Is your ISP cheating you out of bandwidth? New gov't test offers a hint

When you hear a politician, a lobbying group, or a corporate executive yammering on about leaving the free market alone, don’t fall for it. Many businesses today are built around finding that industry -- or that particular anomaly within an industry -- where market forces simply don't apply. Then, they exploit the heck out of it for big profits.  Late fees on credit cards, for example -- who shops around for those? Or hotel safe fees that get automatically tacked onto your bill. Call this the "un-free market" at work

Broadband Internet access has long existed in this un-free market. For a long time, many U.S. consumers had only one Internet access provider, the very definition of an un-free market.  Now, most people have two options -- an improvement, but duopolies rarely behave like free markets.

More important, when people shop for broadband, they usually don't know what they are getting. What does 10 Mbps speed really get you anyway? Is it five times better than 2 Mbps? Should you pay five times more for it? And most important, since the ISPs guarantee none of this, what do consumers really get for their $59.99 per month?

Imagine pulling up to a gas station and paying by time rather than volume. A 60-second shot of gas costs $20 -- sometime you get 5 gallons, and sometimes you get 3 gallons, but there no scale telling you how much you get. That's pretty much how things work in the Internet access world right now.

Finally, government regulators have stepped in and begun making the purchase of Internet access fairer. The Federal Communications Commission released the results of a year-long, scientific study of 13 U.S. broadband providers , focused on whether firms like AT&T, Verizon, Qwest, Frontier, and others live up to their marketing materials when delivering high-speed Internet service. For the first time, the firms are being held to their promises, and consumers can find out if they are getting what they are paying for.

The results weren't bad. Most firms hit 90 percent of their advertised upload speeds.  Download speeds were another story, however.  Only four of the 13 reached their promised download speed (Charter, Comcast, Cox, and Verizon), while most of the other firms hovered around 80 percent. Cablevision fared worst, with download speeds that fell to 50 percent of advertised rates at peak periods .  ( Msnbc.

Dsl Internet Connection - News


Is your ISP cheating you out of bandwidth? New gov't test offers a hint

Net gives users free, instant feedback on their Internet connection speed, and lets consumers compare results with others. "The FCC's test is accurate and their results mirror my own. They even mention the ISPs that top TestMy's list," he said.



High-speed Internet: In most cases, youre getting what you pay for
High-speed Internet: In most cases, youre getting what you pay for

Next up was cable-based Internet access, which hit the mark 93 percent of the time. DSL pulled up the rear, delivering on promised numbers 82 percent of the time. • Speeds decreased during peak periods – 7-11 pm – for all categories.



Ask Maggie: On the 4G iPhone that isn't
Ask Maggie: On the 4G iPhone that isn't

Even AT&T, which just introduced a DSL limit allows 150GB of usage per month, which is more than 10 times what you'd get with a 3G or 4G wireless broadband service from Verizon Wireless. Still, I imagine for you, this is all about access.



Drag your office into the technological future
Drag your office into the technological future

“Everything you use for your business, such as e-mail and applications, is up in the cloud. So that network connection is even more important now.” What you might like: Users will like being able to share across-the-board access to 4G networks.



Bypassing The CATV-Telco Internet Access Duopoly

He approached a number of local businesses with a proposition to provide them Internet access wirelessly through unlicensed spectrum normally used by cordless phones. His connection to the Internet backbone was a T1 line (1.5 mb/s) which the local




Cheap Dsl Providers – Useful Info And Advice | The Greek Alphabet

Cheap Dsl Providers – Useful Info And Advice

The community at present has a big concern for their budget. They are looking for goods or services that give them fewer expenses but have the best available services in the market. When they are preparing to get a DSL connection, what they usually consider are the costs of the packages and which of the cheap DSL service providers are reliable in their services.

Currently, cheap DSL service providers in the market are experiencing a tight competition on their plan prices. They are creating remarkable advertisements to encourage clients to choose their services instead of the others. Increasing on their internet speed equipment is one way of having an edge over their competitors. Extra offers are also provided as to even having the usual subscription charge of only for a month. These are examples of marketing strategies of a company to draw clients and for them to subscribe with their services.

As the number of cheap DSL service providers increase, they are also extending their support to their subscribers by providing online support systems to guide their customers as they encounter problems with their connection and their gadgets. This service is always a part of the package starting from subscription up to the end of the contract. Other cheap DSL service providers have 24/7 online support over the phone to provide one-on-one instructions to the client to resolve the problem that they are currently experiencing. These problems can range from poor internet connection speed up to having no internet connection at all.

Problems that are encountered depend on what parts of the system are involved. Sometimes, the problem arises with the modem provided by the internet provider. The device is what we call a DSL modem which is the most vital equipment that could carry the transmission in order to get connection to the internet. Without this device, it is not possible for a computer to detect internet connection. There is no use in accessing the internet if this device is lacking or not set up by the DSL provider. Regularly, cheap DSL service providers include this modem in their packages. These modems are only lend to the subscribers and will be surrendered back to the DSL company once the subscriber doesn’t extend the service contract.

In addition, the DSL modem is what essentially keeps the entire connection working coming from the cheap DSL service providers. It allows communication of the computer and the telephone wall jack as well as the line. It acts as a converter who sends digital signals from the computer to the DSLAM or the Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplier. The DSLAM then imitates a switchboard’s function to aid the demand of information between the internet and the internet user. In this case, the nearer the user is to the DSLAM, the stronger the connection detected. That is one challenge that the internet company faces. It is when they can’t provide internet connection to all locations except to places where the signal can be detected coming from the main source.


Twitter

Caroline Bentley RT @: @ Rudey internet is down again! No dsl connection present, plusnet broadband is useless!


Gary Davey @ Rudey internet is down again! No dsl connection present, plusnet broadband is useless!


Gary Davey Rudey internet is down again! No dsl connection present, plusnet broadband is useless!


AMNA i am using Dsl 1Mbps...no speed..i want to change..which internet connection is good in ??


Christa Harries playstation hardware :O What hardware and internet connection is needed to play a playstation 3 online?...


Dsl Internet Connection - Bookshelf

Network World

Network World

The carrier's Enterprise DSL Internet Access Service will let businesses sign up for highspeed Internet access services that run over the same copper wiring ...

High speed internet access

High speed internet access

DSL Growth in Canada According to a recently-released Dataquest survey, 26 percent of midsize Canada-based businesses use DSL Internet access and 70 percent ...

Absolute Beginner's Guide to Personal Firewalls

Absolute Beginner's Guide to Personal Firewalls

DSL provides a high-speed Internet connection over the existing telephone wiring found in your home. DSL is capable of providing connections from 144Kbps to ...

Network World

Network World

RadioMall Collaborating to offer wireless Internet access for personal digital assistant and laptop PC users. High-speed DSL forces ATM issue Fast remote ...

DSL for dummies

DSL for dummies


Everyday Information Directory


DSL Internet Connection, Internet Service Providers,DSL Providers
Is a DSL Internet Connection the right choice for you? Once you have decided on DSL, your next step is to choose from the best Internet service providers in your area.

Cable vs. DSL: Internet and Cable Explained by Webopedia.com
DSL and cable Internet modems are home networking broadband connection technologies: but which option is better?

AT&T DSL High Speed Internet Service - DSL Providers
Get High-Speed DSL Internet Service from AT&T - Fast-Access Residential DSL Internet Access, with or without a phone line!

EarthLink DSL Internet
Offering nationwide DSL Internet service.

DSL Internet Connection
DSL Internet connections are much faster and more reliable than basic dial up connections, and are much better than their dial up competitors. ...