Embarq Customers Learning About CenturyTel > Embarq broadband prices may be going up.

reply to dsldude08

Re: Embarq broadband prices may be going up.

Mr Matt , I'm slightly confused by what you are saying here...prices vary everywhere, from milk to cereal to gasoline to prices for services. I don't see how you are coming up with the statement that CenturyTel forces you to pay for 1.5 when you cannot attain that speed?

Every customer that can get DSL has a minimum of two options:

256 or 1.5 (up to 18,000ft; higher speeds available in many locations but those are minimal if DSL is available; 79% of access lines served by CenturyTel are DSL capable)

256 or 512 (up to 23,000ft)

DSL is quite limited by many factors, including distance, cable type, and equipment serving the location. So, we have minimum speeds that we have set for each tier that a customer should be getting, and if they are not getting that speed, then we fix the issue.

I was not correct when I used the term forces, a LEC cannot force a customer to do anything. What a LEC can do is to charge a customer for a high speed connection even though the LEC cannot deliver the advertised speed to the customer. If the LEC can only attain a lower download speed to the customer, the customer should have a choice of a lower price tier that is still considered broadband. It has been stated in DSL Reports that a 256Kbps download speed is no longer considered broadband. Apparently 756Kbps is the lowest download speed to be considered broadband.

All LEC's should offer a 756Kbps download speed at a reasonable price, like Embarq's $19.95 monthly price, in the event that the customer determines that speed is acceptable and the carrier cannot deliver a download speed at the next advertised tier. The customers other option would be to pay for a higher price tier even though the LEC cannot attain the advertised download speed. The customer can use this option when they find that the download speed they obtain, is needed, even if the download speed is lower than the advertised speed but higher than the next lower tier.

I believe one of the reasons that the CATV industry is cleaning the Local Exchange Carriers clocks is the LEC's broadband pricing. Customers have finally realized that they are being over charged by Local Exchange Carriers for broadband service that delivers less the advertised download speed. If customer can, they will go to a service provider that can deliver the advertised speed even if the monthly cost is higher.