Comparing High Speed Internet Promotions

Are you shopping around for high speed internet andrates for the next 12 months. (for the second offer
getting totally confused? $12.95 for 6 months, oryou can stay at $29.95.)Summary of Verizon prices:
$14.95 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
offered by most of the primary DSL and cableAOL service but uses AT&T or Verizon to deliver it
modem providers in Southern California. It's hard toin the Southland.The price is $25.90 per month for a
fit a giant Excel spreadsheet into a text article, butone-year term. After that year, Verizon customers
see if you can use the information I provide to atare still charged $25.90 per month, while the service
least try to compare apples to apples. The two mainwith AT&T goes up to $29.99 per month. The
criteria I focused on are price and speed.A fewspeeds are generally 768 kbps for download and 128
points to clear up first so you can be more educatedkbps for upload. With Verizon there is a shipping and
in your choices:kbps: kilobits per secondmbps: standshandling fee of $19.95 and a $79 early termination
for megabits per second. A megabit is 1,000 timesfee, just as if you'd went with them without AOL.
faster than a kilobit. So 1.5 megabits is equal to 1,500AT&T (as shown above) asks for a $99 early
kilobits.download speed: The download speed is fortermination fee.Summary 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 mightfees.)Earthlink:Earthlink: This company is offering a
upload photos to the internet (for instance topromotion of $12.95 for the first six months in certain
Snapfish or sending an attachment to an email), or ifregions of the country, with a price of $29.95 after
you have your own website and upload your ownthat. This promotion is for decent speeds: 1.5mbps
pages.Since you are only downloading most of thefor download speeds and 128 kbps for upload
time, high speed internet companies focus primarilyspeeds. They also charge a $19.95 shipping fee, and
on download speeds, which are invariably faster than$149.95 if you break your 1-year contract. (So I'd
upload speeds. You might want to focus primarily onguess you'd better be sure you want to stay with
download speeds as well, depending on your type ofthem!)Summary of 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$149.95 early termination fee.DSL Extreme:DSL
about 1.5 kbps. So it is worth a word of caution thatExtreme offers a promotion of $12.95 per month for
the cheapest promotions may or may not be thecustomers with SBC phone service. That promotion
best for you.Several companies are offering veryoffers speeds ranging from 384 kbps - 1.5 mbps for
good prices for 768 kbps of download speed. I havedownload, and 128 - 384 kbps for upload. Those with
been told that this speed is adequate for people whoVerizon can expect to pay a little more, $14.95 per
mainly use email and do light web surfing. So youmonth. Speeds with Verizon are 768 kbps for
have to think about how much you use the internet.download and 128 kbps for upload. These prices don't
Do you download music? Are you a web surfinginclude $15.43 for the shipping and handling of the
addict?One thing I'll tell you is that if I, as a computermodem.As with the others, you're in for a 1-year
consultant, had an internet speed of 768 kbps, I'dcontract. But if you renew before it expires, you can
probably be rather unhappy. But if you're a light user,lock in the price DSL Extreme is offering returning
you'd probably be fine.customers at the time. That price is not yet
OK, now you can read about the different offersdetermined:Watch out, though. The early termination
and see for yourself:AT& T (formerly SBC):Theirfee if you decide to end the 1-year contract is a
lowest promotion prices are $12.99 per month andwhopping $250!Summary of DSL Extreme prices:
$17.99 per month. You also have to pay a $12.95Lower Speeds: $12.95-$1495
shipping and handling fee. (And you have to payOther fees: $15.43 for shipping and handling of
$49.99 up front for a modem, but you get a mail-inmodem,
rebate of $49.99 as well.)$250.00 early termination fee.I also talked to a
The $12.99 price is for download speeds of 384couple of companies that offer cable
kbps - 1.5 mbps. The $17.99 price is for downloadmodem:Comcast:The prices for cable modem tend to
speeds of 1.5 - 3.0 mbps.Those prices are good for abe a bit higher, but the two cable companies I called
1-year contract, but beware. If you don't call AT&Toffered faster speeds than the DSL promotions I
before the year is up (I believe they send you alooked at.Comcast is offering a promotion of $26.95
letter to remind you), the price goes up to $50for the first three months with download speeds of
month. Once you call, though, AT&T will offer you4mbps and upload speeds of about 386 mbps. But
whatever promotion they have at the time. There isafter your honeymoon the price goes up to $45.95 if
a $99 termination fee if you break your 1-yearyou have cable TV with them or $56.95 if you don't.
contract.Summary of AT&T prices:One good thing - there is no contract, so that means
Lower speeds: $12.99there's no early termination fee.You also have to
Faster speeds: $17.99either buy a cable modem at an electronics store
Other fees: $12.95 shipping and handling,(Comcast doesn't sell them) or rent one for $3 a
$99 termination fee.Verizon:This company is offeringmonth. So be sure to include that fee in your
a base price of $14.95 for download speeds of up tocalculations!Adelphia:To begin with, Adelphia offers a
768 kbps and upload speeds of 128kbps. The firstbasic package which happens to be very basic. Both
month is free, however there is a $19.95 shipping andits upload and download speeds are 256 kbps (kinda
activation fee. This $14.95 offer is good only if youslow if you ask me). This package's price is $24.95
order via the internet though (a little Catch 22 there).per month.The company also offers a more
If you call and speak to a live person instead, it'll costreasonable package that costs $24.95 for the first
you $17.99 a month. Ha!For heavier internet users,three months, then goes up to $43.95. The speeds
Verizon has another, slightly more complicatedwith this package are pretty fast - 4 mbps for
promotion. For download speeds of up to 1.5 mbps,download speeds and an upload speed of 384 mbps.
you get the first month free. Butttttt, for theAs with Comcast, Adelphia's packages are
second and third months it will cost you $21.95, andmonth-to-month, with no contract and no termination
$29.95 for months 4-12. (Where'd they come up withfee. But, also like Comcast, you have to either
that plan?) Upload speeds are about 384 kbps.Thesepurchase your own modem or rent one for $3. Also,
Verizon promotions come with one-year contractsyou don't need to have Adelphia TV cable service to
and a $79 termination fee if you break it. You alsoget those prices. The prices are the same for both
need to call before your term is up to get decentcable TV and non-cable TV customers alike.