Comparing High Speed Internet Promotions

Are you shopping around for high speed internet and(for the second offer you can stay at
getting totally confused? $12.95 for 6 months, or $14.95$29.95.)Summary of Verizon prices:
for 3 months? Upload speeds of 128 kbps orLower speed: $14.95
download speeds of 768 kbps? What does kbpsFaster speed: $21.95-$29.95
stand for anyway? Hopefully this article will help youOther fees: $19.95 shipping and activation fee.
make some sense of all the promotions out there.I$79 early termination fee.AOL:AOL doesn't have its
compared the promotions (as of May 2006) beingown high speed infrastructure per say. It provides AOL
offered by most of the primary DSL and cableservice but uses AT&T or Verizon to deliver it in the
modem providers in Southern California. It's hard to fit aSouthland.The price is $25.90 per month for a
giant Excel spreadsheet into a text article, but see ifone-year term. After that year, Verizon customers are
you can use the information I provide to at least try tostill charged $25.90 per month, while the service with
compare apples to apples. The two main criteria IAT&T goes up to $29.99 per month. The speeds are
focused on are price and speed.A few points to cleargenerally 768 kbps for download and 128 kbps for
up first so you can be more educated in yourupload. With Verizon there is a shipping and handling
choices:kbps: kilobits per secondmbps: stands forfee of $19.95 and a $79 early termination fee, just as if
megabits per second. A megabit is 1,000 times fasteryou'd went with them without AOL. AT&T (as shown
than a kilobit. So 1.5 megabits is equal to 1,500above) asks for a $99 early termination fee.Summary
kilobits.download speed: The download speed is forof AOL fees:
downloading web pages, software, etc. and is what$25.90 for 768 kbps download speed
you probably use most of the time.upload speed: The( for other fees see AT&T or Verizon
upload speed is used, for example, when you mightfees.)Earthlink:Earthlink: This company is offering a
upload photos to the internet (for instance to Snapfishpromotion of $12.95 for the first six months in certain
or sending an attachment to an email), or if you haveregions of the country, with a price of $29.95 after
your own website and upload your own pages.Sincethat. This promotion is for decent speeds: 1.5mbps for
you are only downloading most of the time, high speeddownload speeds and 128 kbps for upload speeds.
internet companies focus primarily on downloadThey also charge a $19.95 shipping fee, and $149.95 if
speeds, which are invariably faster than uploadyou break your 1-year contract. (So I'd guess you'd
speeds. You might want to focus primarily onbetter be sure you want to stay with them!)Summary
download speeds as well, depending on your type ofof Earthlink prices:
usage of course.Also, the general consensus is thatFaster speed: $12.95-$29.95
the typical download speed for home DSL (before allOther fees: $19.95 shipping fee,
these promotions started coming out recently) is about$149.95 early termination fee.DSL Extreme:DSL
1.5 kbps. So it is worth a word of caution that theExtreme offers a promotion of $12.95 per month for
cheapest promotions may or may not be the best forcustomers with SBC phone service. That promotion
you.Several companies are offering very good pricesoffers speeds ranging from 384 kbps - 1.5 mbps for
for 768 kbps of download speed. I have been told thatdownload, and 128 - 384 kbps for upload. Those with
this speed is adequate for people who mainly useVerizon can expect to pay a little more, $14.95 per
email and do light web surfing. So you have to thinkmonth. Speeds with Verizon are 768 kbps for
about how much you use the internet. Do youdownload and 128 kbps for upload. These prices don't
download music? Are you a web surfing addict?Oneinclude $15.43 for the shipping and handling of the
thing I'll tell you is that if I, as a computer consultant, hadmodem.As with the others, you're in for a 1-year
an internet speed of 768 kbps, I'd probably be rathercontract. But if you renew before it expires, you can
unhappy. But if you're a light user, you'd probably belock in the price DSL Extreme is offering returning
fine.customers at the time. That price is not yet
OK, now you can read about the different offers anddetermined:Watch out, though. The early termination
see for yourself:AT& T (formerly SBC):Their lowestfee if you decide to end the 1-year contract is a
promotion prices are $12.99 per month and $17.99 perwhopping $250!Summary of DSL Extreme prices:
month. You also have to pay a $12.95 shipping andLower Speeds: $12.95-$1495
handling fee. (And you have to pay $49.99 up front forOther fees: $15.43 for shipping and handling of
a modem, but you get a mail-in rebate of $49.99 asmodem,
well.)$250.00 early termination fee.I also talked to a couple
The $12.99 price is for download speeds of 384 kbpsof companies that offer cable modem:Comcast:The
- 1.5 mbps. The $17.99 price is for download speeds ofprices for cable modem tend to be a bit higher, but the
1.5 - 3.0 mbps.Those prices are good for a 1-yeartwo cable companies I called offered faster speeds
contract, but beware. If you don't call AT&T beforethan the DSL promotions I looked at.Comcast is
the year is up (I believe they send you a letter tooffering a promotion of $26.95 for the first three
remind you), the price goes up to $50/month. Oncemonths with download speeds of 4mbps and upload
you call, though, AT&T will offer you whateverspeeds of about 386 mbps. But after your honeymoon
promotion they have at the time. There is a $99the price goes up to $45.95 if you have cable TV with
termination fee if you break your 1-yearthem or $56.95 if you don't. One good thing - there is
contract.Summary of AT&T prices:no contract, so that means there's no early termination
Lower speeds: $12.99fee.You also have to either buy a cable modem at an
Faster speeds: $17.99electronics store (Comcast doesn't sell them) or rent
Other fees: $12.95 shipping and handling,one for $3 a month. So be sure to include that fee in
$99 termination fee.Verizon:This company is offeringyour calculations!Adelphia:To begin with, Adelphia
a base price of $14.95 for download speeds of up tooffers a basic package which happens to be very
768 kbps and upload speeds of 128kbps. The firstbasic. Both its upload and download speeds are 256
month is free, however there is a $19.95 shipping andkbps (kinda slow if you ask me). This package's price
activation fee. This $14.95 offer is good only if youis $24.95 per month.The company also offers a more
order via the internet though (a little Catch 22 there). Ifreasonable package that costs $24.95 for the first
you call and speak to a live person instead, it'll cost youthree months, then goes up to $43.95. The speeds
$17.99 a month. Ha!For heavier internet users, Verizonwith this package are pretty fast - 4 mbps for
has another, slightly more complicated promotion. Fordownload speeds and an upload speed of 384 mbps.
download speeds of up to 1.5 mbps, you get the firstAs with Comcast, Adelphia's packages are
month free. Butttttt, for the second and third months itmonth-to-month, with no contract and no termination
will cost you $21.95, and $29.95 for months 4-12.fee. But, also like Comcast, you have to either
(Where'd they come up with that plan?) Uploadpurchase your own modem or rent one for $3. Also,
speeds are about 384 kbps.These Verizon promotionsyou don't need to have Adelphia TV cable service to
come with one-year contracts and a $79 terminationget those prices. The prices are the same for both
fee if you break it. You also need to call before yourcable TV and non-cable TV customers alike.
term is up to get decent rates for the next 12 months.