Four years years ago AT&T, a company that, for years, cheapened out on upgrading its broadband lines to fiber, effectively stopped selling DSL. While that’s understandable given the limitations…
Four years years ago AT&T, a company that, for years, cheapened out on upgrading its broadband lines to fiber, effectively stopped selling DSL. While that’s understandable given the limitations of the dated copper-based tech, the problem is that thanks to concentrated telecom monopolization, many of these customers were left without any replacement options due to a lack of competition.
In our area we have Spectrum (formerly Time Warner), Breezeline (formerly Atlantic Broadband), and AT&T.
Breezeline came into this area by buying a regional ISP called WOW (Wide Open West). The first thing they did was cancel all existing plans and double the prices. I had 200 Mbps at $30/mo., which immediately went to $70/mo with no speed increase. Then they began sabotaging upgrading the infrastructure, and suddenly I was without Internet. It would take a tech a month to get out and "check my equipment", along with a $50 service fee.
So I dropped them.
Spectrum offered 300 Mbps at $70/mo.
AT&T offered UVerse and claimed to have fiber in our area. But not for apartments ofc. The only other option from AT&T was 50 Mbps at $60/mo. "But that's the actual speed, other ISPs don't actually deliver 300 Mbps, it's really more like 40." An actual quote from the AT&T sales rep.
So I still have spectrum, and it works well enough. ~270 down and 10 up, at now $80/mo.
Never work with a company that has the back of the Death Star as their logo
My choices are them or comcrap. Probably switching to the later because ATT is never going to upgrade my lines to fiber, despite living in a major metropolitan area. It really is infuriating.