Why your broadband is slow (if you can get it) and why it cost more than 26.00 a month.

[TalkingDog]

Hint: You can thank a Corporatist Republican (but I repeat myself)

http://corp.sonic.net/ceo/2011/03/05/why-your-broadband-is-so-slow/


In 1996, the US Congress kicked off the broadband revolution when it passed the Telecom Act. The 1996 Act created a level playing field for competitive carriers, and brought about widespread deployment of DSL and other broadband technologies.

Then in 2003 and 2004, the then Republican led FCC reversed course, removing shared access to essential fiber infrastructure for competitive carriers and codifying instead a policy of exclusive use and “multi-modal competition”.

[UTUSN]

1. K&R big #5. Is DSL the same as broadband?

I've never, no matter the machine or software, been able to experience what most of you high-techies do: A measley YouTube here and there. First it was Dial-Up, then it was Vista, whatever. When I got DSL and Windows 7 I thought the high-life had arrived!1 Wrong!1 Recently the reply I've gotten is that it has to do with my connection speed. My locally-owned internet provider says I've got the highest speed they offer. Wah-wah-WAH!1

[hobbit709]

2. Check your connection speed

http://www.speedtest.net/
and see how fast you are connected.

My (up to) 3 mbps is usually 2.5mbps on my DSL. Which has no problem letting me watch videos.

[Puzzler]

3. 26.54 Mbps for me...

... on a cable connection in BC.

[DemReadingDU]

4. How do I know what is a good speed?

I ran the test

Download speed: 18.13 Mbps

Upload speed: 0.49 Mbps

What do these numbers tell me?

edit for test results

[Puzzler]

5. I got .49 for the upload speed too

I agree, it would help if the site indicated how the results rated.

[hobbit709]

7. Upload speed is always limited to much lower than download.

you got a pretty good deal there.

My AT&T DSL will go up to 6 mbps if I give them another $10/mo or I can get 24 mbps if I sign up for thei U-Verse for even more money. My other option is Time-Warner Cable which will give me 6 mbps.

[WolverineDG]

12. AT&T won't even offer that down here

jerks. I'm seriously thinking of switching over to Road Runner, since they *do* offer higher speeds for the same price as AT&T.

dg

[jtrockville]

15. Not always, particularly with fiber.

You can get symmetrical speeds with VZ Fiber. The price isn't geared toward the average consumer though:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/18/verizon-unveils-new-fios-bundles-with-symmetrical-35mbps-pipes/

[hobbit709]

18. It's limited by the provider, not by technical reasons.

[jtrockville]

23. There are technical limitations.

Even fiber has more downstream than upstream capability, but since it's newer than DSL and cable, usage isn't pushing the limits yet. Cable is working to overcome this limitation with the implementation of DOCSIS 3, so cable providers are now starting to offer symmetrical packages.

[laundry_queen]

30. I got 12.58 for download

and .98 for upload, this is on my wireless (not sure if that makes a difference, I should try it on my hardwired computer). I'm in Alberta. I'm on a cheap student DSL plan.

[Morning Dew]

17. 2.98 down and 0.96 up

a C- grade.

[Spider Jerusalem]

21. Which is a sign that broadband in the US really, really sucks

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

25. 29.86/3.89 (cable)

Not too shabby...until I get the bill.

[JoeyT]

34. Hooray for satellite internet.

Seriously, before you move somewhere make *sure* you can get broadband in that area.



This isn't even the lowest tier, this is the $59.99 a month tier that claims to be 1.5m down, 250k up.

Edited to add: And no this isn't the throttled bandwidth. This is what they throttle from. Throttled I can't measure because connections time out before websites load. :P

[Paulie]

37. Mine is great, but I'm paying for it

Business Class service from Comcast. Pricey, no caps though, and when there is trouble they roll a truck in 4 hours. Gave up Cable TV to be able to switch from Residential to Business.

[nebenaube]

39. that's downstream

which is fine if you are only downloading. On the other hand, if you are trying to run a server or three the 400-750K going upstream sucks ass.



BTW: I'm the only one on the trunk line and only 500 feet from the main exchange.

[dixiegrrrrl]

27. "Is DSL the same as broadband?"

From Mediacom site FAQ on broadband:
What types of broadband service are there?

1. Cable or Cable Modem – The Internet service provided by a cable company. The Internet connection is provided on the same type of cable that you plug into your television for Cable TV service.
2. DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) – Transforms copper telephone lines into carriers of digital data. DSL uses the same copper wires that carry voice traffic to your telephone to carry high speed data.
3. Satellite – One-way high-speed Internet technology that uses satellites orbiting the Earth to transmit data downstream through a satellite dish attached to your home.

[Romulox]

6. Um, the OP links to an ad. nt

[Zax2me]

9. Right?! and look, 10 recs already....

Why? Because there was a supposed gop slam in the ad, OP post?
Not many read it I guess.

[dixiegrrrrl]

20. Not with Ad-block, it doesn't.

I rarely see ads anymore.:evilgrin:

[Romulox]

26. The entire blog post is an ad for an ISP called "sonic.net"

It's the text that's the ad!

[TalkingDog]

28. A blog with relevent information is an ad?

Yes, she mentions the company, but ... what's your point?

Me, I'm assuming people can differentiate self-promotion from valid information.

[Romulox]

29. "Sonic.net can reach nearly half of the homes and businesses in the Bay Area today with our..."

It's an ad because its message is primarily commercial in nature. :shrug:

"Sonic.net can reach nearly half of the homes and businesses in the Bay Area today with our Fusion Broadband + Phone service."

[TalkingDog]

31. see my post above. if you can't filter out the self-promotion

from the valid information, your interest in politics will be a rocky road indeed.

[Zax2me]

8. What exactly is the problem?

In 1996 I was paying 24.95 for dial up at my home residence.
Today, I pay two dollars less for high speed - same home.

So, faster today, cheaper today.
Leave me alone on this, I'm fine.

[msongs]

10. your situation is unusual nt

[Zax2me]

11. Okay...

But the article linked is still an ad.
And I wasn't aware my situation was rare - thought many were in same boat.

[jtrockville]

13. I have FiOS. VZ would not have built it if the law hadn't changed.

Prior to VZ's buildout, I testified before the Montgomery County MD county council asking them to build a municipal fiber system. In my view, since there is a physical limitation to how many providers can have their infrastructure on a single set of utility poles, it makes no sense to have each provider build their own separate infrastructure. It also locks us in to a monopoly, or at best a duopoly, based on who built first. Now that VZ built the fiber system, there's very little chance anyone else will build a second fiber system.

If we had common infrastructure, we could have a virtually unlimited number of providers. But that's not what the "big boys" wanted. And after all, our government's aim is to serve corporate people, not bodied people.

I've got no complaints about VZ's fiber. But it sure would be nice to have a choice.

[msongs]

16. internet needs to be a public utility w/control taken out of the hands of for profit monopolies nt

[jtrockville]

24. That would be true if we had a government that served bodied people.

[NV Whino]

14. My DSL connection is pathetic

[dixiegrrrrl]

22. Jesus, who are you with out there??

I am stuck in the middle of nowheres-ville, on Frontier phone lines, and get 3.15 mps download, plenty for
watching YouTube video, live Al Jazeera, etc.
for that we pay about 35.00 a month, wireless, DSL, with 3 computers in the house.

I did not realize broadband was so much faster, however. Hmmmmm. Wonder if our Mediacom provider can do better.

[NV Whino]

40. Well, I'm in the middle of nowhere with AT&T

I had a friend check her Comcast connection as a comparison. Hers came up with a D rating (slower than 73% of the country) as opposed to my F rating (slower than 90% of the country). Comcast (new to my area) is twice as expensive as AT&T for the first year, and then it goes up. I elected to stick with my AT&T F rated DSL and just not watch Youtube.

[Hestia]

32. We were getting the same at a cost of $154 per month, which is cable

monopoly here, literally, the largest newspaper in the state owns the podunk cable/internet provider and charges whatever the hell they want. Cannot get AT&T DSL where I live so now we use an aircard which is faster but are limited to how much data we can use per month. I would love to pay $24.95 per month for DSL!

[OxQQme]

19. 23.30Mbps

on Comcast

[kentauros]

33. Work results: 60 Mbps d/l, 25 Mbps u/l

I'm guessing this is a T3 connection (or whatever they're called now) to get speeds like that. And I don't know how much they pay for it, either ;)



I have DSL at home, and the connection seems decent for DSL, or at least it is when I'm on Vuze for downloading torrents...

[Shandris]

35. I just switched to the hated Comcast this morning.

One bill, one solution and all that, but realistically it was for the internet connection. I was realizing consistent download speeds of 135kbps on a 6mbps line. Consistent over a 6 month period, that is. I once saw it at 154, for about a half a second, on the day it was 'upgraded'. Now I'm up to (supposedly) 12mpbs, but only time will tell once its installed.

[no limit]

36. That 1996 telecommunications act lead to media consolidation like never seen before

So it wasn't all good.

[Mimosa]

38. I remember. Sickening isn't it? n/t

[jdadd]

41. I pay around 40 bucks a month for cable

On rare occasions,I've been as high as 13 megs download,but never over .50 upload.
For 10 bucks more I can get turbo,But this does the job for me.....

[SpiralHawk]

42. Thanks a pantload for shitting on Americans, you Republicon Corporatists

Why do Republicons always dump on the American people?

[Rockholm]

43. 37.70 download/8.57 upload