How Much Do You Pay For Cable/Internet?

[Juicy Box]

Usually ~$55 for 250/10
Sometimes a deal like ~$25 a few months here and there.

Those are decent prices.

The issues in the US have more to do with oligopolies that have developed over long periods of time. For example, in the 1990's and 2000's, Comcast purchased many smaller cable companies over time, and have grown. There was less and less competition over time, which has led to many areas of the US to only have 1 ISP.

The US is very large compared to most other countries, and having a new company come into the market, build the infrastructure, and compete with the ISP giants is not very easy.

The areas that have competition, the prices are much lower, and consumers are able to switch back and forth to get the best deals.

 

[satcomer]

Those are decent prices.

The issues in the US have more to do with oligopolies that have developed over long periods of time. For example, in the 1990's and 2000's, Comcast purchased many smaller cable companies over time, and have grown. There was less and less competition over time, which has led to many areas of the US to only have 1 ISP.

The US is very large compared to most other countries, and having a new company come into the market, build the infrastructure, and compete with the ISP giants is not very easy.

The areas that have competition, the prices are much lower, and consumers are able to switch back and forth to get the best deals.

This IMHO was a large reason why so many people cut the cord! They found cable companies are compressing their video feeds and over the Air pictures are better!

 

[Juicy Box]

A small update to the guide.

I found out about a year ago that FiOS might now charge a for the remaining of the billing cycle if canceling your service in the middle of a billing cycle. So, if you plan on canceling your FiOS service for another ISP, then I recommend doing this toward the end of the billing cycle to avoid being charged for a service you will not be using.

Comcast still will prorate the final bill.

I just recently switch back to FiOS from Comcast, and I was impressed by how easy it was to cancel my Comcast service.

Something I mentioned in the guide, re-negotiating for a better deal, I decided to give it a try again since my 12 month promotion was ending at the end of this month, but Comcast offered me a crap deal. The best Comcast had to offer was double the current price I was paying for a slower internet. (I had no-contract 250Mbps/10Mbps plan @ $30 a month that, they offered a no-contract 100Mbps/5Mbps plan @ $60 a month)

I told them that I would be switching ISPs and would call back to cancel my service once my new FiOS was set up.

I set up FiOS, it was very easy, and I was able to do it without having an install scheduled. I had my FiOS set up in just a few minutes without calling.

For FiOS, I signed up for no-contract 100Mbps/100Mbps plan @ $40 a month for 12 months, plus it comes with a $50 Visa gift card.

To cancel Comcast, I called their number and told the phone robot that I wanted to "disconnect my service", and they connected me with the retention team. I told them that I signed up for FiOS and I wanted to cancel my service. There was no bull crap involved, no transferring to another department, or having to talk to custom service first. I was on the phone for less than 4 minutes from the time I dialed their number.

Of course, an "elite retention" team member called me a few days after I cancelled trying to keep me as a customer. They were going to give me a really good deal, I turn them down. I told them that they should have offered this deal prior to me canceling and going to the trouble of setting up a new service.

Why call me after the fact? That really annoys me.

 

[willmtaylor]

I currently pay SuddenLink $60/mo. for 400 Mbps down and 50 Mbps up with no data cap.

 

[Juicy Box]

I signed up for no-contract 100Mbps/100Mbps plan @ $40 a month for 12 months, plus it comes with a $50 Visa gift card.

(I had no-contract 250Mbps/10Mbps plan @ $30 a month that, they offered a no-contract 100Mbps/5Mbps plan @ $60 a month)

no data cap

I probably should have mentioned that the plans were no data caps. Actually, I am pretty lucky that in my area there are not data caps for either FiOS nor Comcast.

Look for alternatives for TV services (Direct TV Now, Sling, PS Vue), as these work on devices you might already own like Apple TVs, Fire Sticks, Game Consoles, and Smart TVs.

I should also mention that many of the alternatives for TV services have changed a lot in the past year. DirecTV Now, YouTube TV, Hulu, and some other have increased their price since the guide has been posted.

Actually, the price of DirecTV Now's cheapest plan they offer increased 43% over the past 8 months, and they removed many channels on the new cheapest plan. So, I no longer recommend most of them. If someone enjoys the traditional cable live TV viewing, the ISP's TV service might be the best deal for you.

I don't think that Sling TV's price has increase recently, and everyone I know that uses it loves it. I have been hearing about Philo a lot lately, it is only $16, but offers some decent channels.

 

[Peace]

Tough question because I cut cable about 6 months ago.

I have Youtube TV thats $39.99 a month and I have Fiber Optic ( 1G down and 1G up ) for $75 a month.

 

[aristobrat]

FiOS is my area had a good bundle a bit ago:

$45.00 for Gigabit Internet
$49.99 for TV
---------
$94.99

I also like how clear the FiOS bill is about when promo prices end (and what the impact will be):

 

[Juicy Box]

FiOS is my area had a good bundle a bit ago:

$45.00 for Gigabit Internet
$49.99 for TV
---------
$94.99

I also like how clear the FiOS bill is about when promo prices end (and what the impact will be):
View attachment 826506

If someone was interested in Live TV service, this sounds like a decent deal. Do you know if this required a contract? If so, how many years?

I have Youtube TV thats $39.99 a month

How are you liking YouTube TV?

I am looking for a replacement for my Parent's DirecTV Now sub since prices are going up again. I looked into YouTube TV, and IIRC, I think I put that at the bottom of the list because it was missing The ID channel, which my father has to have.

I have Fiber Optic ( 1G down and 1G up ) for $75 a month.

I am curious, do you utilize these speeds?

I know a few people that are paying for Gigabit speeds, but would never even come close to utilizing speeds that fast.

 

[Peace]

If someone was interested in Live TV service, this sounds like a decent deal. Do you know if this required a contract? If so, how many years?



How are you liking YouTube TV?

I am looking for a replacement for my Parent's DirecTV Now sub since prices are going up again. I looked into YouTube TV, and IIRC, I think I put that at the bottom of the list because it was missing The ID channel, which my father has to have.


I am curious, do you utilize these speeds?

I know a few people that are paying for Gigabit speeds, but would never even come close to utilizing speeds that fast.

I like Youtube TV. The only thing I don't like is Youtube's default "auto" setting for video quality so I have to manually set it to 720P..Thats the max Youtube does.
As far as speeds. Yes I do use them.

 

[Mr. Heckles]

I don't think that Sling TV's price has increase recently, and everyone I know that uses it loves it. I have been hearing about Philo a lot lately, it is only $16, but offers some decent channels.

I just looked at Philo, and they have all the channels I like for the $20 package. I need to look at this company some more.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I pay £25 a month for fibre broadband and phone but don’t have a phone plugged in as I don’t need one. For TV I use Freesat which is of course free lol.

 

[Juicy Box]

I just looked at Philo, and they have all the channels I like for the $20 package. I need to look at this company some more.

I have been seeing it pop up a lot lately.

If you try it, let us know what you think of it. @$16, I might just give it a try just to see what it is like.

 

[Mr. Heckles]

I have been seeing it pop up a lot lately.

If you try it, let us know what you think of it. @$16, I might just give it a try just to see what it is like.

I will lose my $15 credit on my AT&T cell phone if I switch, bit it's still cheaper for me. I wonder what the catch is.

I have the Go Big for the cheaper price (now $40, but will be $65) because I got it at launch, but I am sick of them doing this. I don't watch a lot anymore, and Philo has the 3 channels I do watch a lot.

 

[aristobrat]

If someone was interested in Live TV service, this sounds like a decent deal. Do you know if this required a contract? If so, how many years?

Good catch. Yes, it’s a 2-year contract.

 

[jeyf]

New diggs: nice mid century house in an urban area in a functional middle america city:
initially used and dropped comCast, their build out in this area is VERY old, not reliable, so no choice to go back.
4example:
i had medium speed residential service with comCast and paid $50. The rented cable modem would totally lock up solid brick maybe once a month. Swapped out the rented modem a few times but was reluctant to buying my own modem for a system clearly going back to vacuum tubes and relays.

any ways the new fiber replacement:
-i pay $80 for the giga bit fiber.
-it has worked well w/o an outage for a whole year. I work at home.
-i bought a $33.00 craigsList.org fiber modem box c2000z level ZyXEL. Worked ok in some speed tests.
-internet transactions now run 10x faster here but to be serious the family doesn't care.
-I am hoping the introduction of 5G home here will keep local inter web prices low and all the neighbors will want to try it.

We do not have a tv:
-a local tv station internet streams their good morning news broadcast, i bet i could find more of this type of thingy
-winter months: get my fill of super heroes fighting Netflix inflected terror (MBP) and have read most of everything on smash words (iPhone)
-summer evenings i work on cars projects
-we are recently re thinking to drop for a ethernets driven micro linux box having a fast HDMI port connected to a large screen + sonic speakers.

 

[0388631]

All I want is faster upload.

 

[jeyf]

All I want is faster upload.

fiber cable up/dwn is symmetric so you can get your fast upload if you want it
centrurylink is advertising 1000x service for a new low here $65

 

[0388631]

fiber cable up/dwn is symmetric so you can get your fast upload if you want it
centrurylink is advertising 1000x service for a new low here $65

Sadly, fiber isn't available in our area. It's theoretically possible for an ISP to deliver a solid high upload (nowhere near fiber) but it costs a lot of money to implement and logistics. And let's be real, no ISP is going to do that.

 

[user_xyz]

$234.00 per month for Everything.
300mbps down

 

[hallux]

I made the cut earlier this week, for TV service anyway. For internet my options are Spectrum or nothing. I'm too far for DSL and FiOS isn't available. I'm also getting a $75 credit for the unused portion of the month.

I'm now at $65.99 for 100Mb internet and $40 for YouTube TV. I'll be adding Sling as well and my TV cost will still be 50% of what I was paying. Why both? YouTube TV has the channel I want for my baseball team, Sling has A&E.

 

[dmr727]

200Mb down for $59.99/month. Internet only. Have Netflix, Showtime, HBO, and an antenna for the local channels. I miss out on sports on ESPN or TNT, but that's what the bar is for. Curious to see what Apple does today.

 

[MattG]

I pay $70/month for AT&T U-Verse Gigabit internet. Full disclosure, it's part of a bundle (my wife and I have our cell service through AT&T too) so probably discounted a bit. It's $245/month TOTAL for internet and cell phones.

 

[Juicy Box]

I posted the following in another thread, but I think it would be useful here.

If you want to do Live TV, which I would recommend not to if you can, here are a list of the popular ones out there with some features:

DirecTV Now
@ $50 a month, allows multiple device streaming (2), includes HBO. DirecTV Now use to be the best one imo, but with a 43% increase over 8 months, and losing a bunch of channels on the lowest tier, it is overpriced.

Hulu + Live TV
@ $45 a month, includes all of Hulu's content, allows multiple device streaming (2), multiple profiles.

YouTube Live TV
@ $40 a month, allows multiple device streaming (3), multiple profiles, unlimited DVR, YouTube originals.

Sling TV
@ $25-$40 a month, decent channels, good for sports fans, allows multiple device streaming (1-3 depending on package), and a special right now with 40% off for 3 months.

PS Vue
@ $45 a month, allows multiple device streaming (5), multiple profiles (10), unlimited DVR, great for a large family.

Philo Live TV
@ $16 a month, the cheapest plan, and some decent channels, allows multiple device streaming (3), unlimited DVR.
[doublepost=1553541244][/doublepost]

-I am hoping the introduction of 5G home here will keep local inter web prices low and all the neighbors will want to try it.

I didn't mention this yet in the thread, but I have high hopes for the 5G fixed wireless broadband.

This might be the game-changer in the US that many people with only 1 choice of internet badly needs.

 

[Mac'nCheese]

I posted the following in another thread, but I think it would be useful here.

If you want to do Live TV, which I would recommend not to if you can, here are a list of the popular ones out there with some features:

DirecTV Now
@ $50 a month, allows multiple device streaming (2), includes HBO. DirecTV Now use to be the best one imo, but with a 43% increase over 8 months, and losing a bunch of channels on the lowest tier, it is overpriced.

Hulu + Live TV
@ $45 a month, includes all of Hulu's content, allows multiple device streaming (2), multiple profiles.

YouTube Live TV
@ $40 a month, allows multiple device streaming (3), multiple profiles, unlimited DVR, YouTube originals.

Sling TV
@ $25-$40 a month, decent channels, good for sports fans, allows multiple device streaming (1-3 depending on package), and a special right now with 40% off for 3 months.

PS Vue
@ $45 a month, allows multiple device streaming (5), multiple profiles (10), unlimited DVR, great for a large family.

Philo Live TV
@ $16 a month, the cheapest plan, and some decent channels, allows multiple device streaming (3), unlimited DVR.
[doublepost=1553541244][/doublepost]

I didn't mention this yet in the thread, but I have high hopes for the 5G fixed wireless broadband.

This might be the game-changer in the US that many people with only 1 choice of internet badly needs.

i'd love to cut all my wires and have a 5G wireless hot spot device in my house. Then, I would just sign up for a streaming service and be done with it all.

 

[Lee_Bo]

We currently have 200 meg Spectrum ($65/mo) and YouTube TV ($50/mo) for a total of $115/mo. Back when we had the Spectrum bundle plan, we were in the $300/mo range.