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Caveat Emptor
Premium
join:2002-12-03
United State
 ·CenturyLink
| Tri-City and Broadband
My Wireless Broadband provider is the local water company. They give good service at a fair price. The service is about six months old and they've had their bumps. Overall I think the crew does a pretty darned good job. What is important to me is that they try, they don't just give lip service which is S.O.P. with most providers in this area.
Initially I tried to install DSL. The software would not install correctly, and after 18 hours in queue one weekend during which I talked to three clueless souls, I declared a mis-trial and sent it all back. Then I walked across the street to Cox Cable.
I had their Internet service for 120 days before the lines were over sold. It was glorious. After eighteen months of latency problems and excuses I changed to their low-band offering. I wasn't very surprised to find that very little changed, but my wallet was a little fatter each month, so that was a plus. When I left Cox my downloads were ten times the speed of a 56k - sometimes. Most of the time it my speed was closer a dial up connection.
My Wireless provider gives us 1500/1500. When the Internet is crowded I get anywhere from 300-600 up, but late at night I can easily pull 1200 or more down.
I predict city owned Internet services will not only thrive but will do well in the long haul as long as they remember that not all potential customers can afford, or want to spend $60 a month to get pictures of their grandkids in email.
My city confronted this problem head on a long time ago. They offer unlimited dialup for $15.95 and Wireless for $39.95. We think for a town of 10,000 it's a steal. |
