Verizon vs. Comcast

[richlevy]

I have Comcast Internet which has been acceptable. I've had issues lately, but I also have a deteriorating PC which might be causing a bottleneck.

At BJ's today I spoke with a Verizon rep. The upshot is that I can save about $37 a month by switching cable/internet. I already have Verizon phone and cellphone. Part of the $37 is a $15 per month discount on my cellphone service. For internet, I would get the middle speeds 25/15 Mbps which I believe is better than my current Comcast.

The Verizon rep also claimed that Verizon was true 1080p HD where Comcast is compressed (740p?).

Has anyone switched or done research on this?

[wolf]

If they haven't wired your neighborhood for high-def, prepare to be screwed. Actually, prepare to be screwed anyway.

YMMV, but I don't know any people who have ended up happy after switching, once they get past feeling cool for having gotten one over on the cable company, only to find out that the phone company has them by the nuts.

[xoxoxoBruce]

I switched, and I love it. FIOS is much better than Comcast, and considerably cheaper. Oh sure, Comcast is offering super duper discount rates at the moment, hoping I'll forget the years and years they were sticking it up my ass every month.
Before Verizon appeared on the scene, Comcast kept raising the price, while taking away good channels. They said they were raising the rate to provide more channels, but they were all shopping, religion, foreign language, and similar crap I didn't want, but was forced to pay for.
Verizon is actually charging me less than I expected, because of some first couple of months free, on some parts of the service I chose
The price is locked in, and if when the introductory offer expires you're not happy, get an offer from Comcast to switch back. Competition is wonderful.

[Pie]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

I switched, and I love it. FIOS is much better than Comcast, and considerably cheaper. Oh sure, Comcast is offering super duper discount rates at the moment, hoping I'll forget the years and years they were sticking it up my ass every month.

Competition is wonderful.

This. Oh good lord, this. I had (and hated!) Comcast for a decade -- they were the only game in town. Now that we've moved and we got FIOS about a year ago, I can't find one single negative thing to say about it. We got the TV/Internet/Phone bundle.

[SteveDallas]

I can't honestly compare, as we haven't had cable since .. umm... 1999 maybe? (We were on satellite before we got Fios.) However, A/V knowledgeable colleagues whom I trust say the Comcast picture is noticeably compressed. We've had no complaints with Fios--excellent picture quality. Comcast might match the 25 down on the internet speed, but I guarantee they can't match the 15 up. Whether you care about this depends on your usage habits.

[richlevy]

So, 3 up and 1 down. Now to discuss again with Mrs. Levy and then if she agrees, proceed to negotiate with Verizon.

We do have the business card of the rep at BJ's. He said $10 per month was only good through Sunday, so we may wait until the next round of offers.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Don't rely on the BJ guy, go to Verizon's website and see what they offer.

[classicman]

I just signed up - 3 boxes and none of the other fancy stuff is about $136 a month after all the "savings & discounts" for the first 6 months. After that it goes to about $145

[Pie]

Just in time, via slashdot:

Your Rights Online: Verizon Changes FiOS AUP, -1, Offtopic
Posted by timothy on Tuesday December 01, @01:26PM
from the get-ready-for-municipal-broadband dept.

RasputinAXP writes "Verizon has changed their FiOS AUP effective yesterday, and added an interesting new clause to their specific examples that we're all familiar with: "it is a violation of the Agreement and this AUP to ... post off-topic information on message boards, chat rooms or social networking sites.' At this point, every FiOS-based Slashdot user is breaking the new AUP."

So Verizon's new TOS says they can terminate you for essentially no reason whatsoever. The whole thing is reprehensible. Of special interest is this section:

Originally Posted by Verizon AUP

(b) transmit uninvited communications, data or information, or engage in other similar activities, including without limitation, "spamming", "flaming" or denial of service attacks; [...](e) post off-topic information on message boards, chat rooms or social networking sites;

So if you contact an old friend via Facebook you could be banned (it may have been welcomed, but it was uninvited after all!). If you drift a thread here on the Cellar (naw, that would never happen!) you'll be booted.

Oh, and you'll get cut off if you:

(k) use the service in any fashion for the transmission or dissemination of images containing child pornography or in a manner that is obscene, sexually explicit, cruel or racist in nature or which espouses, promotes or incites bigotry, hatred or racism;

Sure, kiddie porn is bad. It is also against the law. The rest of it? It's what the internet was founded on, man.

[ZenGum]

Most of that looks quite reasonable, but clumsily worded.

On the definition of spam, they should have included that it is a mass mailing. That would rule out facebook friend requests and such.

"(e) post off topic information " is obviously an anti-spam device too, the problem is how to enforce it. (Did I mention my new non-stick coookware available here for $79.99)

Likewise, who decides what is "obscene" or "bigotry"? That is much trickier.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Trying to throw in enough verbage so their lawyers can argue in court for years, if the get sued for coming down on somebody being a dick.
I got the email, read the AUP, I'm not skeered.

[Pie]

I'm not 'skeered' either; just pissed off.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Don't worry about what they say in the AUP, worry about what they do, when they do it.
Besides, good, honest, citizens have nothing to fear from corporate America... they love us like their own family.

[tw]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Besides, good, honest, citizens have nothing to fear from corporate America... they love us like their own family.

Same family that says, "Its just business."

[tw]

Originally Posted by SteveDallas

However, A/V knowledgeable colleagues whom I trust say the Comcast picture is noticeably compressed.

Compressed? The picture is delivered on standards that everyone - Verizon, Comcast, Time Warner, the broadcast stations, TV manufacturers - all meet.

Each channel is transmitted in 6 Mhz - standard video on cable, HD on cable, or HD on the air. What is delivered is defined by numbers such as 720 dpi (i or p). All within the same 6 Mhz envelop.

Comcast has a bandwidth problem. To increase internet speeds means they must take away more 6 Mhz TV channels. And provide both HD and standard TV channels. So Comcast and Time Warner now have a monthly download limit. Exceed that number and they cancel you. I believe Comcast's number might be 6 Tb per month. Time Warner's may be 1 Tbyte.

Their job is to move data bits. That means installing more cables so that less customers share one cable. But that means they cannot build Philadelphia skyscrapers and buy NBC. At $100 per month, well, why could cable companies be profitable at $8 per month? Monopolies (duopolies in many cases) can increase prices until someone complains. Nobody is complaining. There is no competition. So prices keep rising.

Appreciate that the TV industry is entering the third generation. Interactive TV (Hulu, Boxee) are the next wave. Comcast wants to dominate the new marketplace. So Comcast is moving early to entrench themselves before the law recognize their monopolistic practices. The sooner they can create trade practices, the sooner those practices will be grandfathered.

They tried to do this many ways including surcharging Google, subverting internet telephone (Skype) packets, data throttling, and now monopolizing the interactive TV market.