Local ISP

[ApprenticePhreak]

You know, as painfully easy as this should be, how does one go into looking for local ISPs that aren't Verizon, Comcast, Bell South, et cetera. My google ability is apparently marred by not understanding the correct words to use. OH GOD I'M SO NEW AT THIS INTERNET THING.

[nyphonejacks]

not too many other choices when it comes to wireline internet connections... either the RBOC or the cable co. most CLECs just resell verizon or att DSL service..  although there are a few DSL providers such as COVAD.. and NYC has The JNet (jewish DSL provider - provides "filtered" internet)

you could always consider satellite - which is usually one of the more expensive options, and it comes with a bucket of latency...

wireless is another option such as Clear WiMax, or LTE, EVDO, HSPDA or HSPDA+ from one of the other cellular carrier..

FiOS is on each corner of my house, but they never ran it down my block... I might consider getting it if they ever ran down my block - but my cable provider has pretty good service..

[ApprenticePhreak]

Welp. Guess that means there isn't much more to sample that I've already tried, had, or won't use. Friend of mine is using Comcast. Suddenly during this month they really started jumping down his throat about bandwidth usage; they claim 250GB is enough for a house hold of five, but then with their digital cable, VOIP, and internet connection, they give no viable way to watch how much bandwidth is being used or how. They do give a meter that's updated every 3 hours, but it's an overly simple bar graph that just says how much is supposedly used up. Recently though  he was called by a very bedside manner lacking Comcast employee, as they already shut him down twice, and informed him of getting close to filling his monthly cap and that if he went over the bandwidth limit again that they'd lose their internet privilege for a year's time.

Could be that the employee was bored and fucking with random employees, but that would be even a little too much free time for any given Comcast employee I'd think.

Verizon was shit out as an option and I'm not sure why exactly. Guess it's just back to the begging of mercy from the large guys to not steal all of the internet from the world again.

[Acidpez]

there was a news story about a guy who got shut down by comcast for a year for using 250gb of data twice.

http://articles.cnn.com/2011-07-14/tech/comcast.bans.internet.wired_1_spokesman-charlie-douglas-comcast-voip-service?_s=PM:TECH

[ApprenticePhreak]

I'd found this : http://blog.comcast.com/2009/12/comcast-data-usage-meter-launches.html to be highly amusing in their statements that 99% of their user base only uses 2-4GB a month, while only 1% goes over the 250GB limit a month. Though, of course, there's no backing, no statistics, nor proof of any of their statements.

[Cyclopath]

I have Centurylink (the local phone company, formerly Embarq, formerly Sprint, formerly United) for my phone, internet, and TV, and I've never had any serious problems. I've never heard of them hassling anyone about going over any limits; the only time I've ever heard of them hassling anyone is when they get complaints about spam email spewing out of their IP or complaints about them trolling forums and wikis. I'm not even sure that they bother people about DMCA complaints like the other ISPs do. Problem is you can't get it just anywhere; a lot of places have Bell or Verizon.

[Nod]

I have Centurylink (the local phone company, formerly Embarq, formerly Sprint, formerly United) for my phone, internet, and TV, and I've never had any serious problems. I've never heard of them hassling anyone about going over any limits; the only time I've ever heard of them hassling anyone is when they get complaints about spam email spewing out of their IP or complaints about them trolling forums and wikis. I'm not even sure that they bother people about DMCA complaints like the other ISPs do. Problem is you can't get it just anywhere; a lot of places have Bell or Verizon.

I had CenturyLink when I lived in CO and I hated it. I paid like $90 a month for 1mb down and never was able to get more than a couple hundred Kbs

[Cyclopath]

That's gay. I get 10 mb download, phone, and Prism TV service for about what you were paying, only thing is the upload sucks. The downloads faster than Comcast, which is apparently "way faster than DSL" (biggest lie the cable companies ever made).

[I-baLL]

It's not a lie. Move +4 miles away from your CO and then see what type of DSL speeds you can get.

[Cyclopath]

I've heard that, but interestingly enough I lived no where near town in a mostly undeveloped area and some how got 10 megs, now I live in a more developed area on the other end of town, and I still get 10 megs. That said, you're right that it depends on where you live what kind of service you'll get from any company; the local hospital has its wifi connected to Comcast Business solutions and gets 20 megs yet someone I know in Missouri only gets 1 meg tops with his cable modem. I know someone in Ohio that lives way out in BFE up in Ohio and can get DSL through AT&T that is slower than dial-up, yet gets reasonable speeds with Road Runner (I think it's 10 meg).

The lie factor is that cable companies are only faster if we're talking about an area that can't get decent DSL. Cable companies COULD be insanely fast, but they choose to cap people off at about the same speeds that the phone companies offer.

[Cyclopath]

To bring this back on topic, ApprenticePhreak, you could try flipping through the phone directory and looking for alternative carriers. In some areas, you can find these tiny telecommunications companies (like Daystar where I live) as an alternative to the big wigs. Also, check and see if there's any companies similar to Cyberstreet (which offers high speed wireless internet services) where you live.