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Jeff In Milwaukee

(13,992 posts)
Wed Apr 16, 2014, 12:13 PM Apr 2014

Cutting The Cable

So I'm trying to be all 21st Century here by getting rid of my home phone and cable service. Everything via cell phone or internet.

I currently have Comcast with a cable and internet bundle for $110/month. When I inquired with Comcast about internet only, they said it would be $75/month for the "unbundled" price, which sounded to me like I was getting robbed.

Checking around, I don't have U-verse in my neighborhood and Dish Network internet is also $75 a month for unbundled service (less if I use cheaper data plan, but I assume I'm going to want all the speed and data that I can get).

Any alternatives, or is $75/month a reasonable rate for high speed internet access?

I'm in both the Milwaukee suburbs and the Chicago suburbs (long story).

7 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Cutting The Cable (Original Post) Jeff In Milwaukee Apr 2014 OP
Log onto your comcast account and check your monthly usage. jtuck004 Apr 2014 #1
That's what I pay ohheckyeah Apr 2014 #2
That's good to know... Jeff In Milwaukee Apr 2014 #3
Comcast TV isn't so great ohheckyeah Apr 2014 #4
I'm near Appleton, Wi mockmonkey Apr 2014 #6
I'm paying Pharaoh Apr 2014 #5
Here in the wilds of Oregon Old Codger Apr 2014 #7
 

jtuck004

(15,882 posts)
1. Log onto your comcast account and check your monthly usage.
Wed Apr 16, 2014, 12:28 PM
Apr 2014

That will give you a better idea of how to price internet service. I was doing some outside work, March was 70 or 80 GB. That would have been about 600 a month via cell and slower, or

It's tough to find any kind of acceptable alternative if your cable service is up and working well. Virtually everything else is slower, but that may or may not be noticeable by a user. And who knows, there might be something local to you that isn't available elsewhere.

We did the same thing, and yes, you, and all of us, are being robbed. Yet plenty of people pay them, me included, until we can find an alternative. I would drop them in a second.



Jeff In Milwaukee

(13,992 posts)
3. That's good to know...
Wed Apr 16, 2014, 03:35 PM
Apr 2014

Most of the response that I've received seems to be that $75 isn't totally out of line if the service is fast and reliable (which it is).

mockmonkey

(2,816 posts)
6. I'm near Appleton, Wi
Wed Apr 16, 2014, 08:40 PM
Apr 2014

Last edited Thu Apr 17, 2014, 12:17 PM - Edit history (1)

I'm paying $73 a month for TWC internet and the really really basic cable which is ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, PBS, WGN and a local independent and some others that I haven't really looked at since I finally got a Digital Tv.

If I drop the cable part of it I'll end up paying about $10 a month more. They offer less expensive internet if you can live with 2 Mbps but I like mine which averages between 10 and 15 Mbps.

I wish these companies would be honest about what they really cost per month.

Since I rarely use the phone I got MagicJack Plus. It's really cheap but it has it's issues. I've been having problems if I need to use the keypad to communicate. I still haven't been able to personalize my Voicemail and I had gotten a new debit card and could not get it to activate. I haven't had time to look into it and I was able to activate by calling my bank. They didn't know what the issue was but I really think it's the MagicJack for some reason.

I mostly watch Netflix and I've rarely had an issue with TWC internet. I've heard others have horror stories about them.

Who knows what will change when it becomes Comcast, hopefully nothing bad.

Solved my MagicJack Plus issue..kind of. If I need to call somewhere that must have answers given by the phone keypad I connect the MagicJack Plus into the computer and then it works.

 

Pharaoh

(8,209 posts)
5. I'm paying
Wed Apr 16, 2014, 07:48 PM
Apr 2014

42 bucks a month for charter high speed - 30 mbps

I get my TV through the airwaves free and just pay for internet, here in Madison.

 

Old Codger

(4,205 posts)
7. Here in the wilds of Oregon
Tue Apr 29, 2014, 12:30 PM
Apr 2014

I pay 70 a month for internet at blazing(sic) 1.3MG and 55 a month for low end Direct tv, not many other choices. I can get sat. internet which is a lot faster but has caps, tried Verizon Jet Pak that uses 4g and it is great but at $80 month for 10G can't do much in the way of streaming videos or movies.. Have tried over the air antennas (actually am still trying that) but not a lot there, maybe 7 channels if lucky and one is all commercials.. tried Google Chromecast but it requires using Chrome browser and my antivirus went insane while installing it..and chromecast doesn't like my network... so when Roku came out with streaming stick that is like chromecast(but actually works) that also plugs into HDMI and uses your network I figured what the heck give it a try, even on this narrow broadband it works like a charm with netflix so bye bye direct and hoping for Frontier to someday maybe give us a better fairer deal with something that resembles real "High Speed" internet..

So if I could get that deal of real high speed internet for 75 month I would jump at the chance...All is relative.

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