[KLUG Members] Charter internet

[Adam Williams]

>>Charter is going to start charging more for internet service.
>>My bill could go from 34.95 to 52.95 for the 768k service.
>>It wasn't clear whether my rate would be 42.95 or 52.95.
>>That's a significant increase.  It's too bad there isn't
>>competition!!
>I agree, competition would be nice.  I wish the local phone companies
>would get off their a$$ and make all the POP's DSL ready.  And it was
>also recently ruled that cable companies don't have to share their cable
>with other providers (like the phone companies are required to share).
>OTOH, I'm still amazed how broadband providers (Charter included) can
>offer so high a bandwidth for such a small cost.  You figure a 56K
>dialup connection (I connect at 26.6K myself) costs $21.95 from most
>major providers, and a second phone line is $20+, making $42.95 (or 
>even $52.95) for 768K sound like a very good value.  

Exactly.  And it is in large part a marketing gimmick,  becuase 
no-way-what-so-ever your going to download a web page at 768k anyways.  
The only time the bandwidth makes sense is for bulk downloads from a 
nearby server as other constraints within the Internet (and probably the 
remote site) are limiting your rate to quite a bit below 768k.  Or if you 
actually have multiuple computers active at the same time.

A nice rock-solid 256/384K connection would make me plenty happy.

Unfortunately your average consumer is just going to jump to the largest 
advertised number.

>And I'd rather see
>broadband providers raise rates instead of going out of business, like
>so many DSL providers have already done.
>Of course competition would be nice to help keep them honest . . .   :-)

There are competeing phone companies in GR,  it hasn't done anything to 
make them more honest or less expensive.

>>Where I live Charter is the only choice.
>You're breaking my heart!  Up until early 2002, I lived where DIALUP was
>my only option!  The Vicksburg POP doesn't support DSL, or even ISDN!!!
>I finally paid Charter big bucks to run cable to my house, and I've been
>very pleased with their performance and service (knock wood).

I still think the real solution is a wireless ISP,  to break the 
telopoly-last-mile stranglehod.

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