| 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 or | | | | Lower speed: $14.95 |
| download speeds of 768 kbps? What does kbps | | | | Faster speed: $21.95-$29.95 |
| stand for anyway? Hopefully this article will help you | | | | Other 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) being | | | | own high speed infrastructure per say. It provides AOL |
| offered by most of the primary DSL and cable | | | | service but uses AT&T or Verizon to deliver it in the |
| modem providers in Southern California. It's hard to fit a | | | | Southland.The price is $25.90 per month for a |
| giant Excel spreadsheet into a text article, but see if | | | | one-year term. After that year, Verizon customers are |
| you can use the information I provide to at least try to | | | | still charged $25.90 per month, while the service with |
| compare apples to apples. The two main criteria I | | | | AT&T goes up to $29.99 per month. The speeds are |
| focused on are price and speed.A few points to clear | | | | generally 768 kbps for download and 128 kbps for |
| up first so you can be more educated in your | | | | upload. With Verizon there is a shipping and handling |
| choices:kbps: kilobits per secondmbps: stands for | | | | fee of $19.95 and a $79 early termination fee, just as if |
| megabits per second. A megabit is 1,000 times faster | | | | you'd went with them without AOL. AT&T (as shown |
| than a kilobit. So 1.5 megabits is equal to 1,500 | | | | above) asks for a $99 early termination fee.Summary |
| kilobits.download speed: The download speed is for | | | | of 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 might | | | | fees.)Earthlink:Earthlink: This company is offering a |
| upload photos to the internet (for instance to Snapfish | | | | promotion of $12.95 for the first six months in certain |
| or sending an attachment to an email), or if you have | | | | regions of the country, with a price of $29.95 after |
| your own website and upload your own pages.Since | | | | that. This promotion is for decent speeds: 1.5mbps for |
| you are only downloading most of the time, high speed | | | | download speeds and 128 kbps for upload speeds. |
| internet companies focus primarily on download | | | | They also charge a $19.95 shipping fee, and $149.95 if |
| speeds, which are invariably faster than upload | | | | you break your 1-year contract. (So I'd guess you'd |
| speeds. You might want to focus primarily on | | | | better be sure you want to stay with them!)Summary |
| download speeds as well, depending on your type of | | | | of Earthlink prices: |
| usage of course.Also, the general consensus is that | | | | Faster speed: $12.95-$29.95 |
| the typical download speed for home DSL (before all | | | | Other 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 the | | | | Extreme offers a promotion of $12.95 per month for |
| cheapest promotions may or may not be the best for | | | | customers with SBC phone service. That promotion |
| you.Several companies are offering very good prices | | | | offers speeds ranging from 384 kbps - 1.5 mbps for |
| for 768 kbps of download speed. I have been told that | | | | download, and 128 - 384 kbps for upload. Those with |
| this speed is adequate for people who mainly use | | | | Verizon can expect to pay a little more, $14.95 per |
| email and do light web surfing. So you have to think | | | | month. Speeds with Verizon are 768 kbps for |
| about how much you use the internet. Do you | | | | download and 128 kbps for upload. These prices don't |
| download music? Are you a web surfing addict?One | | | | include $15.43 for the shipping and handling of the |
| thing I'll tell you is that if I, as a computer consultant, had | | | | modem.As with the others, you're in for a 1-year |
| an internet speed of 768 kbps, I'd probably be rather | | | | contract. But if you renew before it expires, you can |
| unhappy. But if you're a light user, you'd probably be | | | | lock 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 and | | | | determined:Watch out, though. The early termination |
| see for yourself:AT& T (formerly SBC):Their lowest | | | | fee if you decide to end the 1-year contract is a |
| promotion prices are $12.99 per month and $17.99 per | | | | whopping $250!Summary of DSL Extreme prices: |
| month. You also have to pay a $12.95 shipping and | | | | Lower Speeds: $12.95-$1495 |
| handling fee. (And you have to pay $49.99 up front for | | | | Other fees: $15.43 for shipping and handling of |
| a modem, but you get a mail-in rebate of $49.99 as | | | | modem, |
| well.) | | | | $250.00 early termination fee.I also talked to a couple |
| The $12.99 price is for download speeds of 384 kbps | | | | of companies that offer cable modem:Comcast:The |
| - 1.5 mbps. The $17.99 price is for download speeds of | | | | prices for cable modem tend to be a bit higher, but the |
| 1.5 - 3.0 mbps.Those prices are good for a 1-year | | | | two cable companies I called offered faster speeds |
| contract, but beware. If you don't call AT&T before | | | | than the DSL promotions I looked at.Comcast is |
| the year is up (I believe they send you a letter to | | | | offering a promotion of $26.95 for the first three |
| remind you), the price goes up to $50/month. Once | | | | months with download speeds of 4mbps and upload |
| you call, though, AT&T will offer you whatever | | | | speeds of about 386 mbps. But after your honeymoon |
| promotion they have at the time. There is a $99 | | | | the price goes up to $45.95 if you have cable TV with |
| termination fee if you break your 1-year | | | | them 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: $12.99 | | | | fee.You also have to either buy a cable modem at an |
| Faster speeds: $17.99 | | | | electronics 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 offering | | | | your calculations!Adelphia:To begin with, Adelphia |
| a base price of $14.95 for download speeds of up to | | | | offers a basic package which happens to be very |
| 768 kbps and upload speeds of 128kbps. The first | | | | basic. Both its upload and download speeds are 256 |
| month is free, however there is a $19.95 shipping and | | | | kbps (kinda slow if you ask me). This package's price |
| activation fee. This $14.95 offer is good only if you | | | | is $24.95 per month.The company also offers a more |
| order via the internet though (a little Catch 22 there). If | | | | reasonable package that costs $24.95 for the first |
| you call and speak to a live person instead, it'll cost you | | | | three months, then goes up to $43.95. The speeds |
| $17.99 a month. Ha!For heavier internet users, Verizon | | | | with this package are pretty fast - 4 mbps for |
| has another, slightly more complicated promotion. For | | | | download speeds and an upload speed of 384 mbps. |
| download speeds of up to 1.5 mbps, you get the first | | | | As with Comcast, Adelphia's packages are |
| month free. Butttttt, for the second and third months it | | | | month-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?) Upload | | | | purchase your own modem or rent one for $3. Also, |
| speeds are about 384 kbps.These Verizon promotions | | | | you don't need to have Adelphia TV cable service to |
| come with one-year contracts and a $79 termination | | | | get those prices. The prices are the same for both |
| fee if you break it. You also need to call before your | | | | cable TV and non-cable TV customers alike. |
| term is up to get decent rates for the next 12 months. | | | | |