ISPs: The Best Speed for Your Money?
Posted by ecoshift on May 30, 2008
There’s been a fair amount of emphasis on the importance of broadband access as one way to help level the economic playing field for rural areas in recent campaign statements. I thought those of you paying $70 and up for slow-speed broadband might be interested in the article below.
Fiber/FiOS: ISPs: The Best Speed for Your Money,
by Ben Hardy – Electronic House Info and Answers
Unsure how much internet speed you need? Here’s a look at what the major providers have to offer.
May 30, 2008 | by Ben Hardy
The World Wide Web is the place to be, and the options for getting there have never been greater. We’ve investigated the deals, the speeds, and the availability to help consumers choose a high-speed bandwagon to jump on.Comparison Points
When placing an internet service provider under the microscope, we’re looking for a few things, including price, speed, and availability. Today’s ISPs are giving consumers a wide range of choices regarding the first two categories. It is not uncommon to see two or three “packages” to choose from, with the more expensive options bringing faster upstream and downstream speeds.We’d all love fiber optic run to our premises, but let’s face it: currently only a select few in our country have access, so availability is a crucial comparison point when stacking providers up against one another. You might have the fastest speeds, but what do I care if I can’t get it? …
Cable Broadband
As with any deal, it’s good to read the cable company’s fine print. For example, Comcast’s website advertises rates applicable only to existing customers (i.e. those currently subscribing to either digital voice or cable services). The table below lists rates for internet only followed by the rate if coupled with some other service. To cover rates for all the permutations (those with Comcast video but no internet, those with Comcast voice but no internet, those who have no subscription with Comcast, etc.) we’d need a much bigger table….
| Package Name | Cost per Month | Speed Down / Up | Addresses / Storage | Extras | Availability |
| Comcast High-Speed Internet Basic | $39.95 / $24.95 | 786 Kbps / 382 Kbps | 7 | Free McAfee Security | Roughly 25 states |
| Comcast Performance High-Speed Internet | $59.95 / $52.95 | 6.0 Mbps / 348 Kbps | 7, and 175MB online file storage | Free McAfee Security, free streaming audio through Rhapsody | Roughly 25 states |
| Comcast Performance PLUS High-Speed Internet | $67.95 / $52.95 | 8.0 Mbps / 768 Kbps | 7, and 175MB online file storage | Free McAfee Security, free streaming audio through Rhapsody | Roughly 25 states |
| Charter HSI | $54.95 / $44.95 | 5 Mbps / 512 Kbps | 10, 1G storage limit per box | F-Secure Security, Parental control, 20MB personal webpage | |
| Charter HSI Plus | $59.95 / $49.95 | 10 Mbps / 1 Mbps | 10, 1G storage limit per box | F-Secure Security, Parental control, 20MB personal webpage | |
| Charter HSI Max | $79.95 / $69.95 | 16 Mbps / 2 Mbps | 10, 1G storage limit per box | Protection, 24/7 free technical support, no modem fees | |
| Time Warner Road Runner Basic | $29.95 | 1.5 Mbps / 384 Kbps | 3 | Protection, 24/7 free technical support, no modem fees | 31 States |
| Time Warner Road Runner Standard | $44.95 | 10 Mbps / 1 Mbps | 10 | Protection, 24/7 free technical support, no modem fees | 31 States |
| Time Warner Road Runner Turbo | $59.90 (Currently on a $39.90 1-year promotion) | 15 Mbps / 2 Mbps | 25 | Protection, 24/7 free technical support, no modem fees | 31 States |
| Cox Economy | $16.99 | 768 Kbps | 7 | McAfee Security, 70MB of personal WebSpace | 15 States |
| Cox Value | $26.99 | 1.5 Mbps | 7 | McAfee Security, 70MB of personal WebSpace | 15 States |
| Cox Preferred | $41.99 (currently on a $25.95 6-month promotion) | 10 Mbps / 2 Mbps | 7 | McAfee Security, 70MB of personal WebSpace | 15 States |
| Cox Premier | $51.99 (currently on a $39.95 6-month promotion) | 20 Mbps / 2 Mbps | 7 | McAfee Security, 70MB of personal WebSpace | 15 States |
DSL
Speed-wise, DSL sits somewhere between fast dial-up and cable broadband. The cost for DSL service is usually a little cheaper than cable as well, though companies will offer promotional rates and waived fees from time-to time, just as with any other service.
| Package Name | Cost per Month | Speed Down / Up | Addresses / Storage | Extras | Availability |
| Verizon High- Speed Internet Starter | $19.99 (first month free) | 768 Kbps / 128 Kbps | 9 | 10 MB for personal web page, 24/7 live technical support | 25 states |
| Verizon High- Speed Internet Power | $29.99 (first month free) | 3.0 Mbps / 368 Kbps | 9 | 10 MB for personal web page, 24/7 live technical support | 25 states |
| Verizon High- Speed Internet 7.0 Mbps DSL | $39.99 | 7.0 Mbps | 9, 4GB storage | Verizon Internet Security Suite | 12 States |
| AT&T Basic DSL | $19.95 | 768 Kbps/ 384 Kbps | 11 | All-in-one Protection Suite, Webbased email | |
| AT&T Express DSL | $25.00 | 1.5 Mbps / 384 Kbps | 11 | All-in-one Protection Suite, Webbased email | |
| AT&T Pro DSL | $30.00 | 3.0 Mbps / 512 Kbps | 11 | All-in-one Protection Suite, Webbased email | |
| AT&T Elite DSL | $35.00 | 6.0 Mbps / 768 Kbps | 11 | All-in-one Protection Suite, Webbased email |
