Top 10 Broadband Industry GripesNumber one: Ditch the Caps! ( old news - 03:01PM Thursday Apr 14 2005) tags: Op/Ed · BBR-News We've been counting down what we believe to be the top ten problems that beset the United States broadband industry, one problem at a time. Gripe Number One: Ditch the Caps! Your speed promises mean nothing if your service is capped, throttled, or otherwise restricted. Not only are many ISPs imposing caps, they aren't clearly telling customers what they are, and booting them for crossing an invisible bandwidth consumption line. You proudly proclaim that faster speeds make you the ISP we should choose, then you bury provisions in your TOS that effectively take that bandwidth away from us (potentially resulting in account termination) should we download a Linux ISO and a few too many episodes of "Desperate Housewives."Instead of upgrading capacity, some ISPs, like Shaw, have started using packet shaping hardware to throttle specific applications like Bit Torrent, which comprises a third of net traffic (not all of which is illegitimate). When Optimum On-line tried this, our users quickly set them straight. The future of the internet isn't jpg files and text messages. It's massive file-swapping, huge video files, and oceans of data. You're in the business of providing bandwidth, which we pay handsomely for. Provide it, and get out of the way! #10 : Get out of the slow lane!
#9 : Stop hiding additional fees
#8 : Improved plans are not just for new customers
#7 : Treat technical support more seriously
#6 : Stop trying to kill the messengers
#5 : Fix it right the first time
#4 : Stop the anti-muni broadband campaigns and deploy
#3 : Join the battle against malware
#2 : Give us Naked DSL, stop ripping off customers who need just one service.
Related:- Response to 'Bogus Experts, Bogus Concern'
- Friday Open Thread
- New Year's Day Open Thread
- VoIP Dead, Not Dead, Depending Who You Ask
- Friday Open Thread
- ISPs Won't Admit Participation In New RIAA Plan
- Ex-Verizon Exec Testifies To Pennsylvania Corruption
- Verizon's Open Development Initiative? So Far It's A Joke
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 DavidJWood
Premium
join:2001-10-12
UK
edit:
April 14th, @02:37PM
| Capping in the UK This is interesting - in that UK broadband is heading increasingly towards higher speeds for the same money, but with caps.
My ISP, Zen, is one of the few UK broadband ISPs that isn't capping.
David | |
| 
Phil
Rojo Sol
Premium
join:2001-06-11
Camarillo, CA | DSL has no caps!  | |
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technick
Premium
join:2000-12-16
Loganville, GA | Re: DSL has no caps! No caps yet, but some providers in Canada, and other places have started capping DSL. You can also blame the crappy Cable Technology that is used for the caps. If it wasn't a shared resource, I doubt they would cap. | |
| | chesney09
Premium
join:2004-07-26
Redford, MI
clubs: | I am so tired of the Cable vs DSL BullSH!t peeing match.. It is so damn old and wornout. Who really care what you think is better.. To each their own and may it work best for them...
Good Gawd! | |
| | |
Phil
Rojo Sol
Premium
join:2001-06-11
Camarillo, CA
 ·DSL EXTREME
| Re: DSL has no caps! said by chesney09  :I am so tired of the Cable vs DSL BullSH!t peeing match.. It is so damn old and wornout. Who really care what you think is better.. To each their own and may it work best for them... Good Gawd! "ROAR!" 
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»www.ckt.com | |
| | | | 
keith2468
Premium,MVM
join:2001-02-03
Winnipeg, MB
edit:
April 14th, @11:38PM
| Without speed caps gamers out of luck Without speed caps, file transfers would suck up network capacity and gamers would see ping times soar.
It is a trade-off.
High data transfer rates for those downloading and uploading very large files, versus better response times for gamers and those using voice over IP to transmit small volumes of data. | |
| | Megladon13
join:2003-09-05
Minneapolis, MN
| Apparently neither does my time warner... I called asking about speed options for upgrading, and i asked what my cap would be for the various plans. She said to me "The only caps there are is how fast you can download, there are no other caps." I asked just to make sure, "There is no maximum amount of data transfer in 1 month?" She replied with a "NO" almost sounding upset that i kept asking. So, those with time warner rr there are no caps. | |
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Phil
Rojo Sol
Premium
join:2001-06-11
Camarillo, CA
·DSL EXTREME
| Re: DSL has no caps! said by Megladon13 :Apparently neither does my time warner... I called asking about speed options for upgrading, and i asked what my cap would be for the various plans. She said to me "The only caps there are is how fast you can download, there are no other caps." I asked just to make sure, "There is no maximum amount of data transfer in 1 month?" She replied with a "NO" almost sounding upset that i kept asking. So, those with time warner rr there are no caps. This was my original reason for stating DSL not having caps. This "gripe" applies to a very small percentage of people. I actually agree with other posters (although disagree with how they presented themselves) that this should not have ranked in the top 8.
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»www.ckt.com | |
| | | | | | | | | bassnguitar
join:2003-09-11
Imperial, MO
clubs: | Re: DSL has no caps! Since when did Charter start capping? I haven't read any anyone complaining about it. | |
| 
mrchris
America the pitiful
Premium
join:2002-10-01
North Babylon, NY |  Hey OOL
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ArchAngel21x
MacFan Pro
Premium
join:2001-10-28
Lincoln, NE | Re: Hey OOL You can't handle the upload cap! | |
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mrchris
America the pitiful
Premium
join:2002-10-01
North Babylon, NY
 ·Optimum Online
| Re: Hey OOL said by ArchAngel21x :You can't handle the upload cap! I never said I abused the upstream, I'm just ranting. | |
| | | | vic102482
Premium
join:2002-04-30
Upper Marlboro, MD | Re: Hey OOL sarcasm explaination:
ie YOU CANT HANDLE THE TRUTH
/sarcasm explaination;) | |
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ArchAngel21x
MacFan Pro
Premium
join:2001-10-28
Lincoln, NE
·Internet Nebraska
| Re: Hey OOL said by vic102482 :sarcasm explaination: ie YOU CANT HANDLE THE TRUTH /sarcasm explaination;) What he said.
--
Feminism has put great pressure on families by weakening women's commitments to children and marriages with the new commitment to career and independence. | |
| 
FTCXtreme
join:2005-03-14
New Braintree, MA
edit:
April 14th, @05:01PM
|  You Totally LOST YOUR CREDIBILITY!
TYPE FAST, and this is what i get :-( | |
| | 
koolman2
Premium
join:2002-10-01
Anchorage, AK | Re: You Totally LOST YOUR CREDIBILITY! Gee, someone seems to have had a suppository today... | |
| | | AquaBlaze
Premium
join:2004-02-02
Encino, CA | Re: You Totally LOST YOUR CREDIBILITY! Or is in dire need of one...either way. | |
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Minister
join:2002-01-02
Fleeting | Ridiculous is spelled with an I, Mr. Credibility.
And Availability appears to be addressed in complaint number four. | |
| | | 
Voyager2K2
join:2001-10-04
Wayne, PA | Re: You Totally LOST YOUR CREDIBILITY! Don't you just love teen-aged spelling bitches? | |
| | 
DaSneaky1D
one wall to block them all
Premium,MVM
join:2001-03-29
The Lou
·Charter Pipeline
| For a large portion of people, some sort of broadband access is available. Their point isn't invalid at all.
For those that it is available to, imagine paying for a service...then being told that you can use it. That is a very BIG problem. Everyone makes fun of AOL and how they, effectively, wall off the "real Internet", yet, major broadband ISP's are doing just that.
Instead of giving you enough to do within their own domain (as AOL does), they will cut you off when you actually try to use your connection.
Liken this to your parents telling you to play in your big backyard with a swingset and pool (AOL) and the "Truman Show". With AOL you know what your limits are, and when you grow up you can play elsewhere. With caps and throttling, the big, broadband world looks huge...then your boat hits the wall.
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] :: my trivial ramblings :: [ | |
| | pbaldwin
join:2002-12-17
Dupo, IL | Although I think you're a little too upset...:D
I agree the number one problem is availability. I am very interested why it didn't make the top ten on BBR????????? | |
| | 
blackjeep
join:2001-07-12
Atlanta, GA | Talk about a loss of credibility! Slow down....Take a deep Breath....Talk, er I mean type slower and more clearly, okay? | |
| | JSRoman
Premium
join:2005-03-10
Callahan, FL
| Someone needs a Valium. I do agree that caps aren't that big a deal. If you don't have any broadband options than you really don't give a rat's ass about capping or anything else in the top 10.
May I might suggest spell check before posting next time. Thanks for laugh. PARTY ON! | |
| | 
lyls
@tele.dk | yeah calling him someone who is probably more knowledgeable than yourself a moron because availability is YOUR number one issue makes it all better | |
| |
FTCXtreme
join:2005-03-14
New Braintree, MA
| Shut it. Availabilty is braodband number one issue. It didn't even make the top ten list, thats kinda bullsh1t. Naked DSL made the top ten list, Wow naked DSL, who cares atleast you can get it. You guys take your connections for granted, and start bitching about how "SLOW" your speeds are, CAPS, the price of broadband. Get a grip. Those of us still on 56k, would gladly take your connection with a cap, or $50 cable. Stop being a cry baby, while you may pay $30-$50 for you broadband some are paying $1,000 for T1, or $90 for ISDN. And also, I thought BBR was for all "Internet Enthuseist", Broadband users and Broadband hopefuls. It's kinda B.S. how availability, didn't make the top ten. | |
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koolman2
Premium
join:2002-10-01
Anchorage, AK
·GCI.net
 ·Clearwire Wireless
| Re: You Totally LOST YOUR CREDIBILITY! Try reading #4: »US Broadband Industry, Are You Listening?
It states pretty much that they need to deploy. Oh wait, I forgot, you're a 14-year-old crybaby who can't play in a 300-500ms ping. Please, I used to play in 700ms ping in Tribes where the entire game was server-side based, and I was still considered a pretty good player.
Stop whining and deal with it. You'll get your broadband in due time. Granted, 56k sucks, but it's better than no internet whatsoever. Meanwhile, explore other options, such as Satellite, ISDN, Wireless, multi-link, etc. If there are enough people around you, you may be able to break even with getting a fractional T1 and providing wireless internet to those around you.
--
A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk, I have a work station. | |
|
ArchAngel21x
MacFan Pro
Premium
join:2001-10-28
Lincoln, NE | Surprised It seems to me that poor upload speed the main complaint. | |
| | 
djrobx
join:2000-05-31
Valencia, CA | Re: Surprised That was handled at #10 - Get out of the slow lane!
-- Rob
--
\\ROB - a part of the SCB local network | |
|
RichC_C
@mitre.org | #1? 3 weeks for THIS?! What a letdown. This whole list could have been done in one day. | |
| 
BigCreek
God Is Good.
Premium
join:2002-06-25
Heber Springs, AR | Availability. Availability. Availability Did I mention availability. | |
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FTCXtreme
join:2005-03-14
New Braintree, MA | Re: Availability. Availability. Availability AGREED | |
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SammyBK
I'D Rather Be Skiing
join:2000-09-07
Los Angeles, CA
·RoadRunner Cable
| Re: CAPS ArE TEH LAME KTHX Haha, 9000MB a week, that is pretty weak. My IT department limits us to 10GB/24hours or 3.5GB/2hours and that is a soft limit; you only get called in if you repeatadly abuse the policy. One day of downloading 130GB will not get you busted:).
On the other hand, my old cable company's ISP, 'CableRocket' had something ridiculous like a 5GB per month cap for total data crossing the modem. It makes me happy to see my cable company (»www.wbcable.com )ditched cable rocket to create their own, faster, uncapped broadband (also cheaper at $24/month with Digital Cable) As much as I hate to say it, Willamette Broadband seems to have done the right thing - Priced their package at $39/month, and then gives deep discounts for having various cable packages, not going Comcast style and having a base price of $45 (with modem) and jumping up to $60 with no cable TV.
--
Sam Kislevitz//Look//For//The//Oven//http://www.difs.tk --The Revolution Begins-- | |
| |
keith2468
Premium,MVM
join:2001-02-03
Winnipeg, MB
| Throttling is a better way to go.
- Give priority to traffic that looks like it is gaming or voice over IP.
- Give video conferencing a second level of priority.
- Give video surfing and modest file transfers a third level.
- And let massive file transfers use whatever capacity is left over.
But there are 2 problems with this.
1. It requires more computing capacity in the network devices to figure out what to give priority to.
2. It would only be a few weeks before someone published some tool for giving feature-length movie file transfers priority like a gamer or voice over IP.
--
(Virus&Hijacking FAQ + Submit suspected malware + Backups FAQ + Security FAQ TOC) | |
| 
icp1
Premium
join:2000-10-13
Saint Louis, MO
clubs: | Good series I liked this series of "articles" a lot. While we may not all agree on the numbering, I think your analysis of each individual item was right on.
Thumbs up from me | |
| null
lol
Premium
join:2002-04-12
Brooklyn, NY
| Best News Article I've read I have no comment on the caps because I am not capped, I download as much as I want and don't get capped, seems im lucky, anyway, this has been the best news article i've seen in a while bravo.
--
Politics in America:"I think the puppet on the right shares my beliefs. I think the puppet on the left is more to my liking. Hey, wait a minute, there's one guy holding both puppets." | |
| flushls
join:2004-11-02
Joyce, WA | Backhaul cost My backhaul cost me 250-400 per meg on fibre as you buy more it gets cheaper but still it is my second biggest expense. | |
| seaman
Premium
join:2000-12-08
Seattle, WA
| Caps are not cool Caps are the modern day broadband equivalent of the ol' bait and switch technique.
As fas as *access* is concerned I would estimate 99% of the earth's surface is now served by some form of broadband whether it's DSL, Cable, BPL, Wi-Fi or SATELLITE.
If *low-cost* broadband service is not available in your area it's time to pony up the extra dough for higher speeds OR it's time to move out of the jungle and back to civilization. | |
| | 
jwersan
R.I.P. Mom, Brian, Ziggy, and RichK1957
Premium
join:2004-12-20
Port Jefferson Station, NY
clubs:
·Optimum Online
| Re: Caps are not cool said by seaman :As fas as *access* is concerned I would estimate 99% of the earth's surface is now served by some form of broadband whether it's DSL, Cable, BPL, Wi-Fi or SATELLITE. If *low-cost* broadband service is not available in your area it's time to pony up the extra dough for higher speeds OR it's time to move out of the jungle and back to civilization. You hit that one right on the head, broadband is available to almost EVERYONE, low cost access, and I do NOT consider $50 a month low cost, is another story. Advertising one speed, but limiting you when you try to use it is WRONG.... | |
| | evoxfan
Waiting On Dsl Or Cable
join:2004-02-12
Daleville, AL
·Sprint Mobile Broa..
| said by seaman :As fas as *access* is concerned I would estimate 99% of the earth's surface is now served by some form of broadband whether it's DSL, Cable, BPL, Wi-Fi or SATELLITE. Satellite is not "true" broadband. You get low speeds( 400/40 is the average) and the latency makes gaming as well as other applications impossible. DSL, Cable, Wireless, T1, Fiber...are real broadband connections. Take satellite out and how many people is broadband available to?
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WinXP_Home SP2, 1.8GHz P4, 512DDR, DAK421_P15, DW4000 Two-Way, SRS, SatMex5, 1130MHz, Proxy on, DrTCP. | |
| | | seaman
Premium
join:2000-12-08
Seattle, WA
| Re: Caps are not cool Actually, I setup a satellite system on a 180ft yacht last Friday. And yes, it sucked, but there arent any other options where that ship is headed. I also set up another satellite system in my own neighborhood for a guy that hates Comcast. His download is several times faster than the average dialup connection.
I stick by my original statement. 400 down *does* qualify as broadband. Is satellite a workable solution for gaming or file trading? Obviously not. | |
| |
BigCreek
God Is Good.
Premium
join:2002-06-25
Heber Springs, AR
| said by seaman :As fas as *access* is concerned I would estimate 99% of the earth's surface is now served by some form of broadband whether it's DSL, Cable, BPL, Wi-Fi or SATELLITE. You've obviously never used SATELLITE if you think it is broadband. It's a more frustrating form of dial-up.
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SBC Pro Static DSL; Linux. Terrific wife & kids; live on a farm by Big Creek. Software & network consultant. | |
| 
csnewbie
join:2001-02-12
Atlanta, GA
| this should be toward COMCRAP stupid caps, the cable or dsl provider should just tell you up front if they caps so people can stay the hell away from them instead of hiding it behind their TOS. Once you hit that limit, you get a call from COMCRAP person reading a script about how you're abusing bandwidth then giving everyone the same number; i don't think it's wrong to use a service you paid for. | |
| 
clickwir
join:2001-06-21
Dickson City, PA | my list #4, stop using the term caps for quota's It would be more accurate to call it a quota and not a cap. This is specifically talking about one kind of limit, a quota limit. | |
| | 
vpoko
Premium
join:2003-07-03
Jamaica Plain, MA | Re: my list #4, stop using the term caps for quota's What's the difference between a cap and a quota? | |
| | |
csnewbie
join:2001-02-12
Atlanta, GA | Re: my list #4, stop using the term caps for quota cap is more used in terms of speed, quota is usage/download limit i guess | |
| 
P Ness
You'Ve Forgotten 9-11 Already
Premium
join:2001-08-29
Cromwell, CT
clubs:
| Availbility is not an issue Cheap,low ping Availability is more like it.
Everyone can get high speed internet...YES EVERYONE!
Sat, DSL, Cable, Wireless, T1, T3, Cell high Speed, Ect
So you dont like the price of Sat? Pings too High. Well then its not availability, its preference.
High speed does not mean, low pings. Get over it! you can even run a 200' line to another location if you dont have line of sight.
SOOO STFU!
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www.stopfcc.comI do not think the government needs to restrict free speech especially on a device that has an off knob. | |
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FTCXtreme
join:2005-03-14
New Braintree, MA
| Re: Availbility is not an issue Okay buddy, and you beleive 200 one way is broadband, No its not, Most people Consider broadband 768k downp, 100k up, which shoudl be the FCCs definition of broadband. Sattelite is not even broadband, if you consider it broadband, you're a complete moron, Sattelite has pings worse then dial up and is barely able to reach 128k up, and thats if you wanna pay ALOT of money. As for T1s, THATS $1,000! You have a valid arguement, but availabality is a problem, well atleast affordable availabilty, thats worth the money. | |
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djrobx
join:2000-05-31
Valencia, CA
 ·AT&T U-Verse
 ·AT&T CallVantage
·Time Warner VOIP
·RoadRunner Cable
·DSL EXTREME
edit:
April 14th, @05:50PM
| Re: Availbility is not an issue The biggest problems with satellite internet seem to be high hardware costs, low upload speeds, capacity issues (FAP), and reliability, all of which aren't really inherent technical limitations. As you pointed out, you can pay more to get a more respectable upload. I would really like to see the quality of DirecWay or one of its competitors improved to the point where it was more affordable, viable, reliable and had better performance for the broadband have-nots.
This discussion is touching on the need for broadband subsidies to areas where it isn't financially profitable for an independent business. Because of that, I think it's important that we pinpoint what are broadband necessities versus luxuries. I agree that dialup doesn't cut it, because it's just too slow to download needed security updates and anti-virus updates, educational videos and modern day media rich websites. Satellite works for all of those tasks. I've even used remote desktop through DirecWay and it was surprisingly usable.
About the only thing you can't do with satellite internet is play games and VOIP quality will be laggy. Browsing is definitely slower, but not unacceptably so. Most home users are primarily interested in VOIP for cost cutting reasons as this point, the land lines are still avaialble for use. Getting true landline or land-wireless-based services is preferable, but DirecWay does perform much better than dialup if you need access. You're calling people morons, but you haven't bothered to define why satellite can't be considered broadband. It can even meet your 768/100 requirement. A triple digit ping result by itself isn't an acceptable answer. I'm just not sure America needs to subsidize low-ping connectivity so Farmer John's kids can play Counterstrike, unless you can give me a more compellling reason why they need it.
--
\\ROB - a part of the SCB local network | |
| |
BigCreek
God Is Good.
Premium
join:2002-06-25
Heber Springs, AR
| said by P Ness :Cheap,low ping Availability is more like it. Everyone can get high speed internet...YES EVERYONE! Sat, DSL, Cable, Wireless, T1, T3, Cell high Speed, Ect So you dont like the price of Sat? Pings too High. Well then its not availability, its preference. High speed does not mean, low pings. Get over it! you can even run a 200' line to another location if you dont have line of sight. SOOO STFU! You don't even begin to know what you're talking about.
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SBC Pro Static DSL; Linux. Terrific wife & kids; live on a farm by Big Creek. Software & network consultant. | |
| | | evoxfan
Waiting On Dsl Or Cable
join:2004-02-12
Daleville, AL
·Sprint Mobile Broa..
| Re: Availbility is not an issue said by BigCreek :said by P Ness :Cheap,low ping Availability is more like it. Everyone can get high speed internet...YES EVERYONE! Sat, DSL, Cable, Wireless, T1, T3, Cell high Speed, Ect So you dont like the price of Sat? Pings too High. Well then its not availability, its preference. High speed does not mean, low pings. Get over it! you can even run a 200' line to another location if you dont have line of sight. SOOO STFU! You don't even begin to know what you're talking about. Agreed.
Believe me I don't "prefer" satellite. That's my only option to dialing up. You live with it for a while and maybe you'd be thankful for your cable connection. Most people take broadband for granted.
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WinXP_Home SP2, 1.8GHz P4, 512DDR, DAK421_P15, DW4000 Two-Way, SRS, SatMex5, 1130MHz, Proxy on, DrTCP. | |
| |
FTCXtreme
join:2005-03-14
New Braintree, MA
| I just dont like the ping. All im asking for is 768k DSL package thats it. Sattelite is a decent service but not what I would call broadband. Ping times have alot to do with broadband. It just annoys me how these companies try to prevent munis, even in communities that they dont provide to, and the say it takes away from their customer base. Real good customer base, you dont even provide it to those people. The real reason I dont consider Sattelite broadban is because of its faults, high pings, low upload, outragous equipment setup prices. High monthly fees. And the farmer John comment, that was a little uncalled for, how about I call everyone in high developed areas, Welfare Jamal, or Yuppie Henry? If it weren't for government stepping in we wouldn't have telephones in some areas. You just dont understand, being stuck with dial up. Theres alot of thigns I wish I could, network PCs and share internet connection, Play on Xbox live, Be able to download things. I wanna be part of the broadband revolution, not stuck in supernarrowassband. You're right I dont need broadban theres more to life than broadband, some people wouldn't understand because their fat, live on their computer, pale as hell, and make fun of microsoft while reading their batman comic books. I just like the idea of Gaming on a decent connection. Since Im always the one in servers, beign booted, for bogging down the connection. Later yuppie-hanry. | |
| 
IronChefMoto
Premium
join:2001-02-08
Alpharetta, GA
| Caps? I've been waiting for THIS as the #1? Priorities seem a little off here, particularly skewed to the end-OVER-user of broadband services.
Why the fuck do I (assuming I was an ISP) want to invest in expensive infrastructure when I can CAP a small percentage group of people who probably should ante up and pay for friggin' T1s to their homes/businesses to satisfy their crack...er...broadband addiction (or a legitimate home office need)?
Fucking BBR -- you seem to have a legitimate series going and then throw a "But...but...but...MOMMY! They cut off my p0rn downloads! I'm telling!" friggin' #1. If anything, your naked DSL issue should've been at the top, given the rest of the list. What a friggin' joke of a series to have ended with THAT.
Crybabies -- ante the fuck up for T1 services if you MUST download/upload that much shit in a given month.
IronChefMorimoto
--
Shuttle SK83G | AMD Athlon64 3400+ / Abit NF7-S 2.0 | AMD AthlonXP 2500+
Shuttle SK41G | Athlon XP 1800+ / Dell Latitude C810 | Intel PIII-M | |
| |
Voyager2K2
join:2001-10-04
Wayne, PA
edit:
April 14th, @10:38PM
| Re: Caps? I've been waiting for THIS as the #1? Because dipshit the ISPs are selling their service as unlimited only to pull the carpet out from under from a heavy user underhandedly pulling the TOS card.
It's dishonest in case you didn't realize it.
If you are going to limit me to x amount of download/upload usage SAY SO UPFRONT.
The ISPs are the crybabies offering a service that they are unable/unwilling to provide.
Some do live up to their promise of unlimited, some don't.
We find out here at DSL Reports anyway and make our choices (if we have one).
Too bad all prospective subscribers don't know the real facts before committing to service.
#1 SHOULD be titled "The Lies Broadband Providers Tell" | |
| | |
IronChefMoto
Premium
join:2001-02-08
Alpharetta, GA
| Re: Caps? I've been waiting for THIS as the #1? said by Voyager2K2 :#1 SHOULD be titled "The Lies Broadband Providers Tell" That's about the only thing I agree with. 
IronChefMorimoto
--
Shuttle SK83G | AMD Athlon64 3400+ / Abit NF7-S 2.0 | AMD AthlonXP 2500+
Shuttle SK41G | Athlon XP 1800+ / Dell Latitude C810 | Intel PIII-M | |
| | | 
techjoe
Premium
join:2004-02-20
Worth, IL
·Sprint Mobile Broa..
| Common sense should apply here, however. Read the contract you enter (duh) and you'll find that you are expected to be respectful to your neighbors, as any decent person should consider being. That said, if you have a legit buisness need, there are uncapped accounts for such needs available at the appropiate price levels. If you're sucking warez all day from mom's basement, you deserve to be force to change addictions or face the pains of dialup.
Availability is a huge concern, but the average bbr junkie already has broadband. This isn't dialupreports, this is broadbandreports/DSLreports.
Options ARE available to those of us out of luck via wireless, fiber, sat latency, cable, adsl/sdsl. ISDN, or IDSL. ISDN is limited to 128kbit if you get both channels, and the ISPs offering quality ISDN service at a reasonable price are quickly dropping in numbers. Multilinking is not broadband, so that's quickly out as well. That leaves my good old bastard child of a service. I'm currently on a 149.99/month IDSL (144/144 kbit) package. Why, you may ask? Oh, so I can game an hour or two a night, download patches in minutes/hours rather than days, and the "normal" things most BBR'ers take for granted. Ever try to help out someone via PCAnywhere/Remote Desktop over a dialup or sat? HAH! Dream on. I, along with anyone else in my boat, surely wish dialup was "good enough" but unfortunatly it just isn't. There is no wild card for access just yet, and until then the big boys will just sit on what they have so long as it keeps producing usable cash flow.
Sure, I can get by now, but I'm paying over $1 per kbit to do so.  Sure, I could move, but that's just retarded. I could literally move across the street (if the money fell from the sky) and have over 8mbit of bandwidth for what I'm paying here. All because SBC doesn't believe in RTs anymore, nor stringing a simple piece of line across the street instead of going down a few miles and around to god-knows-where.
So, it is more important for the bandwidth hogs to keep forcing providors to raise rates on your typical broadband rather than to save them money, so that they can afford to roll out better service to you and expand their coverage areas? That's basicly what you guys are crying here, and what this little list claims, but this is biased towards the broadband addict crowd whom are accustomed to having broadband 24/7/365. MORE MORE MORE!
And for the record, I was one of the first in my area to have @home when it first came around. We didn't even get billed for a few months, and it was great. I had sub 20 pings to dozens of game servers at all times, tight to the cap downloads and uploads, and even moved _4_ times at the least across town and had just as good of a connection for over 3 years. I went through the @home fallout, attbi, comcast, etc and all in all loved it to death. I've been on IDSL for over a year, and trust me, I took cable for granted oh too much. As painful as it was, I moved on the exact same day the 3.3mbit comcast upgrade occured in our area. The SAME day. Since then, I'm sitting on a good moment 25ms from my first hop, with a whooping 16.7kbyte download. For over 2x as much as most of you pay. Why so much? Because they can. There's no way in hell it costs Covad+SBC this much to provide such a tiny amount of bandwidth (and I don't even really do long/large downloads here because of the time involved), but they can milk it for all its worth.
That's OK with you guys though, but them enforcing a quality of service control upon the users that are dragging the network down is soooo bad. If you think ISPs are going to say, OK we're going to let everyone suck 100% of their SHARED bandwidth 24/7/365, and our magic wand will bring everyones latency down, all while still charging the same "too-high" of rates, you are seriously out of your minds.
2p and some assorted change. 
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NeO_JAW
Arsenal Are No1
Premium
join:2002-01-24
Surrey, UK
clubs:
| Improved plans are not just for new customers We sort of have this problem in the UK, we have to wait ages for the free upgrade, and while we do this we are still charged the higher price even if its for 3-5 months. I think this is wrong, we should all pay the same price. Or am I just being a cheap skate? Either way, Its like day light robery
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»www.swordmart.co.uk - My new project! | |
| | impulse922
join:2004-12-05
38507 | cable bs in US My cable company caps me to 500kb/s after dling 338mb /hour or caps uploadin to 100kb/s after 28 mb /hour..it sucks i would go dsl but it costs more :-( | |
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Good Job on the Top 10 Karl!