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Re: [PLUG] Internet Provider Wars, part New
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As I noted in the other FiOS thread, you can get internet without
telephone for $5 more. They also have bundles with TV and internet,
but they vary by location.
Here, in my opinion, would be the best way to stick it to as many
corporations as possible (this also happens to be my plan).
Get FiOS. I'll be going for 20/20, which is $70 a month (they also
have $50 for 10/2 and $60 for 20/5 [1]. No matter how closely you
consider the other suggestions, I recommend FiOS to anyone that can
get it. Even if you only get 10/5, it's worth it because of the
reliability and low latency (at least compared to the DSL I had
before).
Don't get TV. I'll be going with a nice $40 antenna, since I get
excellent signal from Philly stations, who are now all broadcasting
digital, in 720i or 1080i. Everything else I'll just watch online if I
can, and live without if I can't do so. Take a look at HDTV Antenna
Labs for reviews and links to figure out what you'd need. [2] You can
also get basic service from Verizon for OTA channels for like $10 a
month if you're in a crummy reception area. Full blown FiOS TV is OK
if you have one TV, but gets painful as you add more TVs, because
(like comcast) you pay to rent each set top box. You could do a MythTV
setup using a composite capture device to share a set top box across
multiple TVs, but it's tedious and you'd still only be able to watch
as many TVs at once as you have set top boxes.
Hurting for movie channels? Get a netflix subscription. It's $10 a
month. They also have on-demand service, but low selection, and it
doesn't play nice with Linux. Hopefully they beef it up, or more
on-demand providers show up. Unsavory people may just download all
their movies and tv shows using their 20/20 connection until the
market shapes up, but I of course can't recommend that :)
Your Vonage is like $25 a month, right? If you're willing to switch to
a smaller provider, Broadvoice provides some lighter plans that are
cheaper than that [3]. If you're interested, they also have a bring
your own device plan, which is cheaper, and isn't locked to an ATA
(like Vonage is) [5]. You'd need to get your own ATA (such as a
Linksys PAP2T) to do a straight replacement of Vonage, or you have the
option of switching of using Asterisk. If you're interested in a more
customizable asterisk based solution, check out Voicepulse's SIP plan
[6]. $11 a month per number, free incoming minutes, ala carte outgoing
minutes (around $.008 to $.015 per minute depending on location), and
up to 4 simultaneous phone calls. Doesn't provide all the other
features that Vonage or Broadvoice would provide -- that's what
Asterisk is for!
That's my solution, which I haven't implemented yet (since I don't
have a place of my own). Hope that at least gives you some ideas.
Cheers!
Joe Terranova
[1] http://www22.verizon.com/Residential/FiOSInternet/Plans/Plans.htm
[2] http://www.hdtvantennalabs.com/index.php
[3] http://www.broadvoice.com/rateplans.html
[4] http://www.voicepulse.com/connect/default.aspx
[5] http://www.broadvoice.com/rateplans_byod.html
[6] http://www.voicepulse.com/connect/Rates.aspx
On Fri, Feb 13, 2009 at 10:50 AM, jeff <jeffv@op.net> wrote:
> I have finally worked up enough righteous indignation to give some huge
> corporations some grief in return. I am paying an exorbitant fee for
> Comcast internet (only). I have Vonage for phone and a dish for tv.
> Comcast still delivers 4M, although I am eligible for the next speed up.
>
> I am not against bundling and apparently FIOS has just appeared in my hood.
>
> Recommendations gratefully accepted. At this point I'm shopping for
> price and reliability. I know customer service is a nightmare on all
> sides (but Comcast is easier to deal with on the phone).
>
>
>
> --
> ThermionicEmissions - the blog
> http://www.lockergnome.com/leftystrat
> ___________________________________________________________________________
> Philadelphia Linux Users Group -- http://www.phillylinux.org
> Announcements - http://lists.phillylinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug-announce
> General Discussion -- http://lists.phillylinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
>
___________________________________________________________________________
Philadelphia Linux Users Group -- http://www.phillylinux.org
Announcements - http://lists.phillylinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug-announce
General Discussion -- http://lists.phillylinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
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