I’d just like to say that Verizon DSL is really really unreliable. You pays your money ($29.95/month after the introductory offer) and you takes your chances. It “delivers” the internet like Newman on Seinfeld delivered the mail … slowly and arbitrarily. And appropriately, it stopped working while I was trying to send this post!
Wasn’t that Telecom Act of 1996 a great deal? Isn’t it great how much competition there is in internet providers, and how cheap and available broadband internet is? Like, in Medford, we must have a bunch of cable internet providers… let me count them … one, one, one, one — I’m getting somewhere now — one, one, one …
I’m so glad we had Bill Clinton around to sign that bill in 1996, because it totally would have sucked otherwise.
But I’ve had Verizon DSL out here in the big woods for 2 years and I haven’t had any problems ever.
<
p>
I wished I could say the same about Blogger. It’s been nuthin’ but a headache from the beginning.
I have to say, I think it’s a question of area — here in Waltham, I’ve found Verizon DSL to be much better than Comcast’s cable modem service was. But you’ll get no argument that telecom law in the past couple of decades has been a joke, when it comes to looking after consumers’ interests.
I am prepared to be corrected, but it was my distinct impression that the Clinton Bill said each town had a choice: one provider or two.
<
p>
The correct answer is ‘two’. It’s called competition.
with Verizon DSL in Brookline. YRMV.
<
p>
I have heard lots of nasty stories about Comcast though.
When I lived in Belmont, Verison DSL was out more often than it worked.
<
p>
If I recall correctly, our own Ed Markey had a starring role in that 1996 Telecommunications debacle.
We’ve been Verizon DSL customers since they rolled it out in Gloucester, which was at least six years ago. My one criticism, getting the initial connection to work at the house was a real trial (I think I’m an honorary union member because of the time I spent working with tech support); had the cable company offered broadband at the time they would have lost us. There was a spooky reenactment of this a few years later when we moved literally half a mile and transferred the service to our new home.
<
p>
Other than that, the service has been excellent, almost without interruption. The one time I remember it going down we were promptly given dial-up access and the problem was resolved quickly.
Depending on what kind of loss of service you’re talking about, it could be your modem. My DSL modem looses its IP address an average of 10-12 times per week. The old DSL modem I had (when I lived in the same apartment, but a different roommate had Verizon in his name) never had that problem. I am convinced it’s the modem, since all that’s changed is that Verizon made me create a new account and wait 4 weeks to get DSL so they could send me a new modem when my roommate moved out. However, I haven’t yet tried to upgrade the firmware or do anything about it, because I’m frankly just too damn busy and it’s easier renewing an IP address than dealing with all of that.
But yes, I hate Verizon. Not least of which because I’m convinced they had a hand in this website that spreads complete lies about a bill that is intended to help consumers combat the cell phone monopoly and make them better able to protect themselves (1 year maximum contract length anyone?)
I’ve been pretty happy with Comcast. We don’t have problems with service interruptions, and the couple of times I’ve needed someone to come check things out (like when our modem crapped out, or when the cable line got knocked down in a storm) they’ve been very responsive and have come when they said they would. And when I’ve called with questions, they actually answer the phone.
<
p>
So it may be a dictatorship, but so far it at least appears to be a benevolent one. 🙂
I’ll be my usually grumpy self. Both Verizon and Comcast have been a pain.
<
p>
I live in Boston’s JP neighborhood, but you’d think it was in Lower Dogpatch. Verizon has refused me DSL for years. It routes our land line six miles away into Roxbury. It said that was way too far from the central office switch for DSL. Yet, we live a short distance from the Roslindale switch. They refuse to sell us a number that goes there and could have DSL.
<
p>
A cable service ran TV lines in our neighborhood for years and refused to add data service. It claimed that, even without surveying the customers, not enough of us would be interested to make it worth their while.
<
p>
When AT&T took it over, I tried to badger them. After three years, they finally agreed and we got broadband.
<
p>
Then ComCast bought their lines. Very quickly they changed from basically unlimited IPs from DHCP connections to one, unless you wanted to cough up an extra $15 a month for them to set up a wireless box. Otherwise, they expect you to unplug a computer from the modem, plug in another one and reboot both modem and PC.
<
p>
I’m too geeky to fall for that, but they made it hard.
<
p>
ComCast servers go down every few months or so. They have also put too many people on for the pipe size and slowed evening and weekend speed drastically (there’s the real jusification for those slower DSL lines).
<
p>
After more screaming, calls and letters, I got put on a bigger set of servers.
<
p>
Who knows what their next trick will be?
<
p>
I do know that people in the burbs have more choices than many of us do in town. Maybe living in East Dogpatch would have been easier.
It’s called DirectTV.
<
p>
I had Verizon DSL at my old house and it worked fine. For some reason, it isn’t available where I live now, forcing a change to Adelphia for my internet service. Which also works fine.
<
p>
The switch, however, was one of the biggest messes I’ve ever been involved with, owing to Verizon’s ineptitude, starting with the fact that when I first inquired about moving my DSL service, the idiot on the other end didn’t think it necessary to tell me the service wasn’t available in my new neighborhood. It took my service going out in my old home for me to learn that. Getting it turned back on for the last few weeks For Verizon, switching the service back on was a feat akin to the moon landing.
<
p>