(resending due to spam catching original message) >From an affordability standpoint, I think DSL is a very good service. If you're pushing a lot of data like most here though, maybe not preferred.
I'm using AT&T DSL due to the price (and do not get an employee discount of any kind). Since I do not subscribe to, nor are interested in any cable/satellite services, it's the most affordable service available I've found. Comcast's services are quite expensive even when considering the promotional plans. I also recently found out they no longer offer a self install option for new service which I find retarded. Unfortunately, I do not own a cable modem, so there would be a minimum of $100+whatever I could find a cable modem for just to get started. Of course, I also use an over the air antenna with an amplifier wired to 3 rooms, use magic jack as my home phone service, and I don't own a cell phone. Many people don't pinch pennies quite the way I do, so I respect their positions lol. 6mbit/512kbit is good enough for me, I have to make heavy use of QoS so that I can ensure I'm able to answer the phone while downloading etc so it is definitely a pain in the neck I'd rather not have. Then again, Comcast's speeds are completely subjective [making it extremely challenging to properly use QoS] and if you ever go over the usage cap you might receive a very angry letter in the mail. DSL does have a usage cap now, but the way they have implemented it is very reasonable in comparison. For those wondering, if you break the usage cap of 250gb/month on Comcast, you will get an angry letter. Do it again, and Comcast will make a "business decision" regarding keeping you as a customer (this is as described by a tech support rep roughly 1 year ago, things may have changed since then). With DSL if you break the cap of 150GB/month, you will get 3 warnings, then be charged $10 per 50gb you go over in a month if you do go over. I think this is a very fair way to do it, though I'm not crazy about the idea of any sort of cap on my internet service. Tiered plans make more sense to me. Just like cell phones, some people use lots of minutes, some people use few minutes. The saddest part of it all is bandwidth fees are some of the most insignificant fees to a company when compared to network maintenance, technical support/customer service, and technician dispatches. Also, I never hear ANY isp making mention of the 90 year old ladies using their service who pay a premium to just check their email, generating probably less than a gig each month on their service. Ethically, I feel they should offer cheaper rates for those customers who do not use much of their service if they are going to charge more for those who use it more. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive http://marc.info/?l=jaxlug-list&r=1&w=2 RSS Feed http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.xml Unsubscribe [email protected]
