In answering another question a fellow blogger posted (or at least, in making some suggestions in an answer), I was just cursing my limited choices (again) in hi-speed/broadband internet services.
Where I live, I'm left with basically no choice of providers. The phone lines are old and brittle, the distance to the CO (Central Office) is too far, and DSL is not an option. Satellite based internet -- at least two way satellite internet -- is an option, but it includes an inherent delay because of transmission times, and as such, it's useless if you want to play any online games, use it for VOIP services, or anything else that needs "real time." FIOS hasn't made it to where I live, and lord knows when, or if it will.
Verizon is advertising a wireless "hi-speed" option that would be an option I guess, but it's cost for the service is really no different than what I pay for cable internet through Comcast, and Comcast does deliver 4 - 5 megabit service for that price.
I really long for choice here. I'd like to get the type of prices a friend gets -- $29 - $39 a month for Verizon DSL. He combines with his phone service, gets a discount on the package, and enjoys speeds that really aren't that different than what I see. (Granted, if we ran some speed tests, or if I was a person that downloaded huge piles of files, I might see the difference in speeds, but I don't so I don't, and I'd rather save some money!!)
I saw news not long back that Comcast was going to up the speed again, apparently preferring to enter into a speed battle against Verizon. That would be all fine, well, and good, if I actually needed more speed.
Why is it that Comcast doesn't seem to get the little light bulb over their head(s) and come up with some plan that would offer say 2 megabit service for half the current price, 4 megabit for the current price, and (as hinted at in the article I read) a higher speed "premium" service at a higher price. Sort of like walking into Starbucks and having a choice between Tall (small), Grande (medium) and Venti (large) { don't get me started on Starbucks labelling of sizes, that is a rant for another day.... }
I really wish somebody at Comcast would figure this out and offer the type of options I'm desiring. I really don't need more speed. 2 megabit or faster is plenty fast. Give me some speed throttled service at that price, and we might get somewhere. Help save me money, and I might even spend it on other "options" (like Comcast's own VOIP services).
Come on Comcast, think of the possibilities (without me having to be concerned about whether some other provider ever strings their own cables on the wires, though I guess I can hold out hope that at some point down the road my power company will offer some form of broadband over power lines that might actually be a competitor to Comcast).