DSL Price War Helps Close Broadband Gap

The price war hasn't hit my part of the country yet. I'm waiting....., but at least I'm not waiting on my dialup connection anymore. Once you've had broadband, no one else will do.

I'm already on the outrageously priced Comcast internet service, but I am looking toward the FiOS internet from Verizon, as soon as they learn that they can't charge other websites extra because they use a lot of bandwidth.

The sad part is that the phone companies are still using a bait-and-switch approach

Last month, AT&T introduced a yearlong DSL contract for $13 a month. When the contract runs out, the price jumps to $30 a month.

In India, I pay a flat rate of $25 for unlimited Internet access (though only at 256kbps) but there is no lock-in period, no point at which the phone company starts charging me more for the same access. Also, the voice line is offered with free rental (and free incoming calls of course).

The phone company just started DSL in order to compete with cable from their dial up. I dont know if it as absolutely proven that cable is better in all cases, but from my expierence cable is way faster.

I think we need to re-define the term "broadband". In my opinion, broadband should mean at least 4 Mbps down and at least 768 kbps up. I pay for a one tier upgrade with Comcast and I am getting 8 Mbps down and 1 Mbps up. I think the only way DSL companies are signing up more people is because they are advertising "broadband" as if it were they same as cable "broadband". It's like compairing apples to oranges. Even the standard cable intertnet here is at least 6 Mbps down.