Evaluating your High Speed Internet Options

Choosing a high speed internet provider is a big decision. Most people assume that choosing a provider means that they'll simply be paying for a new type of internet access. In many cases though, customers are making a $1000+ /year decision on a vital utility service. Even though internet services might be advertised as only a $29 or $39 per month investment, customers are often lured with promotional rates or other "bait-and-switch" tactics. Evaluating all your choices before selecting a high speed cable, DSL, or satellite internet provider is absolutely critical.


The most common tactic used by internet providers is to require the bundling of certain services in order to receive the best, or advertised, rate. Usually the advertised rate is something that's fairly reasonable - one that might be comparable to the dial-up service that someone might already be using. In the case of DSL, the pitch is for a telephone line. The installation and activation of the line can often exceed $200, and service for the line varies, but usually isn't cheap. It also requires dealing with the local telephone utility, famously inept at keeping appointments. You might also be required to subscribe to additional long distance services, and then be subjected to a minimum usage requirement. In the age of "free long distance" cell phones, this seems increasingly ridiculous.


Cable internet, while often a more reliable and easier choice, also saddles consumers with potentially undesired services. Cable TV packages often start at the $49 /month level for even the most basic programming. If you're not a big TV watcher, that type of package in addition to your internet service might make the cost prohibitive. For those living in rural areas this may not even be possible. Cable providers have been slow to expand service into mountainous and rural areas (particularly in the southern US). If cable isn't even available, it makes the decision even more difficult. Many customers are simply resigned to the telephone company, but new satellite internet services are sweeping the country and bringing dedicated service to all areas of the country.


Satellite internet broadband service is able to offer a number of benefits without many of the problems that face DSL and cable users. The billing is largely simplified (usually without add-on or bundled services). It doesn't require a phone line or any cable, just a reasonably clear view of the southern sky - which most US resident possess. Your home could be deep in a the deserts of the southern or high on a mountain, it just doesn't matter. Setup and installation is fairly easy, and the reliability is outstanding. For those seeking a simplified internet service option, satellite internet might be the ticket. It allows for incredible speeds, and satellite broadband providers specialize in high speed internet service without all the additional up-sells.


To evaluate how other high speed internet providers stack up, check out hughes net satellite internet. It's worth looking into satellite internet and see how the telephone company and your local cable monopoly compare.