Why Broadband Service in the U.S. Is So Awful

[RCA]

http://www.scientificamerican.com/artic ... e-internet


Bonus:

Nickelodeon tribute

[Encryptshun]

I have 3 cable-based BB ISPs to choose from where I am.

I have 5 DSL-based ISPs to choose from where I am.

I have AT&T U-Verse available where I am.

I have 4G cellular-based access available where I am.

That said, DSL will run about $19.99/month, and cable internet will run about $30/month on top of any programming package. I would call neither of those exorbitant, really. There is plenty of competition to keep prices down. However, what I find is that you can't just get internet without getting something else. With DSL you have to get home phone service (which I don't want) and with cable internet you have to get cable (which I don't want). That serves to obfuscate the total cost, especially with all the extra taxes and fees they tack on to either phone or cable subscribers.

[Jesda]

The article subtly suggests that government should give us all free internets in our buttholes.

No need for phone service with DSL. Most providers now offer a dry DSL line.

[AppleBonker]

Three broadband ISPs? Really? I've got one. And it sucks. I wish there was competition.

Plus, the speeds you are talking about at those prices are lame. I'm forking over nearly $60 to comcast for what I consider a minimal speed. Anything less is just them ripping you off. For real.

[Encryptshun]

At least in my market, Verizon only offers a dry DSL line if you get to them via DirectTV. Otherwise you have to get their phone service too. AT&T doesn't offer a dry line at all -- either you get phone/DSL or you get U-Verse.

Adam, the 3 providers here are Comcast, RCN, and Wide Open West. I have WOW, and for around $30/month (hard to tell because I negotiated price on the package including cable, HD Pak, DVR, and internet), I get 8 MB downstream/2MB upstream. Plenty fast for anything I do.

[Jesda]

Here, I can get Earthlink, ATT DSL, ATT U-Verse (fiber), Clear, Charter Cable (blech), CenturyTel, and several others.

[AppleBonker]

Chad, I'm assuming you're saying 8 Mbps down rather than 8 MBps? I hate the naming conventions. I'm paying about $63 for 22 Mbps down and 5 Mbps up (but with their lame speed boost or whatever it's called they claim 30/7). Anything less than that starts to make me a little angry...

[Encryptshun]

Yeah, that. 8mbps/2mbps

What the hell do you need 22/5 for? You torrenting the entire internet?

I game, watch pr0nz, download software via Steam, and have 5 simultaneous devices on my wireless network and it still doesn't throttle my speed.

[TroubleBound]

I pay $30 a month through comcast for ~22/5. It is another $5 a month to use their modem though, so its $35 -_-

[Encryptshun]

This is from my work laptop while in the office.

So with WOW I pay $97/month (including taxes, fees, etc) for 200 channels of basic digital cable, ~100 HD channels, 80 channels of music, 8/2 internet, an HD DVR (2 show record simul with third show watched), and the cable modem. So I guess I'm playing less than $30/month for my internet. Comparable Comcast bundle would be $122/month after the promotional period and would not include the premium HD channels I get included in my package.

[AppleBonker]

What the hell do you need 22/5 for? You torrenting the entire internet?

Sometimes. I've got 6 devices that leech off my internet. Unfortunately, I can't selectively purchase bandwidth based on time. When I'm running all of the devices, the tubes get clogged.

I pay $30 a month through comcast for ~22/5. It is another $5 a month to use their modem though, so its $35 -_-

Yup, that's their lame "speedboost" skewing your numbers. I honestly don't think you get 22/5 for thirty bones. I'll have to check what speedtest registers for me at home, but I believe it's somewhere between 33 and 40 Mbps down and 8-10 Mbps up. Check your bill to see what speed your getting. At that price, I'm thinking it would be 12/2.

[TroubleBound]

Oh i didn't realize that they tell you what speed you're paying for. I actually just moved in here so i haven't got my bill yet but i am sure you are right cause i told them i wanted the cheapest internet they had, and then just tested it on speedtest. So you're 22/5 is more like 40/10 thats pretty damn fast.

[Loki]

Booyah!



All this internet and yet I am limited to 10 GB up or down a week. I once went over that limit in 15 minutes by neglecting a popular torrent.

[AppleBonker]

So you're 22/5 is more like 40/10 thats pretty damn fast.

Not really. They have "speedboost" or "powerboost" or some lame name like that. So you get faster speeds for the first 20 MB or so downloaded or uploaded. After that amount of data, you settle down to your plan speed. When downloading large files, I average out to about 22 Mbps down. So I'd say their ratings are fairly accurate. Unfortunately, speedtest doesn't use files large enough to get past the "boost" part of your connection, so the numbers are reported higher than they should be.

[Jesda]

So you're 22/5 is more like 40/10 thats pretty damn fast.

Not really. They have "speedboost" or "powerboost" or some lame name like that. So you get faster speeds for the first 20 MB or so downloaded or uploaded. After that amount of data, you settle down to your plan speed. When downloading large files, I average out to about 22 Mbps down. So I'd say their ratings are fairly accurate. Unfortunately, speedtest doesn't use files large enough to get past the "boost" part of your connection, so the numbers are reported higher than they should be.

Sheesh. That seems a bit shady.

[s0m3th1ngAZ]

We actually aren't THAT bad among our peers...
http://www.websiteoptimization.com/bw/0711/
Still pretty sucky considering we invented the damn internet.

s***...that data is from 2007.

[Jesda]

Well, Diamond invented the modern MP3 player, but Apple and Microsoft make better ones. *shrug*

And I sure as heck wouldn't own a modern Mercedes, even though Karl Benz invented the gas-powered car.

[Captain Slow]

The wireless that I "borrow" from my neighbors on my netbook.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

We have 1 legit ISP here, and its AT&T DSL. I get a little under 1mbps for $42 a month, naked DSL line with Dish Network. All together I pay about $130 a month for TV and incredibly s*** internet.

[Jesda]

My bill is $163/mo including tax for U-Verse. Its pretty damn impressive, solid as a rock and really fast, but its pricey. $163 is a payment on a decent used car. Installation was free and the guy threw in a bunch of really nice cables and a free hub.

[PoorManQ45]

In 2002 it reclassified broadband Internet service as an “information service” rather than a “telecommunications service.”

This was lobbied for by the ISPs...

The FCC is currently trying to reverse this so that they can properly regulate ISPs to ensure Net neutrality.

I'm getting a little annoyed with the local cable provider(brighthouse). I pay for a 20/2 with bursts to 30. I've been maxing out at 12 lately in the middle of the day!

Yeah, that. 8mbps/2mbps

What the hell do you need 22/5 for? You torrenting the entire internet?

I game, watch pr0nz, download software via Steam, and have 5 simultaneous devices on my wireless network and it still doesn't throttle my speed.

LOL, I like my games in Steam to download around 3.5MBps

And I torrent a ridiculous amount! Hell, last month I tethered 10GB through my phone while on the road...

And also, don't think like that. That's the same thing as saying, "why do you need that much HP in your car. You can only do 70mph!"

[TroubleBound]

So you're 22/5 is more like 40/10 thats pretty damn fast.

Not really. They have "speedboost" or "powerboost" or some lame name like that. So you get faster speeds for the first 20 MB or so downloaded or uploaded. After that amount of data, you settle down to your plan speed. When downloading large files, I average out to about 22 Mbps down. So I'd say their ratings are fairly accurate. Unfortunately, speedtest doesn't use files large enough to get past the "boost" part of your connection, so the numbers are reported higher than they should be.

O i see I was wondering about that cause in a real download i dont think ive ever seen 22mbps, not even close

[MaximA32]

Road Runner

[Encryptshun]

[LEMHEAD16]

All I can get at home on a good night

at work I pay for 20/2 and get up to 80/1. It's crazy how fast I can download at work, Full album torrents are finished in about 15-20 secs.

[DrifterXRPS13]

It's actually running slow right now for some reason...it's usually a lot faster than this.

[hachiroku781]

This is what I get for 40 dollars a month from Verizon. I have no idea if thats good or not but I can't complain. It still is decent when downloading my Top gear episodes.

[MinisterofDOOM]

What the hell do you need 22/5 for? You torrenting the entire internet?

I can honestly say I NEED that at my apartment. Part of the problem lies with the way ISPs still tier upload. They're still offering setups from an age of mostly-downloads. Fact is, upstream sees a lot more use these days. It's not just gamers who need good upstream. Uploading pics, videos, etc. all uses upstream. At my old job, I had access to SDSL at work, and my upstream there was much better than my upstream at home. But the SDSL downstream was abysmal. If Comcast offered a 15/15 package I'd jump on it. But for now I'm on the 22/5.



Between my roommate at myself (both nerds) we've got a couple dozen net-connected devices. And often we'll have 5 or 6 in use simultaneously. Sometimes more.

[RCA]

I get 8 MB downstream/2MB upstream. Plenty fast for anything I do.

$30 for those speeds are miserable.

What the hell do you need 22/5 for? You torrenting the entire internet?

I game, watch pr0nz, download software via Steam, and have 5 simultaneous devices on my wireless network and it still doesn't throttle my speed.

8/2 isn't enough. I used to have 15/5 and I thought that was cool. But once you rely on torrenting to get your media, the extra speed is a benefit. I have Showtime but I still go on Demonoid to DL the latest episodes of Weeds. The extra speed of 25/25 (what I have now) makes a huge difference.

300MB episode:
- w/ 25Mb DL= 96sec
- w/ 15Mb DL= 160sec

It doesn't seem like much, but now make that a 3GB Blu-Ray and you learn to LOVE the higher speeds.

Here, I can get Earthlink, ATT DSL, ATT U-Verse (fiber), Clear, Charter Cable (blech), CenturyTel, and several others.

Wow, that is amazing! I can either choose from Verizon or Comcast in my area and where I used to live I could choose from Optimum Online, Comcast or Verizon.

We have 1 legit ISP here, and its AT&T DSL. I get a little under 1mbps for $42 a month, naked DSL line with Dish Network. All together I pay about $130 a month for TV and incredibly s*** internet.

Unless I was making 6 figures where you live, I would move. I use the internet WAY to much.
I rarely watch TV so I couldn't live with those speeds.

This is what I get for 40 dollars a month from Verizon. I have no idea if thats good or not but I can't complain. It still is decent when downloading my Top gear episodes.

Yeah that's good for $40 in the US. Outside the US that speed for that price is blah!

Also because every one else is doing it:

I pay for Verizion FIOS 25 Down/25 Up

[Jesda]

I had a friend who lived in the woods. Best we could get was 28.8k on dialup because his phone lines were too old and busted to sustain 56k.