dslreports logo
 
    All Forums Hot Topics Gallery
spc
Search similar:


uniqs
950

RhondaE
@suddenlink.net

RhondaE

Anon

how many people stay with SL because there's no alternative?

how many people stay with SL because there's no alternative?

I can't say that I like SL very much. However, there is no real alternative in my town. The local phone company offers "high" speed internet at only 1mbps down / 256kpbs up. AT&T and Verizon offer only 3G service, which is a lot slower than 1mbps. T-Mobile is still at 2G / EDGE service, which is useless for anything except emails.

moldypickle
Premium Member
join:2009-01-04
Haughton, LA

moldypickle

Premium Member

+1

Gaff
Just like the gypsy woman said
join:1999-09-05
North TX, US

4 edits

Gaff to RhondaE

Member

to RhondaE
Unfortunately in America the big incumbents manage to create their own private monopolies in some areas, resulting in them being able to do almost anything they want with regards to services and pricing.

Back in the UK, where I'm from originally, much of the infrastructure is separately-owned, and then companies compete to provide services over the same pipes. This leads to much better deals for the consumer, whilst the companies are still able to turn a profit, just not the massive ball-busters that Wall Street likes to see.

At my old address in the UK I could get 100Mbit cable, today, for £35 a month ($54), less if I bundled in TV and home phone. I could receive DSL (fibre) service of 54Mbit for around the same price, should I intensely dislike cable for some reason; again, bundling would bring this price down. There are also no ridiculous usage / overage charges, because the ISPs know that people will just jump ship if they try to bring in a moneygrab that is so transparent.

There's a lot of things I don't miss about the UK, but broadband is one of them. When I first came to the US in 2001 the States was ahead of the game, but the UK has outpaced the US so far in just a decade it's untrue.

There are a lot of different reasons why this has happened, some regulatory, some geographic, some political, but at the end of the day the UK is now light years ahead of the US with regards to broadband infrastructure and pricing.

While the big players can just keep bankrolling Congress in the manner upon which they have become accustomed, nothing will change. They will talk about competition and innovation, but what they mean is competition and innovation for other people, not themselves. What they want is to build out their infrastructure over a (relatively) small area and then be free to milk that for the next thirty years with little or (ideally) no competition. This is about as far from free market competition as it gets. People will say, "if you don't like it why not build your own infrastructure out?" To that I would say: I have lost count the number of times I have seen a large, incumbent ISP try to de-rail a municipal's broadband efforts; the very thought of competition scares them half to death.

RhondaE
@suddenlink.net

RhondaE to RhondaE

Anon

to RhondaE
my sister-in-law worked in Japan for a year and half.... she told me the #1 she missed was the super-fast internet connection in her tiny studio apartment. The 300-sq-ft apartment was US$2700 a month.(fortunately, paid for by her company) The 500MB(down)/100MB(up) internet connection only cost her appx US$30 per month. (3000 yen per month)

moldypickle
Premium Member
join:2009-01-04
Haughton, LA

moldypickle

Premium Member

What was her salary in US$ per month though.

RhondaE
@suddenlink.net

RhondaE

Anon

I believe it was just under US$100k/year.(including the extras for overseas assignment)

What does that have to do with the $27/moth she pays for 500mb/100mb internet service?
Turbo Mach 5
join:2008-05-29
San Augustine, TX
ARRIS SB6183
TP-Link Deco

Turbo Mach 5 to RhondaE

Member

to RhondaE
10/1 fastest here in San Aug, TX from Suddenlink (pay 54/mo...need to buy my own modem to cut that down a little).

AT&T on my street only offers up to 6/.768 (DSL Elite), get a LITTLE closer into the town itself and can get 12/1 from them U-Verse style.

Other than that...eh...

moldypickle
Premium Member
join:2009-01-04
Haughton, LA
ARRIS SB8200
Ubiquiti UDM-Pro
Ubiquiti UniFi UAP-nanoHD

moldypickle to RhondaE

Premium Member

to RhondaE
What it has to do with it is that it doesn't matter that cost of living is higher, she was making a ton more money. Relatively speaking, the more money offsets the higher rent. I hate it when people try to point out that because it's irrelevant to the conversation of the cost of broadband. A huge pet peeve of mine, lol

But back on topic, I'm going to call in yet again after i get back from vacation in June and talk about these prices. If they can't budge, bye bye tv. Only ever watch the walking dead on it anyways, lol, can do w/out it for saving about 90/month.

Cabal
Premium Member
join:2007-01-21

Cabal to RhondaE

Premium Member

to RhondaE
We have the choice of Suddenlink, TWC, AT&T U-Verse, and at some point may have Google Fiber when it gets outside the downtown core.

Suddenlink is the best combination speed, reliability, and price, with $45 standalone Internet service (15/1.5 Mbps, $48 with taxes, customer-owned modem).