[NTLUG:Discuss] DSL in The Colony, and Southwestern Bell

[Jeremy Blosser]

Kelly Scroggins [kelly at cliffhanger.com] wrote:
> Quoting jack snodgrass <idiotboy at hardcorejeep.com>:
>    See if 
>    http://www.august.net/
>    can be your ISP and use SWB as just the DSL 
>    carrier. If you did that... august.net would
>    supply the IP Address and validataion. 
> 
> That increases the cost too much.
> 
> i.e.,
> 
> SWB POTS line	: ~$30.00
> SWB DSL line	: ~$50.00 (includes ISP)
> ISP		: ? $

You shouldn't be paying SWB for an ISP if you have another ISP.  My costs
for ADSL through August right now are:

SWB POTS line:  (YMMV)
SWB DSL line :  $40.88
August ADSL  :  $22.95

Which is ~$65.00... I don't consider the POTS line part of this package
since it's going to be there no matter what service I have.

SWB will go out of their way to confuse you into using their ISP.  I
suggest you *only* talk to the August people, if they can service your
area.  They'll set the whole thing up for you, and it will be done
correctly.  All you should ever hear from SWB is when the DSL modem is
dropped off at your house and the following new charge on your bill.

If you can use August I really recommend it.  Search this list archives for
the various glowing recommendations they receive; IMO it's easily worth a
few more bucks for the much better service than you'll get from a telco.
August is the kind of ISP people that know anything about their computers
dream of having.

> But I already have ISDN	: $70.00 .  and DSL will
> a little bit faster.

A *lot* faster most likely.  YMWV, but at 12k feet from my CO, and August's
standard metered (non-throttled) service, I've seen sustained speeds over
120kB/s.  The lowest I ever see is around 40kB/s.  The variability seems to
be entirely determined by the low quality of the phone lines in my area,
but it's usually more on the high end.  I have better bandwidth at home
than I do at work on multiple T1s. :)

-- 
Jeremy Blosser   |   jblosser at firinn.org   |   http://jblosser.firinn.org/
-----------------+-------------------------+------------------------------
the crises posed a question / just beneath the skin
the virtue in my veins replied / that quitters never win