Take that, Cox!!

[bill25]

I guess what I am saying is that town government owning communications is only 1 step from federal government owning communications. I guess this is hard because of the cost of infrastructure. It is similar to electric and other utilities which are basically regulated monopolies. Maybe the gov should own the infrastructure like wires, and public companies supply services (internet) on that infrastructure.

Kind of like how the government maintains roads. They could maintain the wires, and the companies could rent bandwidth to serve customers. This would allow for smaller companies to get in the game and compete.

[kevm14]

There are many, many town governments. And technically, they are in competition for one another (for residents and businesses). There is only one federal government. From an economic perspective, a town government operates just like a business does (and can go bankrupt). Our sovereign federal government has no such constraints.

[bill25]

That is a good point.

[kevm14]

I don't think I would switch to it. The speed is cool but I'd rather not pay $70/mo. I think it's more for nerd cred or niche actual uses.

Two years later, and my internet bill is now $75/mo for 50/5. The whole bill, not the pre-tax/fees bill. It is also not a lock in. It is what the service costs.

The next speed tier down is 15/2 for $60/mo. Armed with that, time to look at FIOS prices.

And for the first time, it may make sense to switch. Check these prices, highest to lowest. These are 2 year agreements. Standard rate is higher but I don't know what it is.
150/150 for $70 + $10 router charge. $5 more than I pay now but an undisclosed amount of tax or additional fees may apply.
100/100 for $60 + $10 router charge. Same comments about tax/fees.
50/50 for $50 + $10 router charge. Tax/fees, etc.

But wait! Verizon is pulling classic shenanigans here. The 2 year agreement actually includes two different prices. Doesn't that defeat the purpose of the agreement?? So, those prices above are for the first year of the agreement. On the second year, everything goes up another $10. If the router rental is mandatory, the price savings erodes to the point where I am not sure it is worth switching. If router rental is mandatory, year 2 of the agreement would be $70/mo. Then it would go up again to god knows what after that. I am at $75 now for the same downlink speed.

This is why I cannot stand these stupid agreements. I have never had one with Cox since 2004. I have also never rented any equipment from Cox (because it is pointless). It also annoys me because what I saw at first was $50/mo. That quickly becomes $70/mo (and more after 2 years).

So my question really is, can I possibly supply my own router/modem (I do with Cox) and do any taxes/fees apply to internet-only service? Cox is a straight price and there are no taxes and fees at all. They may only apply to phone or possibly TV service.

Need to find out about:
- Supply my own router/modem
- Standard rate after 2 years
- Tax/fees

[kevm14]

Ok I am working through the online ordering process to get a better idea of prices.

So far I have learned that if I supply one of the following routers, I don't need to pay a router fee.

Actiontec MI424WR Rev. 1, about $75
Verizon Fios Quantum Gateway, Model G1100, about $115

So that is answered. That improves the situation. Continuing...

[kevm14]

Now I am looking at actual pricing with the contract stuff. The good news is, I see no extra tax/fee stuff other than I've already discussed.

They let you select 2 year contract or no contract. It's a little complicated (SHOCKING), so bear with me.

With no contract, here is what it states:

If I read this right, with no contract (and thus no ETF), the first year price is $60. The second year price is $70. And after 2 years, the price is $85. Even with no contract they pull this pricing bullshit.

With the 2 year contract:

If I read THIS right, with a 2 year agreement, the first year price is $50. The second year price is $60. And after 2 years, the price is $85.

Given an "up to $165" ETF, I don't know if it even makes sense to sign an agreement to save a mere $10/mo, particularly if I am not sure if I would be happy with the service. On the other hand, that extra $10/mo savings kind of makes it cross the line from not being worth switching, to being worth switching. Because with the 2 year contract, I'd save $25/mo in year 1, and $15/mo in year 2. But after, it actually costs $10/mo MORE than I pay now...is 2 years long enough to have to possibly switch back? What will Cox's data plan increases be after 2 years?

One thing I should also mention about the router. The $75 router is 801.11G, which I already have now. But the $115 G1100 router has all the good stuff, up to wireless AC which is awesome (and not useful to me right now). I'd like to upgrade anyway as I have an old G router, so the $115 is not a factor here at all.

It is also helpful to realize that this is fairly apples to apples. Same downlink speed. FIOS does give me 50 Mbps uplink but let me put it this way - if they offered a 50/5 for less I'd take that instead. I don't need 50 up.

[kevm14]

A low-effort alternative is just switch to the 15/2 tier and see what happens. Almost zero effort on my part and I instantly save $15/mo. I think Frank has this tier and says it is fine, even for streaming. S60/mo gets me directly down into what I'd be paying for FIOS. And if 15/2 turns out to be sufficient, then I'm not sure I need higher speeds.

Before I do, I better check the data caps...

[kevm14]

Random and potentially out-dated Cox data cap info, circa mid-2015:

Starter - 300% increase to 150GB
Essential - 250% increase to 250GB
Preferred - 40% increase to 350GB
Premier - 100% to 700GB
Ultimate - 500% to 2TB

I have preferred now. The 15/2 tier is Essential. 250GB.

[kevm14]

Wait, it increased again with the price increase. That would have been nice to know before this entire rant.

Latest:
http://www.cox.com/residential/support/ ... DataPlans4

Preferred tier (my 50/5 plan that I have) is now 1TB!

But what's REALLY interesting is so are all the other tiers. Which means I should have no concerns at all about a 15/2 tier as long as the downlink bandwidth is sufficient. I may just switch to that and see how it goes.

[kevm14]

Slightly shady: I cannot downgrade my internet speed online or via chat. I must call. I tried the chat and it asked for some information about my query. The 3rd option was "downgrade or disconnect service." Apparently downgrading is almost as bad as canceling service to them...