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Broadband Usage Up 42% In The U.S. In 2003
Kickassthegreat writes "As reported here by Reuters, broadband usage in the U.S. jumped 42 percent in 2003 as compared to 2002. As more people sign on to high-speed access, how long will it be before we start seeing the cable companies (such as Comcast) start dropping their prices to levels which compete directly with dial-up?"
I don't know what part of the country you are in, but around here, it's Adelphia or nothing. There is no cable competition. The only competition for cable is satellite, and just try to get broadband there for a lower price. The only broadband competition in my area is wireless, and I'm sure the price for cable and wireless (not to be confused with Cable and Wireless) would be more than what I pay now.
There isn't competition not because nobody is interested in competing, but because that is how the "utility" is regulated. Just like there is Verizon or nothing for telephone here. Oh, and Verizon hasn't decided to run DSL out to my area since we're too far from the CO, even though we are the largest town in the county.
So, since Adelphia is the only major high-speed player in this market, they are setting the price.
In my area, we've had high-speed cable internet available for 7 years, and DSL the last 4 years.
Both DSL and Cable have been increasing their bandwidth to compete with each other, Cable just changed to 5mbit/s, DSL is 4mbit/s. Pricing has remained relatively flat, about $40can/month for both services. However recently Bell has been forced to share their lines, as a result, 4mbit DSL can be found for as low as $30/month.
I've done some research.
2nd phone line: $20-$30/month
Year subscription to aol: $20/month (if paid in one lump sum $25ish otherwise)
Total: $40-$55/month connection slow (22.x-56k/s)
Cable Internet: $45/month (after entry rates)
Total cost: $45/month (initial setup may cost about $100) speed: Great for home (on average 200-350k/s)
As more people need the internet in a home and as the number of computers increase in the same home, the cost of cable is much better than the cost of dialup.
Yes, they can filter it out on the tower, but it's a pain. They have to find your wire and put a special splitter, but sometimes the technicianns forget or don't bother. The problem is, when they occassionally send guys out to see who's pirating the cable (non-payers with lines running to the house), they also check for the filters.
There was a news story about a year or 2 back about a guy that wanted Cable Internet, but not TV. The tech forgot to put in the filter, and said he'd be back in a few weeks to do it.
The guy wound up getting fined and brought to court for "stealing cable." It took MONTHS and a lot of lawyer fees to get it rectified.
I wish I still had the link to the story. But I reformatted my PC since then.
In any case, it's possible to filter it out. It just depends what kind of person your technician is that sets you up.