5 ms·

$70 for an internet connection is not cheap. The author just means that it's not a no-brainer for individuals currently on one of the big providers who are on a

by tinco 11y ago

$70 for an internet connection is not cheap. The author just means that it's not a no-brainer for individuals currently on one of the big providers who are on a budget.

bluedino 11y ago
It is for the area. Comcast charges $65.95/mo. to $78.95/mo for 70mb/s in the Detroit metro area. $70/month for 1gbs service and not having to deal with Comcast is a no-brainer
- tinco 11y ago
  Oh wow that is expensive. In The Netherlands the big ADSL/Cable providers are 20/30 euro p/m + whatever you pay for TV and phone. The fiber operators charge 40-50 euro. I didn't expect it to be that much more expensive in the US.
  - adventured 11y ago
    Cable is certainly cheaper in the Netherlands, but not fiber. In Utrecht, Online.nl is ~$54 for 50mbps fiber. Fiber.nl is ~$44 euro for 50mbps fiber. Per https://www.internetten.nl https://www.internetten.nl and online.nl $70 for 1gbps rather beats that by a drastic margin. Many cities in the US are seeing gigabit consumer fiber deployments at that price range.
    - mseebach 11y ago
      > $70 for 1gbps rather beats that by a drastic margin. You need to factor in the marginal utility of added bandwidth. Few people can meaningfully utilise 20-50mbps (a full HD stream is <10mbps), much less 1gbps, so you're looking at paying $20-30 for, essentially, nothing. For the record, I count myself in the group of people who can't utilise such a connection, although I'm squarely in the group of people who'd pay for the faster connection in a heartbeat regardless.
- cm2187 11y ago
  In London BT charges about $115/mo for a 300Mbit optic fiber connection.
- ohmyiv 11y ago
  Cox Cable user in Santa Barbara, $66.99/mo for 50mbs. I'd gladly pay $70 for 1gbs.
- yeukhon 11y ago
  Time Warner 100/10 Mbps at $50 per month in NYC. Promotion is at ~$45. But I invested my own router and my own modem (one of those Motorola SURFboard DOCSIS 3.0) to get the most out of my bucks. Verizon in the neighborhood can give a two-year promotion for similar price for FiOS optic, but I will have to get rid of my modem and try the experience... god knows good/awful. Why is upload always so low? Is it expensive for upstream bandwidth?
  - amazon_not 11y ago
    > Why is upload always so low? Is it expensive for upstream bandwidth? Nah. Sometimes it's due to the last mile access technology being asymmetric (ADSL, cable, PON), but mostly it's to differentiate consumer products from business products.
    - tired_man 11y ago
      That's not the issue with FiOS. Their asymetric bandwidth offering is configured that way on purpose, it isn't the hardware. They offer symetrical bandwidth if your line a business connection. I've had FiOS residential and business over the _same_ line (different times, of course) and it goes to the same CO.
- efuquen 11y ago
  Nobody needs 70 mb/s for basic internet access. I think the cheap lower/end is 20-30 /month. I pay $30/month for 50 mb/s and it works just fine for HD streaming videos. I would love higher BW but while I could afford it I already have my own cable modem and to upgrade would need to get special equipment from my ISP, which I would have to lease and deal with the inconvenience of giving back at one of their far away locations. It's been annoying the past so decided to pass. But for anyone who is price sensitive doubling/tripling their internet bill is a non-starter.
- aibara 11y ago
  It's even worse in Detroit, since those Comcast prices you listed are temporary ones for new customers or bundles. You can call them to complain and they'll probably knock the price down but it's a hassle. I pay $67 for only 25mb/s!
  - bluedino 11y ago
    That's the actual rate, the promo rate is $39.99 www.xfinity.com/internet-service.html
iagooar 11y ago
In Switzerland, 1Gbs down/up optic fiber costs 150 CHF, roughly $150 USD. It comes with TV (no separate Internet only option). It's a lot of money, but given the median income still very affordable.
- phlo 11y ago
  You're probably talking about the Swisscom offering, which is roughly comparable to what at&t might offer. Fiber7 sells 1 Gbps lines for around CHF 65.- per month, without the obligation to also get a TV subscription and more nonsense.
  - iagooar 11y ago
    Are you happy with it? I like the idea of getting rid of the TV that I do not use, but I am quite happy with the performance and support that Swisscom offers.
- projct 11y ago
  This is about what I pay here in Denver for gigabit FTTH via CenturyLink.
merpnderp 11y ago
CableOne is $55 for 100Mb/5Mb, $105 for /200Mb/10Mb, but mostly serves small rural areas in the US.

by tinco 11y ago

$70 for an internet connection is not cheap. The author just means that it's not a no-brainer for individuals currently on one of the big providers who are on a budget.

bluedino 11y ago

It is for the area. Comcast charges $65.95/mo. to $78.95/mo for 70mb/s in the Detroit metro area. $70/month for 1gbs service and not having to deal with Comcast is a no-brainer

tinco 11y ago
Oh wow that is expensive. In The Netherlands the big ADSL/Cable providers are 20/30 euro p/m + whatever you pay for TV and phone. The fiber operators charge 40-50 euro. I didn't expect it to be that much more expensive in the US.
- adventured 11y ago
  Cable is certainly cheaper in the Netherlands, but not fiber. In Utrecht, Online.nl is ~$54 for 50mbps fiber. Fiber.nl is ~$44 euro for 50mbps fiber. Per https://www.internetten.nl https://www.internetten.nl and online.nl $70 for 1gbps rather beats that by a drastic margin. Many cities in the US are seeing gigabit consumer fiber deployments at that price range.
  - mseebach 11y ago
    > $70 for 1gbps rather beats that by a drastic margin. You need to factor in the marginal utility of added bandwidth. Few people can meaningfully utilise 20-50mbps (a full HD stream is <10mbps), much less 1gbps, so you're looking at paying $20-30 for, essentially, nothing. For the record, I count myself in the group of people who can't utilise such a connection, although I'm squarely in the group of people who'd pay for the faster connection in a heartbeat regardless.
cm2187 11y ago
In London BT charges about $115/mo for a 300Mbit optic fiber connection.
ohmyiv 11y ago
Cox Cable user in Santa Barbara, $66.99/mo for 50mbs. I'd gladly pay $70 for 1gbs.
yeukhon 11y ago
Time Warner 100/10 Mbps at $50 per month in NYC. Promotion is at ~$45. But I invested my own router and my own modem (one of those Motorola SURFboard DOCSIS 3.0) to get the most out of my bucks. Verizon in the neighborhood can give a two-year promotion for similar price for FiOS optic, but I will have to get rid of my modem and try the experience... god knows good/awful. Why is upload always so low? Is it expensive for upstream bandwidth?
- amazon_not 11y ago
  > Why is upload always so low? Is it expensive for upstream bandwidth? Nah. Sometimes it's due to the last mile access technology being asymmetric (ADSL, cable, PON), but mostly it's to differentiate consumer products from business products.
  - tired_man 11y ago
    That's not the issue with FiOS. Their asymetric bandwidth offering is configured that way on purpose, it isn't the hardware. They offer symetrical bandwidth if your line a business connection. I've had FiOS residential and business over the _same_ line (different times, of course) and it goes to the same CO.
efuquen 11y ago
Nobody needs 70 mb/s for basic internet access. I think the cheap lower/end is 20-30 /month. I pay $30/month for 50 mb/s and it works just fine for HD streaming videos. I would love higher BW but while I could afford it I already have my own cable modem and to upgrade would need to get special equipment from my ISP, which I would have to lease and deal with the inconvenience of giving back at one of their far away locations. It's been annoying the past so decided to pass. But for anyone who is price sensitive doubling/tripling their internet bill is a non-starter.
aibara 11y ago
It's even worse in Detroit, since those Comcast prices you listed are temporary ones for new customers or bundles. You can call them to complain and they'll probably knock the price down but it's a hassle. I pay $67 for only 25mb/s!
- bluedino 11y ago
  That's the actual rate, the promo rate is $39.99 www.xfinity.com/internet-service.html

iagooar 11y ago

In Switzerland, 1Gbs down/up optic fiber costs 150 CHF, roughly $150 USD. It comes with TV (no separate Internet only option). It's a lot of money, but given the median income still very affordable.

phlo 11y ago
You're probably talking about the Swisscom offering, which is roughly comparable to what at&t might offer. Fiber7 sells 1 Gbps lines for around CHF 65.- per month, without the obligation to also get a TV subscription and more nonsense.
- iagooar 11y ago
  Are you happy with it? I like the idea of getting rid of the TV that I do not use, but I am quite happy with the performance and support that Swisscom offers.
projct 11y ago
This is about what I pay here in Denver for gigabit FTTH via CenturyLink.

merpnderp 11y ago

CableOne is $55 for 100Mb/5Mb, $105 for /200Mb/10Mb, but mostly serves small rural areas in the US.