What is Broadband? - Comments Page 2

After using dial up since it was first available (yes, around the time of T-Rex) I am now considering going with Sprint's "air-card" for $60 per month. It would be financed by cancelling my land line (which can't provide DSL in my area) and the $15 per month I spend on an ISP. Sprint tells me there is no activation fee and they will provide the "air card" to plug into my desktop's USB port for no charge. My wife and I would then rely on our cell phones. Far faster internet access for a difference of about $5 a month in total costs. I'd be happy for any observations.

EDITOR'S NOTE: If the speed is acceptable, it sounds like a good plan.

Hey, you think Dial-Up TODAY is bad? I started going online in the mid-1980's with my trusty Commodore-128, at 300 baud (!) and then later moved on up to 1200 baud. When I'm not surfing via DSL on our Windows XP Pro box, I still use my C128 -- only now I use an Aprotek modem, which gives me a whopping 2400 baud. (And no, I am NOT joking!) :)

I've been so thrilled with my Optimum service, it's not even funny. I moved to Connecticut from the Tampa area, where Road Runner prevailed, and I thought it was great and worth the $49/mo for 2-3mbps I was getting. I came to CT and signed with Optimum, and took their one-year promo plan that includes Unlimited national calling on their phone plan, with voice mail that can be accessed online; Upgraded cable through Cablevision, 100+ channels; and BLAZING internet speeds, in the vicinity of 17mbps(!) for $29.95 per service!

For under $100, I have cable, phone, and lightning-fast internet. I RARELY lose cable service (like I often did with Road Runner), and I call all over the country and never have to worry about talking too long! The above rates are good for one year (compared to RR's intro special, which lasted 6 months), and even after that expires, the rates are still superior to my old RR rates. If I wanted to upgrade to 30mbps (yikes!), their Optimum Boost is reasonably priced at $9.95 additional.

Seems like broadband access is still costly in the States.
In Australia, broadband starts from about $20 ($15 US) for a DSL plan with Optus...

I travel a lot and am currently in Panama. I need a fast connection with minimum installation problems/cost. I found a provider for about $40 month. They provide a wireless modum which you just plug into the power with 10/100 connection to computer. The service is fast with very few interuptions. No telephone or cable installations and same day on line.

wow I'm surprised about the prices in the above article. I have something between 60-80 mbps ( like 10 MB/s download ) in my country with only 15$/month - and I dont' get any promotional offer. Every user of the ISP pays the same. nice huh ?

yea but in australia they give you super fast service then nail you with 1-5gb caps... i lived there and every provider had a cap.. oh yes we offer 30Mbps for 15 a month... but wait we have a 2GB cap... dumb.. its all because if you go to overseas websites they have to pay more and stuff... proudly surfing at 12MBps in rural new york with fairpoint dsl.. all for $50 a month.. not bad..

How do cable companies get their signal? The local cable company here uses rather large satellite dishes. I have fiber optics here, so went with BellSouth DSL, about 350-400kb/s, I love it! Costs with other phone services approx $15/month

Great info on DSL, Cable and satellite! My issue is this. We have a place in Georgia and one in North Carolina. We travel between the two places during the year. Currently we have dial-up. It is my understanding per my current provider if I wish to upgrade from dial-up to DSL..I would be forced to have a DSL account with them in both places and pay two monthly charges. Seems we can't "take" DSL with us as we do dial-up. Is this entirely true or fiction? Thanks, Patti in GA/NC

EDITOR'S NOTE: Yes, unfortunately that sounds right. The DSL service is something that must be installed at a specific location.