gonna charge me $51 out the door, no contract. So we shall see. Will post results.
His reasoning was that the new 'u-verse' branded modems simply used better error correction and different xmit/rx freqs. if i wanted TV i would need bonded pairs (your house came capable of at least two lines, most likely).
DWN2DV8

DWN2DV8

Anon

Just got U-Verse Internet, have had DSL for three years


8:50PM, 04APR2013, Orlando FL
While on the phone to disconnect my DSL (was going to switch to BrightHouse), the guy sold me on 12dn/1.5up for $51/mo no contract. I bit. I literally just set up the new modem and came here to speed test.
But while on phone with ATT guy, he mentioned that they are trying to phase out the older DSL because it cannot accomplish speeds that the newer equipment can.
On U-Verse I just now got 7.6down, 1.3 up. Faster than brighthouse. And on par with pricing. Using single pair, no bonding. They offer it though.
DWN2DV8

DWN2DV8

Anon

AT&T jacking up prices?? Not in Orlando.

I have not seen any of that happening. In fact, I just went to cancel them in favor of BrightHouse (they offer 10dn/1up for around 52/mo with phone). My HOA provides basic cable and I dont want any hassle. I also recently got in to video editing/uploading for some clients so upload speed became a thing, which is why I was ditching DSL (5dn/468k up). On the U-Verse (just internet, no TV for $51/mo), I literally JUST hooked up the new modem - which took all of about 5 minutes including initialization and account setup - got 7.6m down, 1.3m up!
Happy? Yeah.
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