Why hasn't broadband become more affordable?

[randomlinh]

Originally posted by: Imdmn04
How is 30/month not affordable?

I'd just like to get more for my money... and have options. no competition is bad. That and it's not $30/mo for us, it's $45, plus the fact we need cable..which is another $15-$20 (basic basic. we have to have it anyway).

now, if it were as reliable as a phone line, I wouldn't really complain. Because then I could drop my phone line.

 

[bobdelt]

I pay 15 bucks a month for dsl.

 

[rivan]

Originally posted by: bobdelt
I pay 15 bucks a month for dsl.

That's what it is here, too, for 768/3.0. Or you can get 6 mbit for $25. Cable, on the other hand, is still in the $40 range.

 

[sswingle]

People are willing to pay what they are currently paying, with more customers signing up. Why would any company want to lower prices in that situation?

 

[sao123]

DSL is almost not even worth it...

Verizon charges 37.95 per month for DSL unless you get their 54.99 per month freedom phone plan, or sign up for a 1 year contract with termination fees out the ass. Then you can get it for 29.99....

Sheesh... for $45 a month I can get 8MB cable internet (faster)...

Lack of competition in the broadband market sux.

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: Skeeedunt
Can't you get DSL for like $12.99?

what, 256k or 512k dsl? i doubt you're getting anything over that for 12.99

 

[acemcmac]

It's even more insane if you don't have cable TV or local phone service. Verizon won't give me DSL. Speakeasy and Comcast are quoting me $60/month for any sort of broadband.

 

[RossMAN]

I wish $19.95/mo naked DSL was available in my area.

 

[BabaBooey]

Comcast = greed

 

[sao123]

Originally posted by: acemcmac
It's even more insane if you don't have cable TV or local phone service. Verizon won't give me DSL. Speakeasy and Comcast are quoting me $60/month for any sort of broadband.

and you havent even checked on sattelite internet yet...
daaaayyyyumn.

 

[Alkaline5]

Originally posted by: ScottSwingleComputers
People are willing to pay what they are currently paying, with more customers signing up. Why would any company want to lower prices in that situation?

"Willing" sounds like a term that the ISP would use. Internet access has become as necessary as a telephone or other basic utilities. If you're a consumer and you've only got one option that sounds more like "have to" to me. BB could easily be cheaper, but since there's no local competition they are free to charge as much as they can justify to the feds.

 

[Fritzo]

ATT is the largest telco in the US, and their 1.5mb DSL is $19.95. Seems pretty cheap to me.

 

[Golgatha]

Originally posted by: jlbenedict

Originally posted by: Skeeedunt
Can't you get DSL for like $12.99?

I'm sure its some 768k/128k plan, and then they'll make you purchase other add-ons with the plan or that price will not apply.

Sigh. No, it is 768/128 but there are no add-ons (unless you consider a phone bill an "add-on"). I think the sweet spot is $19.99 for the 1.5M/384. Anything above that is giving diminishing returns and much more costly.

Personally, my old contract was for $26.95 for 3M/768 and I upgraded when they were running their specials to 6M/1.5M for $27.95/month. I'll flat drop the service if they ever charge over $30/month for what I'm getting now.

 

[Staples]

This seems to be the same with cell phone plans.

They just tack on more crap and the plans start at $40 like they did 10 years ago.

Anyway, ATT 1.5mbit line is $13 however I hear of tons of people including me who have had trouble with DSL in the past. So you get for what you pay apparently.

 

[CVSiN]

Originally posted by: Fritzo
ATT is the largest telco in the US, and their 1.5mb DSL is $19.95. Seems pretty cheap to me.

with a 50 dollar a month phone line that I dont need or want...
VOIP (Vonage) kills conventional phones... for price and fucntion..

give me a STANDALONE option around that price and well talk.

 

[Triumph]

Because the consumer is willing to spend, and the supplier is willing to provide, somewhere in the 30-40/month range. Simple supply and demand. With most areas only having a choice of cable or DSL, you aren't going to see much of a change in that price. Now with Verizon rolling out FIOS, I think you will see a change, either a huge increase in speed to compete, or a slight reduction in prices.

 

[FoBoT]

profits

 

[TXHokie]

Monthly bills I didn't have 20 yrs ago:
- $20 for DSL
- $55 for sattelite tv
- $70 for cell phones
It's affordable, just that you'll have to give up other things to pay for it living in the tech age.

 

[j00fek]

most companies are monoplies these day, thnx govt!

 

[preslove]

Originally posted by: ScottSwingleComputers
People are willing to pay what they are currently paying, with more customers signing up. Why would any company want to lower prices in that situation?

Well, in real capitalism there's this thing called a market that dictates lower price with competition. That's not we have (yet, hopefully). We just have monopolies in most areas.

 

[randomlinh]

Originally posted by: rivan

Originally posted by: bobdelt
I pay 15 bucks a month for dsl.

That's what it is here, too, for 768/3.0. Or you can get 6 mbit for $25. Cable, on the other hand, is still in the $40 range.

i would love to pay $15/mo for that speed for dsl. already have to have a phone line (VOIP not realiable enough). hell, $25 for 6mbit would be great too.

but around here, $15 gets you 768/128, and $30 will get you 3mbps/768... all assuming 1yr contracts... and the quality of it for my house is not as good as comcast. dropped out a lot for me. And it's for a shared household, so the $15 option is painful (but might have to go with it soon)

 

[walkur]

The prices here in the netherlands are: (2 major players)

Cable broadband (you need a cable connection) :
384/128 = ? 14,95 p/m
1536/256 = ? 22,95 p/m
3072/1024 =? 32,95 p/m
8192/1024 =? 49,95
20480/2048 =? 59,95 p/m

Adsl
1536/256 = ? 21.95
3072/512 = ? 29.95
6Mb/768 = ? 49.95

No real limits, mostly fair use

 

[Tom]

Originally posted by: CVSiN

Originally posted by: Fritzo
ATT is the largest telco in the US, and their 1.5mb DSL is $19.95. Seems pretty cheap to me.

with a 50 dollar a month phone line that I dont need or want...
VOIP (Vonage) kills conventional phones... for price and fucntion..

give me a STANDALONE option around that price and well talk.

my ATT bill is $35 total, $20 for phone and $15 for 1.5mb DSL. (actually about $7 for DSL after rebate)

Best feature of real phone line ? It works when power goes out, and it works with 911.

 

[Fritzo]

Originally posted by: CVSiN

Originally posted by: Fritzo
ATT is the largest telco in the US, and their 1.5mb DSL is $19.95. Seems pretty cheap to me.

with a 50 dollar a month phone line that I dont need or want...
VOIP (Vonage) kills conventional phones... for price and fucntion..

give me a STANDALONE option around that price and well talk.

My phone line is $22/month, and that includes .5/minute long distance (which I never use). There aren't too many places that offer naked DSL, so if you want Vonage you have to use cable. My cable bill runs $70/month WITHOUT Internet access.

 

[lokiju]

I'm paying $33 per month for 6mb cable intraweb.