DSL Wishes and Broadband Dreams

Lately, I’ve been investigating the possibility of getting a broadband connection. There are basically two options for this, DSL or Cable. DSL is the cheaper option, as it probably wouldn’t cost any more than about $40 a month, although I’d probably have to buy my own DSL modem. Cable is more expensive, but I could rent the modem as opposed to buying it.

Based on experiences I’ve heard from others, cable is basically out of the question. If I got cable Internet access, it would have to come from Comcast, our provider. My friend, Cliff, was telling me of his experiences with them. I won’t go into detail, but let’s just say that they weren’t pretty.

So, it looks like that when I do get a broadband connection, it’ll be DSL. I went to a site Paul told me about called DSL Reports. They catalog reports on broadband ISPs and have several tools to help out people looking to get broadband, such as myself. With DSL, the trick is that you have to be within a certain distance of a building called a CO. The farther you are from it, the less likely you’ll be able to get a decent DSL connection. Fortunately, we are not too far from one. I have several choices in DSL, from SBC Yahoo to Speakeasy and various others. Most companies that I have seen charge about $39.99 a month for the connection that I’d like to get. It’s not the fastest possible DSL connection, but it’s much better than 56k.

While my dad has possibly hinted at being able to get DSL from SBC Yahoo (because of their online deal, which would only cost us $10 more a month than we pay now), it’s pretty certain that I won’t be upgrading my connection until I get a job. Nothing has really panned out yet, but I’m hoping to finally get one before the summer is over. And then maybe by fall, I can get a better Internet connection. In the meantime, I’ll continue my research. I always try to investigate thoroughly before I make any big financial commitment. But it will be nice to be able to check my e-mail in less than 15 minutes (yes, it actually takes that long to check my three primary e-mail accounts on my current connection).