Recommendations for High Speed Internet

[cspan37421]

DSL from Bellsouth or cable from Comcast?

Both companies have local monopolies where I live - no other choices, save for satellite, but we don't have a view of that part of the sky anyway.

Thanks.

[DevilAlumna]

Just one woman's opinion; but we've been using comcast for years now, and have had relatively few issues (read, virtually none.) It's been, well, Comcastic!

(though the prices begin to suck after your intro period is over.)

[Lavabe]

Umm... DSL speed vs. broadband decided it for us.
http://www.adweek.com/aw/images/best_spots/best_spots_06/0306_bs04.gif
Comcast customer service can be horrible, but the speed is the issue. We prefer Comcast over DSL. I do, however, wonder how much of my bill is paying for the Slowsky's:
http://www.theslowskys.com/blog/index.php
Cheers,
Lavabe

[cspan37421]

I've had one person say DSL is so much better b/c it is dedicated, not shared, which can lead to lower effective speeds. That makes me wonder - there are well over 500 houses in my subdivision.

Do either require a contract?

I am looking seriously at the Comcast triple play - phone, cable, internet, $99 plus taxes. I don't know about this "digital phone" thing and how it may fall short of traditional service, but we're paying $80/month for unlimited local/long distance with AT&T.

[Reisen]

I'd suggest getting cable through comcast, then telephone through a VOIP provider like Vonage. I had Sunrocket (before it went belly up a few days ago!), and was getting unlimited local and domestic long distance for $15 a month. Service was great.

[Bluedawg]

DSL from Bellsouth or cable from Comcast?

Both companies have local monopolies where I live - no other choices, save for satellite, but we don't have a view of that part of the sky anyway.

Thanks.

I have BellSouth DSL and have had no problems. The tech who set up my phone lines told me that once the merger was complete that the plan is to offer satellite through the phone lines. I hate those dishes and that was the only reason I had time Warner and not Direct TV, or Dish network...whichever one BellSouth owns

[Chard]

I have phone, internet and cable with Charter. The service can be expensive. However, everytime a rate goes up I just call and request the service to be disconnected or downgraded. They'd rather keep me as a customer so they give me the same rate again.

I really like my internet connection. I have second tier speed which comes with antivirus software for three computers and a reduced rental rate on the modem. I only pay $30 for the internet due to my negotiation of lower rates.

We just signed up for the phone service recently. After comparing the local phone company rates and the cable rates, it just made sense. The rate is an introductory rate but I'll make a call when it goes up and request that it be disconnected. I wonder what they'll do this time? ;)

[allenmurray]

My speed is much, much higher with cable than when I had DSL. I have my phone service through the cable company as well and the quality is fantastic. I think the package is a little pricey, but I like having them bundled, the quality has always been high, and though I never though I would say this, the customer service has been outstanding.

[Indoor66]

I have tv and cable through Comcast and use Vonage for voip service. I am pleased with all three. I have excellent experience with Comcast cable on the few occasions that I have had go call them. I have not had problems with slowdown of service. I am not sure about the concern about bandwidth expressed in an earlier post. My internet speed is excellent.

[HaveFunExpectToWin]

To answer the OP's question, I think it depends on what you're using your HSI for. If you're just doing casual web-browsing and email, a cheap 768K DSL would work well. If you're playing around on YouTube, iTunes, etc, you'd probably prefer the more expensive, but faster cable modem service.

Looks like Nooga has 8Mbps HSI from Comcast for ~$43/mo. You may be able to sign up under a promo for less however (They usually have a $33 deal for 12 mo or a $19.99 for 6 mo offer). AT&T (former Bell South) has different price/speed plans but you might want to check out the $10/mo 768K service that was mandated in terms of the AT&T/Bell South merger.

Either way, it's better than dialup.

[cspan37421]

Thanks all! Additional posts welcome, but just wanted to express appreciation. I wish I could easily threaten to walk from service when they raise rates. I don't think I have good alternatives and would inconvenience myself and the rest of my family. But that's a good strategy if you can do it.