Alternatives to Comcast

[Ben Scott]

On Tue, May 20, 2008 at 8:40 PM, Dan Miller <rambi.dev at gmail.com> wrote:
> They [Comcast] used to be decent ...

  They did?  ;-)

> I am strongly looking at DirectTV for tv ...

  I've got a friend who has DirecTV and really likes it.  Same number
of channels, same quality, for less money.  He says he almost never
has signal problems ("rain fade") -- only if there's heavy, wet snow
on the dish.  From what I've heard, I guess it depends on how good
your line-of-sight to the sky is.  He's on top of a hill and has a big
field next to his house.  If you're in a valley and surrounded by
trees, it might be a different story.  The only major drawback (to me)
is you have to use their equipment for high def -- no TiVo or MythTV
or anything.

> What ISP is a good alternative to Comcast?

  Your best bet is to find a local ISP.  The big telcos ("telcos"
includes cablecos) all suck.  The local guys are the ones who still do
customer service.  Availability is the hard part -- the big telcos
have a monopoly on outside plant, so it's tough to get in there.
There are some local ISPs doing DSL of varies types, though.

  Fixed-wireless, when you can get it, is great.  It uses gear simalar
to consumer 802.11 stuff, but optimized for longer distances and fixed
positions.  You need line-of-sight to an ISP antenna, though.  But if
you can get that, it's great -- eliminating the telco from the picture
is a dream come true.

  Where are you located?  If we know where you're at, we might be able
to make specific recommendations.  In the Manchester area, give MV a
call (http://www.mv.com).  Around Haverhill or Amesbury (MA), try USAi
(http://www.usai.net).

-- Ben