2/5 Americans Who Use the Internet Have Broadband Connection

Dial-up just wasn't feasible when I started working from home. Not only was it slow, I couldn't take phone calls while online. Our cable connection is bundled with our television package, so we get a bit of a break on the cost.

I'm still on dialup. While it's not much chop with downloads, with XP browsing has been fast enough that I can't complain.

I'm rocking with DSL, and I find it very unreliable, but sadly, I signed a contract. I have about 4 more months and I can switch to the faster, more reliable cable connection for the same price.

I have DSL connection at one of my locations (parents' home where I frequent), but I usually use mobile dial-up at home.

Other: I use DIRECWAY's two-way Satellite service. Usually it's lightning fast but it cuts out during really bad weather. Customer service sucks, but don't they all? My cable company doesn't offer high-speed here, so I refuse to buy their TV service either. BellSouth won't sell me DSL unless I buy telephone service, so I refuse to buy from them as well. Leaves me no choice but wireless. I should probably reconsider, though, because I think I'm spending twice as much money in protest.

I'm pretty happy w/DSL. There are plusses and minuses to everything, sure, but DSL strikes me as the way to go.. A good place for info on broadband, and Internet stuff in general, is BoradbandReports.Com

As much as principles are good, I think you should stop doing that.

I agree with Wilso. You are not hurting Bell South. The powers that be over there couldn't care less. It's YOUR wallet that is suffering!

Bill, we oughtta chat some time; I've had quite a bit of experience with head-end uplink/downlink systems and VSAT, commercial and residential, as a user and as a ceriified installer and technician for each. I've worked with both DirecPC, which used a landline for its uplink, and DirecWay two-way satellite, and I was among the beta testers, and first authorized installers, for StarBand, through numerous hardware, firmware, and software revisions. With StarBand, I was among a small pioneer group which "took it on the road", setting up the rig and manually reconfiguring the settings as required from campgrounds and such (hardly worth it for "Overnighting" - dish alignment and settings reconfiguration often took hours, and required lengthy, sometimes multiple, cellphone calls to tech support ). At the conclusion of StarBand's beta period, I eBay'd my rig. As far as I'm concerned, none of 'em are ready for prime time, and haven't a chance of becoming so untill the problem of the data-handling limits of silicon are eliminated and either we figure out a way to move the planet closer to the satellites or to overcome the lightspeed barrier .

Commercial systems, generally affording far more bandwidth - at significantly higher cost - than residential systems, and used exclusively in closed networks for data streaming of a sort not negatively impacted by latency, between and among remote places-of-business and a central point, have a place, and I guess residential satellite internet is OK for basic web-browsing and occasional downloading (as long as you don't run afoul of the FAP, and are not on an over-loaded transponder), but they just don't cut it for anything else, in my experience. VPN, IRC, and FTP (in either direction) are iffy, and VOIP and Real-Time Gameplay, among other things, just plain don't work over satellite. To my mind, if there is ANY alternative, regardless of cost consideration, satellite internet is in last place.

Glad I didn't get satellite broadband a few years ago.

Interesting commentary Timber. I have noticed that many websites are altering their real-time programming (presumably, specifically to adapt to satellite latency), and the results are impressive. My equipment is paid for, so the $65 per month I pay for high speed isn't that far out of line, since I have no need for a landline.

My TV protest is much worse. Basic cable is included in my condo fees, so the $95 per month I pay for the true "digital" Directv broadcast may not be worth it. It is a higher quality picture than the cable offers at this time, however.

The other reason I've kept the 2-way satellite account open is: I can move the set up to just about anywhere. I'm contemplating a move to Costa Rica and my understanding is that it may work even better there than here (taking off Sunday for another visit! Yay!). Connections there are either archaic or terribly expensive so it may prove to be a worthwhile investment after all. I've moved it once myself, and it is a pain (for this layman) to lock in the correct Sat, but not impossible.

Verizon DSL has been great for me, not one problem or down time yet! I think it has been over a year! Two words for me--speedy & reliable.

I know I sound like I am making money by saying this, it is true.










... no, not really. but I had you going there for a minute huh?
But really, DSL has been great.

Sticking to dial-up for now. I've got no real need for speed, and in any case my dial-up is faster than my neighbour's cable hook-up. My supplier has just started offering DSL, and I'm looking at it. $20/month Canajun for unlimited access can't be much of a mistake.

I'm using DSL now. In Japan I've had, at different times, dial-up, DSL, cable & FTTH fiber-optic (which was beautiful). The most expensive by an enormous margin was dial-up, since you have to pay per minute for local calls there, and since all the broadband options were dirt cheap (fiber-optic went for about $25 per month). Using dial-up now would drive me loony.

Monger, I agree. I have dialup at work and dsl at home, and go bananas routinely dealing with the dialup. Waiting...

I'd pay $20/month Canajun for DSL. Unfortunately, I don't live there, and DSL would be almost $50 Ammurican. Too much. My dialup is less than $10/month, I've been with them since 1994, and once or twice a year when I have a minor problem I call their 24/7 techs and get help right away... Yeah, it's boring to wait for some pages, but I keep a mah jongg game going and go over there and hunt for matches while the graphics come up...

I use a high-end DSL at home (1.5 Mbps) that is just about as fast as a T1 and use a T1 at work.

But for wicked speeds I go to the datacenter and surf on multiple T3 connections.

Phoenix, incidentally, it's 2/5 of internet users. The title threw me.

I am getting ready to sign a one year contract with Verizon, DSL just became available, we will use 2 computers for now, should I be scared or just a little worried, Chevelle

You are absolutely right. Boy, that title sure looked funny when I read it again! I will clarify it!