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Are we overpaying for internet?
| December 19th, 2012 at 12:54:48 AM permalink | |
| Pacomartin Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 1068 Posts: 12569 | Why Your Phone, Cable & Internet Bills Cost So Much
The service in our town (for 3 TV's is $140/month) with taxes and fees $109.99/mo Digital TV & 25 Mbps High-Speed Internet & Phone + $25 taxes and fees 227 Channels 71 in HD INTERNET SPEED: 25 Mbps CALLING: Unlimited Calling Package includes 1 TiVo Whole Home Bundle, 1 digital converter box, cable modem rental, wireless router, and MoCA bridge. What does service cost you in your country or state? Do you feel ripped off? |
| December 19th, 2012 at 10:53:03 AM permalink | |
| AcesAndEights Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 6 Posts: 351 | In my first apartment after college, I paid about $55/mo for just DSL internet through Qwest (at the time, now Century Link) - no phone or cable. Initially I had a land line but never used it. Removing the land line only saved me a few dollars per month. Currently I pay about $70/month, split with my girlfriend, for just cable internet (again no phone or cable) through Comcast. I do feel ripped off. Since I just moved in, we may try to get another one of their "introductory rates" by switching the service from her name to mine. "You think I'm joking." -EvenBob |
| December 19th, 2012 at 1:53:46 PM permalink | |
| MidwestAP Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 1 Posts: 22 | My service (Mediacom) runs $208.40 per month for phone, cable, and internet. Sucks! Cable 'Star Package' - $84.95 DVR and Digital Equipment - $21.45 EMTA (?) - $5.00 High Sped Internet - $49.95 Unlimited Nationwide Calling - $29.95 Taxes, Fees & Surcharges - $17.10 |
| December 19th, 2012 at 2:19:57 PM permalink | |
| jml24 Member since: Dec 6, 2012 Threads: 0 Posts: 26 | XFINITY TV 89.48 XFINITY Internet 42.95 No phone line. With taxes and fees my bill for both is $144 a month. This gets me just about every HD cable channel but no pay channels or the special sports channels that cost extra. The internet is adequate. I have not tested recently but last time I checked I was getting about 12 Mbps download and 2 Mbps upload. Yes I do feel I am overpaying for internet when I read how much better it is in most other industrialized countries. We have a government-granted monopoly but without the higher levels of regulation imposed in other countries. My other options for internet would be CenturyLink or ClearWire. CenturyLink had to change their name from Qwest because they had such a bad reputation. It is still the same crappy DSL internet service that offers "up to" 8Mbps if you are right next to the phone company hub. ClearWire is a slow wireless internet that costs more than Comcast. I live in the city of Seattle. Many of the suburbs have Frontier fiber internet available (installed by Verizon but then they sold that business.) Our city leaders tried to hold out for a better deal from Verizon but ended up just preserving Comcast's monopoly. Thanks government! |
| December 19th, 2012 at 10:36:39 PM permalink | |
| Pacomartin Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 1068 Posts: 12569 |
Those look like 'retail' prices. Normally you should be paying about $140/month (which incudes taxes and fees) for that combination (I am guessing that the 'star package' includes Starz and Encore ). An embedded multimedia terminal adapter (E-MTA) allows the company to use your coaxial for your phone service and completely bypass the old landline phone line. A few years ago, the cable company would tie into your old phone line. The cable company has a lot of freedom to cut your bill if you complain. Research a satellite package, and threaten to switch. Unless you are in the middle of nowhere, you can get a home cellular phone (i.e. on a cellular network, but a fixed box). Verizon home cellular connect There is an inexpensive home option if you have up to 2 cell phones in your family. Many people find cell phones uncomfortable to use in their homes, because they plug them in to recharge, and then they have to run all over the house to answer the cell call. The solution is these 3 headset systems for about $70. You plug your cell phones in near the base, and the headsets can handle the calls while you are at home. A display window tells you which cell is ringing. You can also plug your landline in. But some people simply eliminate the landline because their cell phones are more efficient. Connect to Cell
This price also sounds expensive. We can get 25 Mbs internet for $39.99 (goes up $8 a year). That will also get your local channels in HD (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, ION, CW, PBS) and STD (MyTV, Me-TV, RTV, and news channels) simply by plugging the coaxial in to any TV with a QAM tuner (TV manufactured after 2006). You can supplement with NetFlix, Hulu+, Roku Box, paid sports channel, DVD's etc. ESPN is the most difficult channel to replace. |
| December 20th, 2012 at 12:58:45 AM permalink | |
| rxwine Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 189 Posts: 18764 |
Where is that invisible hand? You believe in an invisible god, and dismiss people who say they are trans? Really? |
| December 20th, 2012 at 9:43:25 AM permalink | |
| 98Clubs Member since: Nov 11, 2012 Threads: 2 Posts: 75 | Smartphones for texting/internet aren't. There are four things certain in life... Death, Taxes, the Resistance to them, and Stupidity. |
| December 20th, 2012 at 12:39:08 PM permalink | |
| Pacomartin Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 1068 Posts: 12569 | FCC Cable Rules Change Will Require Consumers To Pay More For Basic Cable According to this article, cable companies have received permission to scramble local channels. The result is that every TV will now require a setup box. |
| December 20th, 2012 at 4:13:52 PM permalink | |
| AcesAndEights Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 6 Posts: 351 |
Not surprising...as someone who has never paid for cable in his life, what's surprising to me is that it's still possible to get basic cable by plugging the wall directly into your TV...I just figured the set-top boxes were required everywhere now. Sucks for those guys. Free over-the-air TV + internet FTW. "You think I'm joking." -EvenBob |
| December 20th, 2012 at 11:10:06 PM permalink | |
| Pacomartin Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 1068 Posts: 12569 |
 There is a service in New York city (that may roll out to the rest of the country). For $80 a year you get two dime sized antennas and 40 hour DVR. You control your TV antennas and DVR, and view your service via the internet. There is no company equipment installed in your home. In some ways it is actually kind of a flashback to the Community Television of the 1960's, where a giant antenna brought broadcast TV to hilly or rural areas. This community television formed the hardware basis for Cable TV with dedicated stations of the 1970's. article about service The networks are litigating, but they have lost the first round. The company claims that they are entitled to these signals since they are free over the air broadcast, and the individual users have their own antennas. Now $80 a year may seem like a good compromise if you don't want to mess with outdoor antennas, internal wires or you have bad reception. Plus you can watch from a mobile device. It is not immediately obvious why the networks care, since they are broadcasting the signal free over the air anyway. The threat is that Nielson can't track these viewers right now and the network advertising dollars are wholly based on Nielsen ratings. New York Channels available
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