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Ledgem
join:2011-09-30

Ledgem

Member

[billing] Outrageous bill and hidden fees; switch to DSL Extreme

Hi everyone,

I received my first bill from Verizon today. I'm signed up for the $29.99 "high speed internet enhanced" plan, along with the cheapest phone plan that they offered (no more than $9 per month; wish I didn't need it at all). As the first bill, I expected to be surprised by a large amount. But I wasn't just surprised, I was shocked.

$152. That's how much the bill is.

Huge costs involved are derived from the phone line. There was apparently a $40 fee to get the dial tone line set up, and on top of my phone plan, there's apparently a $7.45 monthly charge to simply have the line.

But it doesn't end there. Because of the phone line, there's a bunch of other taxes and fees that get thrown in, to the sum of $17.96. So, while I initially signed up for a $29.99 internet plan with a mandatory $8.87 phone plan, I'm actually paying $64 per month. That's more than double what I was trying to sign up for! This is total garbage, especially considering the speeds I'm getting (1.79 mbps down). Are the rest of you putting up with something similar?

I've read of a number of Verizon users switching to DSL Extreme and being quite happy. Based on what I've read, DSL Extreme can convert the line to dry loop DSL. So I wanted some feedback (and may solicit the DSL Extreme forum if nobody replies to it here). Does DSL Extreme have any major hidden fees in their service? Also, I'm on a month-to-month plan with Verizon, so technically there shouldn't be a penalty for switching services so early, but has anyone else cancelled with Verizon within two months of starting service? Does Verizon give you trouble over that? If they want their crappy modem back, I'd be happy to send it - I'm using one from my former DSL provider...

Thanks for reading, and if you offer up any, thanks for the advice.

DC DSL
There's a reason I'm Command.
Premium Member
join:2000-07-30
Washington, DC
Actiontec GT784WN

DC DSL

Premium Member

Re: [billing] Outrageous bill and hidden fees; switch to DSL Ext

There is a "Universal Service Fund" charge for every phone line that is required by the government, plus state/local taxes. All wireline and wireless phone service providers tack on a bunch of bogus "because we can" charges. My $54.99 Freedom Essentials+7-15mbps DSL bundle comes to about $75.00 all told (but I also have the optional wire maintenance and distinctive ring bumping it up about $11.) I think if you had gotten a contract bundle you could have avoided an activation fee.

The only thing to worry about with a third-party provider is if something goes wrong with the wire itself. The infrastructure belongs to Verizon and everyone is at their mercy when it comes to fixing problems. People with VZ voice service have a little more clout and recourse since voice is still regulated in most places; dry loop and third-parties have only their contracts for remedy.

bohratom
My Jersey Giants finally winning again..
join:2011-07-07
Red Bank NJ

bohratom to Ledgem

Member

to Ledgem
That is typical for the taxes on a voice line. I use to have Verizon voice service and my taxes on that were around $15.00/month for a single phone line. I switched to FIOS and digital voice and save around $12/mo on taxes. Too bad FIOS is not available in your area.

You can blame the FCC for those outrageous taxes on voice lines.
Ledgem
join:2011-09-30

Ledgem

Member

I give Verizon the full blame here. I mean, the FCC's fees are terrible, but look - don't most DSL providers today allow you to just have a "naked DSL" line? Windstream (my former ISP) did, and my understanding is that Verizon did, too - from 2004 to around 2009 or 2010. Why on earth would they change that?

If I really needed that phone line then I'd complain about the fees, but I don't even need the phone. Hell, I don't even own a wired phone! I was already miffed at having to pay $8 per month for something that I'll never use; that there's a ton of other fees associated with that line just makes it worse. If Verizon had allowed us to bypass the dial tone line as they did previously, this wouldn't even be an issue.

I've received enough feedback from DSL Extreme users to reassure me that the switch will probably be OK. I'll start the process and will give an update here about how it goes, to anyone who's interested.

icedman
@acanac.net

icedman

Anon

Hi there,
I'm moving from Canada to Pittsburgh and I'm looking for a good DSL service there.
Verizon offers "High Speed Internet Enhanced 7.1 to 15 Mbps" for 29.99$ where I'm moving.
Adding the minimum phone line is "Local Area Unlimited Service - $4.58" and "Non-Published Service - $3.75". So in total it says "$38.32". I'm fine if only taxes are added (7-8% I guess? we pay more taxes here anyway!) but I'm wondering about what other fees I should expect and what the final number on the bill would be?

Any help on the fees and what I should expect every month?

In addition to that for first month there is:
"Line Connection Charge - Element 2 $40.00"
Shipping and Activation Fee $19.99"

Also what speeds should I expect? Do they always provide the minimum (7.1Mbps)? Also there is no mention of upload speeds?
What's DSL extreme btw?

Thanks!

DC DSL
There's a reason I'm Command.
Premium Member
join:2000-07-30
Washington, DC
Actiontec GT784WN

DC DSL

Premium Member

Actual speeds that the modem sync at depends on distance from the central office and the condition of the wire along the route. I average about 10Mbps. Figure on your upload being in the 768-900 range, usually lower.

You might want to look at a bundle with voice which might waive your installation & shipping and work out to be about the same or just a smidge more than the minimum line. I don't know what the taxes/extra "because we can" fees are in Pittsburgh, but here in DC it works out to be a wash so it's worth it to have the extra voice stuff.

Icedman
@acanac.net

Icedman

Anon

Thanks. The double play bundle with enhanced speed is 54.99 which is quite a bit more than 39$ I was planning to get. Is it worth it?
I don't need and won't be using the phone service. Does it still make sense to go for the higher plan (and save on other fees I guess)? Also does it make a difference (in fees) to select that I don't need regional and long distance providers?
There is no download cap with verizon unlike comcast right?

pende_tim
Premium Member
join:2004-01-04
Selbyville, DE

pende_tim to icedman

Premium Member

to icedman
Plan on paying an additional $7.50/month (or so if my memory is correct ) for the USF fee on the voice line; also there probably will be an E911 fee of about $1.50/month. The extra fees and taxes really add up on a voice line.

In NJ I have a basic voice line @ 14.00/ month. My bill is $27.00/month

Icedman
@acanac.net

Icedman

Anon

Wow that's almost as much as the service itself.
Ledgem is also reporting the sum of $17.96 extra per month which is a lot since I don't plan to actually use the phone.
Maybe I should just suck it up and go with comcast cable but I don't like to have caps. And their plans get real expensive after the first year. I guess at least they don't have extra fees...or do they?
Ledgem
join:2011-09-30

Ledgem to icedman

Member

to icedman
said by icedman :

Hi there,
I'm moving from Canada to Pittsburgh and I'm looking for a good DSL service there.
Verizon offers "High Speed Internet Enhanced 7.1 to 15 Mbps" for 29.99$ where I'm moving.
Adding the minimum phone line is "Local Area Unlimited Service - $4.58" and "Non-Published Service - $3.75". So in total it says "$38.32". I'm fine if only taxes are added (7-8% I guess? we pay more taxes here anyway!) but I'm wondering about what other fees I should expect and what the final number on the bill would be?

Any help on the fees and what I should expect every month?

In addition to that for first month there is:
"Line Connection Charge - Element 2 $40.00"
Shipping and Activation Fee $19.99"

Also what speeds should I expect? Do they always provide the minimum (7.1Mbps)? Also there is no mention of upload speeds?
What's DSL extreme btw?

Thanks!

Not sure what part of Canada you're coming from, but I think you'll like Pittsburgh. Well, except for the roads, which are laid out really strangely...

For me, the "high speed internet enhanced" at $29.99 was rated at 1.1-3 mbps down and 384 kbps up, if I remember correctly. When I first connected, my speed was 1.4 or 1.5 mbps (can't remember exactly). A week or two later it went up to 1.7 mbps, but it hasn't changed since then. I haven't had a line test done, but I'm right next to a Verizon building that seems like it houses telecommunications equipment (it's definitely not housing business offices), so the speed limiting seems weird to me and is probably artificial and thanks to Verizon's automated "line quality" thing. The phone plan I chose was the cheapest one available: $8.87 per month for "flat rate unlimited service."

With a previous ISP in Pennsylvania that allowed me to have DSL without a dial tone line (but outside of Pittsburgh), federal fees and taxes came out to close to an additional $5 per month. This is way more, all due to the phone line. The taxes, fees, and other charges amount to $17.96 per month. Here's the break down:

Federal excise tax: $1.33
Telecommunications relay service: $0.08
E911: $1.00
PA state and local sales tax: $1.40
PA gross receipts tax surcharge: $0.71
Federal subscriber line charge: $11.45 (!!!)
Federal universal service fee: $1.99

When I called Verizon to ensure that all of this was normal, they said that it was and that I was basically looking at paying $64 per month. Thus I can only assume that all of those taxes and surcharges are recurring, monthly fees.

Truthfully, I could live with the poor speeds and be fine with them; I just didn't want to pay over $40 per month for internet unless I had absolutely no other choice. Verizon seems like a great deal over Comcast in that regard, but then when I look at all of those fees from the phone line, I'm basically paying Comcast's rate. There are no download caps, but for the speeds I'm getting I'd almost rather go to Comcast (if they weren't such a horrible company).

My suggestion is to try DSL Extreme. They run through Verizon's lines, so the performance should be similar to what you get with Verizon. While their internet plans appear to be slightly more expensive (you need to enter your address information on their website to get your true pricing, then add $2.50 or so per month for a fee that goes to Verizon), that they allow you to have DSL without the dial tone line means that you're saving quite a bit.

If you want to, you could always sign up with Verizon, and then transition over to DSL Extreme if the fees are as bad as mine. That's an expensive proposition, though, since you'll have to pay that $40 fee for getting the phone line set up, which you would avoid by just going straight to DSL Extreme.

So far DSL Extreme is estimating that they'll have control over my line by the end of next week, at which point I just change my PPPoE settings and then call Verizon to tell them to stop billing me and cut the dial tone. There's supposed to be little to no downtime. I went with their 3000 kbps down / 768 kbps up. I hope it frees me from Verizon's line quality monitoring throttle and that I get better speeds, but even if it doesn't, I'll be glad to cut my internet bill in half. I'll report back with updates.

Icedman
@acanac.net

Icedman

Anon

Thanks a lot Ledgem for the detailed information. Answered everything I was looking for.

I'm coming from Montreal. I visited Pittsburgh for a few days and my feelings were mixed. I liked it overall but public transit doesn't seem as good as here (and one bus driver was particularly rude), and everything seems to close too early at night. But overall I liked the neighborhoods and city. Plus it's warmer.

Anyway, I was just chatting with someone from Comcast. They have a "performance" special offer (20Mbps) for 30$ for 6 months, then 43$ for the 7-12 and then 63$ afterwards. But they offer better deals to current customers (the same deal for example for 10$ less), so I guess after a year I have to look for similar deals or maybe cancel. They said there is no Early termination fee so that seems good.
So if you're paying ~65$ for 1.5Mbps it might be a good deal for you.

But I do have to buy a cable modem (~80$ I think for a good modem) and any additional installation fees... I don't know how much those will be.
And I don't know if they have any extra fees (other than tax) too...

Did you have a bad experience with Comcast? There are horror stories about all the companies I've looked up so I don't how to decide and what to trust...

DSL extreme offer $44.95/mo for 7.1Mbps service in Pittsburgh if I it for 12 months. Monthly it's 10$ more. So "if" Comcast is good on their deal it still makes sense to buy from them...

Please do tell how you DSL extreme installation goes btw...

szootman
join:2005-01-14
Milton, MA

szootman

Member

yes it is 79.99 in Ma.and NH for a Zoom Docsis 3.0. NH has no sales tax so I picked mine up there I'm in the Boston area. I buy everything I can in NH to beat the thieves on Beacon Hill.
Zoom is just one MFG but Comcast is specifically mentioned on the box. the key is you need a Docsis 3.0.

Icedman
@acanac.net

Icedman

Anon

Thanks. I was looking for a good modem and everyone seems to recommend "MOTOROLA SB6121 SURFboard" DOCSIS 3 modem. Are you happy with your Zoom modem?
Everyone seems to hate Comcast which gets me worried since I need a reliable Internet access for my work.

pende_tim
Premium Member
join:2004-01-04
Selbyville, DE

pende_tim

Premium Member

The one to get, today's flavor of the month, is the J model of the Zoom 5341J series. This is an 8x4 modem so it should be future proof for a while. Amazon.com has it for $71.95 with free prime shipping. »www.amazon.com/Zoom-DOCS ··· XLVXPABI
( I hope that is a clean link )
Ledgem
join:2011-09-30

Ledgem to Icedman

Member

to Icedman
I came here from New York City, so I know what you mean about everything closing too early and the public transit being sub-par. However, I think the people here are terribly nice! Coming from Montreal, I suppose the people might also be a downgrade for you, though. (I worked with a lady from Montreal before - she was one of the nicest people I've ever met. Not that one person is representative of an entire city...)

If you really need that speed, then Comcast may be the way to go. I don't download nearly as much as I used to, so a 3 mbps down line does me fine. Even a 1.5 mbps down would be sufficient, but I expect to pay for what I'm getting. $40 for 3 mbps, that's acceptable to me. $60 for 1.5 mbps, no way. I don't want to pay more than $40 per month for internet anyway, but if there's no choice, it had better be much faster.

I avoid Comcast on principle. They were behind some nasty government legislation over the past few years, and they were one of the first companies (if not the first) to experiment with bandwidth caps. They've been pretty scummy all around. More recently (within the past month or so) they made the news for something good: they stood up for their customer's rights in the face of more RIAA/MPAA lawsuits. They're going to have to pull a few more stunts like that before I change my mind about them, though.

Icedman
@acanac.net

Icedman

Anon

@pende_tim: Thanks for letting me know about the zoom modem. Seems like a nice upgrade over SB6121 and cheaper. Are they as reliable and hassle-free for installation and use as Motorola modems? I prefer not having disconnections or my modem suddenly going out of commission over the possible higher speed I'd get , since I need internet for my work.

@Ledgem: I've been living in Montreal for three years and I know I will miss it when I leave. People are generally very nice although you might run into some people who are not as friendly if you don't speak French with them... Also you might see some very weird people on the street but I guess nothing compared to New York.

I really don't need the 20Mpbs either but they are very good at not giving a sweet spot (speed and price wise) to customers. Everything is either too low or too much. 3Mbps would be too low for me but 7-8Mbps would be perfectly fine. The reason I think I will go with this plan is the offer they currently have "Performance - Special Offer" 20Mbps performance for 30$/month (43$ after for months 7-12 and 63 after that). I guess after the first year either I have to cancel or find another deal since I don't want to pay 65$/month for my internet service. Also I don't know if and how much extra fees they have on top of that but I guess less than a phone line.

I talked to someone from comcast and he said there is no ETF and the cap is 250GB. I'm not happy about it but I think I can live with it.

I get why you hate them over caps and similar issues though. I chose my current ISP (acanac) because they refused to have caps and actually helped with the campaigns (openmedia.ca) here against bigger ISPs. Caps are even more ridiculous (30GB, 60GB, 90GB) here and it's hard to find a decent ISP. They even offer tunneling to bypass throttling by bigger ISPs who maintain the infrastructure.

And I read the report you're referring to about comcast not ratting out their customers so that's a plus I guess. Still I'm not too sure about them... Way too much negativity from their customers makes it hard to trust them... Only if I could find a similar smaller ISP with decent service in Pittsburgh...
Ledgem
join:2011-09-30

Ledgem

Member

Just to give an update, DSL Extreme took control of my DSL sooner than their set service date. One morning my internet wasn't working (despite my modem having a connection); switching my PPPoE settings to use my DSL Extreme account instead of my Verizon account did the trick.

The problems (and the reason it's taken so long for me to write back) have to do with the conversion to dry loop. DSL Extreme could not do the conversion until I had spoken with a Verizon representative and had them write a note on my account's file in specific wording. The first Verizon representative that I spoke with refused to do it. The second paraphrased the note instead of writing it as I requested, which lead to a failure in converting the line (and the loss of a few days' time). Finally I got hold of a representative who was understanding, wrote the note as I said it, and read it back to me for verification. A few days later, DSL Extreme is reporting that the conversion is just about complete.

One thing that I found interesting: during the process of transferring my account and converting to dry loop, one of the DSL Extreme representatives (dslx_nick on the forums) noted that Verizon seems to have provisioned my line at 1.5 mbps. Verizon's line quality check seemingly wasn't coming into play for me, they had just capped me at 1.5 mbps. Considering that the plan is "1.1 to 3 mbps" Verizon is technically not in the wrong, but that's pretty poor of them to set the cap like that. DSL Extreme will see about removing that cap and getting me re-provisioned for 3 mbps (which is my plan with them). That would be nice...

Smith6612
MVM
join:2008-02-01
North Tonawanda, NY
·Charter
Ubee EU2251
Ubiquiti UAP-IW-HD
Ubiquiti UniFi AP-AC-HD

Smith6612

MVM

said by Ledgem:

One thing that I found interesting: during the process of transferring my account and converting to dry loop, one of the DSL Extreme representatives (dslx_nick on the forums) noted that Verizon seems to have provisioned my line at 1.5 mbps. Verizon's line quality check seemingly wasn't coming into play for me, they had just capped me at 1.5 mbps. Considering that the plan is "1.1 to 3 mbps" Verizon is technically not in the wrong, but that's pretty poor of them to set the cap like that. DSL Extreme will see about removing that cap and getting me re-provisioned for 3 mbps (which is my plan with them). That would be nice...

That happens a lot, even to non-CLEC lines.

Keep an eye on that line if/when you get the provisioning set higher. It may be turned back down in the future if they detect the slightest fault with it (and they can manage CLEC lines like that) due to simply poorer shape copper, Near end CRCs, etc even when the solution is to to resolve the problem by getting a tech out to fix it up a bit.
Ledgem
join:2011-09-30

Ledgem

Member

At this point it seems like I'm fully switched over. My speed has been increased and the line seems stable. I called Verizon to cancel all billing, but it seems as if that all happened automatically (there was nothing to cancel). They haven't hassled me about it. The hardest part of this switch-over was getting Verizon to follow instructions to transfer the line over to DSL Extreme for conversion to dry-loop DSL.

Best of luck to those of you sticking it out with Verizon. If you get tired of the voice line costs, DSL Extreme seems to be the way to go.

trp2525
Premium Member
join:2008-02-24
united state

trp2525

Premium Member

said by Ledgem:

...Best of luck to those of you sticking it out with Verizon. If you get tired of the voice line costs, DSL Extreme seems to be the way to go.

I agree with you that DSL Extreme dry-loop pricing is attractive for the Basic 1000/384Kbps plan at $14.95/mo or the Faster 3000/768Kbps plan at $24.95/mo. I'm not so sure about the Fastest 7100/768Kbps plan at $44.95/mo however.

I'm currently paying Verizon $54.99/mo for their Double Play Bundle which includes 7.1 Mbps DSL service and their Freedom Essentials POTS service which includes unlimited long distance to the USA, Canada and Puerto Rico plus 6 additional calling services (Voice Mail, Caller ID, and Call Waiting, Call Forwarding, 3-Way Calling and Verizon Call Assistant). For $10/mo more than 7.1 Mbps dry loop DSL service (plus about another $13/mo in taxes and fees) it's worth it for me to have the reliability of an old-fashioned POTS line. Additionally, I actually use the included long distance for voice and for faxing.

The other advantage that has been brought up here in these forums is that if you have a cabling problem between your house and the CO, you usually have more leverage in getting it fixed by calling voice repair. Most of the time if the voice line is repaired your DSL problem is also resolved at the same time.
Youngblood
join:2009-07-02
Nokesville, VA

Youngblood

Member

trp2525,

With your $54.99 Plan, how much is your monthly bill with all of the add-ons?

Just wondering.

The monthly bill for my Verizon 3Mbps plan (had it since 2009) + basic POTS (no LD) w/Caller ID comes to ~$72/mo.

O'course, I would hestitate (a LOT) to make any changes with Verizon because of the excellent chance, apparently, that they will use the opportunity to hose the DSL service that I already enjoy (2.89 down)

Thanks.

JRave
Premium Member
join:2005-02-19
New Kensington, PA

JRave

Premium Member

That is kinda interesting to me.. I'm guessing I might still be grandfathered in under old pricing schemes atm.

I pay $21.94 for a landline counting all the fees. This is an old account though. Flat Line Unlimited Service.

My DSL runs me $34.63 counting the small fee. It is listed as Internet Extra on my bill. It is a month by month subscription at this point. 3Mbps speed, as that is the best I can get if I recall correctly.

These accounts are not bundled together, which seems to be the place where Verizon is getting people.

trp2525
Premium Member
join:2008-02-24
united state

1 edit

trp2525 to Youngblood

Premium Member

to Youngblood
Youngblood,

My $54.99 Double Play Bundle costs me about $68/month total when you add in the approximately $13/month for taxes and fees in my area. Keep in mind that those taxes and fees vary from area to area so YMMV.

I still feel that I am getting a good value at $68/month for non-capped 7.1 Mbps DSL service and Verizon Freedom Essentials which includes unlimited long distance and 6 calling features as detailed in my previous post. I also like the reliability of the POTS line especially for emergencies and during power outages.

I think you would be better off switching to the same Double Play Bundle (Verizon Freedom Essentials and High Speed Internet Enhanced) that I am on even if your maximum DSL speed available at your home is 3 Mbps. You would probably be paying the same that you are paying now (or even a little less depending on your taxes and fees) but you would gain the unlimited long distance and 6 included calling features. Also, there is no contract required with any of the Double Play Bundles.

Verizon's Double Play and Triple Play Bundles can be seen here for full information and pricing: »www22.verizon.com/home/b ··· tandard/ If you can't get them to give you those prices as a current Verizon customer, tell them that you are going to switch your phone and internet to your local cable provider. That usually does the trick and gets you the best pricing available (at least it has for me).

EDIT: For those not wanting/needing the unlimited long distance service, you could go with the Double Play Bundle of Verizon Regional Essentials (in place of Freedom Essentials) and High Speed Internet Enhanced for $44.99/month (plus taxes and fees). That plan would probably save some money for those currently with standard POTS service and DSL internet service that are not bundled together.
Youngblood
join:2009-07-02
Nokesville, VA

Youngblood

Member

Some very interesting information, trp2525. Thank you for taking the time to share it!

I will now investigate the possibilities in my area.
Youngblood

Youngblood to trp2525

Member

to trp2525
My investigation is over ... I will not be changing my Plan.

Although the $44.99 Plan would be perfect for me, I can find no person to guarantee (in writing) that once I signup for the Plan, my download speed will not suddenly suffer a reduction.

I 'splained the situation via both CHAT and phonecall and neither of the nice folks with whom I communicated could help me with obtaining such a guarantee.

Well, the CHAT Guy assured me that a downgrade/cap would not happen and told me that the CHAT ID/Transcript should suffice as a written guarantee, but, like I "told" him, I feel sure that HE is honest ...

I just cannot take the chance that Verizon will do the right thing ... or, more accurately, to not do the wrong thing. {sigh}

trp2525
Premium Member
join:2008-02-24
united state

trp2525

Premium Member

I can understand your apprehension in changing to a new package with Verizon and having your DSL speed downgraded as a result. The information from the Verizon Double Play webpage does little to instill any confidence that they will do the right thing for the customer:

"Speeds and service availability vary. High Speed Internet Enhanced service will be provisioned based on customer location and Verizon line qualification requirements. Most will qualify at 1.1–3 Mbps speed tier. The 3.1–7 Mbps and 7.1–15 Mbps service tiers ranges are available in select locations only. Availability subject to final confirmation by Verizon."
Youngblood
join:2009-07-02
Nokesville, VA

Youngblood

Member

While speaking to the lady on the phone, as she was perusing my account information on her screen, she told me that my plan was High Speed Internet Extra, not High Speed Internet Enhanced as it is now listed.

As soon as she said "extra", I realized that it sounded like what they were calling it when I changed to that plan in 2009 ... and the plan I signed on for in 2009 featured no RANGE of possible speeds; it was described as up to 3Mbps, only limited by your line conditions.

The "Extra" listing in my account only serves to increase my hesitation.

I must confess that this is nagging at me, though, because the $44.99 represents a rather large annual savings for me.

I feel sorta like I am looking down the bore of Dirty Harry's .44 and he is posing the fateful question to me ...

JRave
Premium Member
join:2005-02-19
New Kensington, PA

JRave

Premium Member

I think Smith6612 still reads/posts here if so he should be able to tell you if you can get better speeds based on your transtats.

I'm also using that "extra" plan, but I'm fairly certain I am restricted to 3Mbps anyway.

If the current speeds are fine for you though, why risk them jacking up the price on you.
Youngblood
join:2009-07-02
Nokesville, VA

Youngblood

Member

Since your latter two lines appear to address things I wrote:

I'm also using that "extra" plan, but I'm fairly certain I am restricted to 3Mbps anyway.

My Remote is also provisioned at a max of 3Mbps. As late as 2009 they offered a 7Mbps package that was only provisioned at 5Mbps (Go Figure). I tried it on a 6 month trial so I now know that my line can reliably handle up to 5Mbps. About a year ago I contacted Verizon about their 7Mbps/5Mbps package and found that they had withdrawn that offering.

If the current speeds are fine for you though, why risk them jacking up the price on you.

My current speed is fine. My concern is with Verizon using a Plan Change on my part as an opportunity to artificially halve my thruput.

The Plan that interests me would probably save me over $150/yr ... but I cannot talk myself into trusting Verizon to leave my current DSL setup untouched.

A Coward
@verizon.net

A Coward to Youngblood

Anon

to Youngblood
said by Youngblood:

she told me that my plan was High Speed Internet Extra, not High Speed Internet Enhanced as it is now listed.

As soon as she said "extra", I realized that it sounded like what they were calling it when I changed to that plan in 2009 ... and the plan I signed on for in 2009 featured no RANGE of possible speeds; it was described as up to 3Mbps, only limited by your line conditions.

The "Extra" listing in my account only serves to increase my hesitation.

This is precisely my own concern.

I have "High Speed Internet Extra". With it, my speed is and has always reliably been 3.0/768. I measure it regularly.

However because the current product offering is called "Enhanced" and is described as a speed range of "1.1 to 3.0", I am very reluctant to consider the bundle. Verizon provides no information clarifying whether "1.1 to 3.0" means:

a) "3.0 is the goal but 1.1 is the minimum guarantee if line conditions foil that goal"

or

b) "we'll give you anything between 1.1 and 3.0 we please, regardless of your line conditions, and perhaps we'll even slow you down to shoehorn you toward FIOS"

Is there no one here with experience switching from the 3.0/768 Extra to the 1.1-3.0/768 Enhanced product, who always received reliable 3.0/768 service, and who still receives reliable 3.0/768 service following the switch?

Incidentally, with "Regional Essentials," are you allowed to pick the long distance carrier of your choice (e.g. AT&T), as is the case with traditional "flat rate" service on copper? Or does "Regional Essentials" mean that you have no long distance dialing ability whatsoever?