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I'm thinking about getting broadband, nothing too immediate, but likely within the next 6-12 months. Verizon DSL is available in my area, as is Comcast cable internet and DirecTV DSL. Long story short, I likely will not be going with Comcast, as their customer service for TV service ticked me off (I'll relate that story in another forum sometime). Long story short, I told them to go take a long walk off a short pier and have arranged for DirecTV satellite service for my television. So my main question is, does anyone have any experience on which is going to be my better buy? Rates are comparable, as are their promised upload/download speeds.
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Beast,
This question will draw arguments from both sides of the camp. Personally, I LOVE my DSL connection through Fast.net, which uses COVAD. 2 1/2 years with 0 minutes of downtime. I have 1.5/384 service which I pay $79.99 a month for (this also includes dial-up access for $9.99 a month).
That being said, I ended up with Fast.net after having Verizon DSL for 30 free days. 28 of those days had at least 8 hours of downtime with a 10 day period of no availability at all. This following 4 days of no telephone service at all after an ISDN flubbed installation. This was early on and I have heard Verizon has gotten better, but you know their customer service is sort of like Central "Intelligence" Agency. :D
I am not a fan of cable, for several reasons. However, there are many people who will "take what they can get". I'm fairly lucky where I have several choices including 2 cable companies (RCN and ProLog), DSL through Verizon or COVAD, and some WIFI wireless options. But given a choice, I'll stick with DSL.
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Hy,
Yeah, I figured the question was going to be a powderkeg of debate before I even started typing. I guess my main question is what anyone knows about DirecTV's DSL service. All else being equal, I'd take them over Verizon any day--I have my issues with Verizon customer service as well, though nowhere near as bad as the words I had with the Comcast customer service rep. I should post that story somewhere, just to warn other consumers. DirecTV, on the other hand, has been a dream come true to work with thus far (though I won't be hooked up till next weekend, that's mostly due to my requests and circumstances). There might be other providers in my area; I haven't looked around too closely yet. I'm still in the long-term planning phase right now. :)
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Comcast and Version are not in very good shape...even though Comcast is looking to buy ATT broadband service. Both of these companies are getting hit hard on wallstreet. Comcast like Adelphia is a family run company that controls 80+% voting interest.
DirectTV on the other hand is seeing increased volume of business and their available market is huge. My bet...(not knowing what kind of service they truely provide) is look at them carefully.
Cable vs DSL...if your gaming and upload is critical (T2) go with DSL. If your usage doesn't require the above...cable is great expect when the network is overloaded. Adelphia came in here 3 years ago and my speeds were great. Two years of build out and it bogged down in the evenings.
NR
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"I have 1.5/384 service which I pay $79.99 a month for (this also includes dial-up access for $9.99 a month)."
- Wholly shit, that's a lot. I have the same and pay $39.99.
