Broadband is simply not an option where I live, but Wildblue satellite internet @ $50/month is 20 times faster and cheaper then I was paying for 28k8 dialup plus a 2nd phone line.

People who don’t subscribe to “broadband” where it’s available either don’t use the internet much, don’t care, don’t know the difference, are comfortable with what they know about and are resistant to change or simply can’t afford it.

I still have Netzero (less than $10 a month) as a backup.
Yes, I use Cable Internet, but there are times when the price drags down our income. And with Gas prices getting higher, FOOD takes priority over High-speed Net. Also, I can use Netzero any-were. As long as I have my Cellphone, or a land-line, I can get on the NET. Kick in a local number, and I am creeping along the NET. Better that nothing….and cheap also.
BTW…. Netzero still has their FREE part (about the only ones still in existence).

Absolutely with some customers, they complain about the download speeds, or the phone tie up, but $10-$15 more a month is like impossible. Yet in some cases, they don’t blink an eye as I charge more because my business format is I go to the computer, so I get exposed to their dial up. It takes me longer to run updates of their programs. Thus, they get charged more as I charge by the hour. So I always ask them, where are they saving any money? It takes me two to three times longer to fix things just because of their internet speed, and they get charged accordingly. It irritates me, as some of my customers can afford it. They live in homes and areas that make me look I’m in the poor house. They have computers that I could never afford without saving for a few years. Yet they are on dial-up. I don’t get it!

Ok - here in rural NY, Fairpoint controls the “high speed” picture. Other than the Kinderhook region (where I happen NOT to live) they charge 45 dollars for a paltry 768K connection (in Kinderhook, they have competition, so they charge 40 dollars for 5Mbit, with the same hardware).

You can get dialup for 10 dollars a month. If you aren’t exactly wealthy, or you don’t really Need fast downloads and constant connection, 10 dollars is a bargain - assuming you get internet at all - and companies that abuse their monopoly position don’t encourage adoption.

It’s like with POTS telephone service. If it weren’t for government intervention, large areas of the country would have none at all, or would be paying 10x the price of urban areas for very poor service.

Until broadband (real broadband, not the kilobit service available here now) is basically universal in this country, I personally doubt that adoption will increase significantly. And that’s not going to happen without some kind of regulation - why put money into customer service and satisfaction when you don’t have to? That just cuts into your shareholders happy thoughts unnecessarily.

My DSL is in New Hampshire, New England and works just fine if you don’t require huge downloads like movies, etc. But for viewing most web sites it works just fine. It is under $20 a month, includes taxes. Certainly much faster than dial up, although most dial up I’ve seen is around $10.

Biggest problem with DSL is being close enough to the station to “qualify” for the service. Luckily I live in a town of 14K and just about anywhere in the town is close enough to the Phone Co.’s station. It is a worthy alternative to the expensive fiber optics and cable connections. DSL appears to be about 3-5 times faster than dial up. Fast enough for me.

It’s like buying a car. Some people want a fast car, others want a car that handles well, and others want the best gas mileage they can get. Some want a combo. This town has cable and FiOs available. I can afford FiOs, I just don’t need it.

Like anything of value; consider your options and your pocketbook carefully and steer clear of the hype.

Reasons for not going to broadband -
1 - It’s not available because phone companies refuse to upgrade switching equipment to permit DSL to function.
2 - Prices go UP after 1 to 3 months. Scams like that are easily spotted. Suckers are harder to find these days.
3 - It’s undependable - AT&T, Verizon, and several others have been making a big marketing/Sales PUSH to expand DSL/Phone/CableTV packages in this region for over a year. All of the new customer converts I have talked to complain about how the systems go down a lot… sometimes several times per evening and data speed grinds to a crawl slower than dialup when the kiddies start doing homework and IM-ing. Who needs that? Dialup that works is better than any DSL that doesn’t work. Roadrunner cable is no better around here. The techs refuse to install new cable when needed (lightening hits on poles and animals attacking underground cables are bad here.). Apparently, they are too cheap and/or dumb to use fiber-optic.
4 - Static IPs are a stationary target and more easily hacked. Dialup providers use a group of randomly assigned IPs. Being a moving target is a good thing if you dont have $300+ in special security software and a computer science degree to figure out how o use it..

I noticed a Verizon ad on this Web page… $19.99/mo for DSL (1 yr at up to 766KBPs). As a long time Verizon customer, I know I cannot trust them to deliver un-interupted service. Their cell phone connections drop if somebody thinks the word “rain” and the static filled landlines go through a 5E switch. That 1980s vintage design is so antiquated that we will NEVER get DSL here until Verizon wears out all those old hulks in their warehouses.

Luke