Americans Hate ISPs Almost As Much As They Hate Gas Stations, Survey Finds (extremetech.com) 113
An anonymous reader quotes a report from ExtremeTech: Americans hate their internet service providers (ISPs) more than any other segment of the consumer economy -- except gas stations. A fresh set of rankings from the American Consumer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) reveals that few consumers are happy with the way their ISPs conduct business, preferring them only over trips to the pump in a list of 43 major industries. The rankings come courtesy of the ACSI's most recent telecommunications study, which the organization publishes annually. The study covers subscription TV services, video streaming services, and ISPs of both the fiber and non-fiber variety. Using interviews with 22,061 American consumers conducted between April 2022 and March 2023, this year's telecommunications study investigates just how happy people are with their ISPs, then pits that data against that of several other industries. This year, ISPs ranked lower than the endlessly frustrating automobile, banking, and health insurance industries, as well as 39 others that people tend to have an easier time with, such as breweries and athletic shoes.
On a satisfaction scale of 1 to 100, ISPs earned a lackluster 68, which consists of fiber's 75-point and non-fiber's 66-point satisfaction scores combined. The ACSI used customers' input on a number of experiential data points, from choosing a plan to actually using their home Wi-Fi networks, to calculate both scores and combine them based on usage. Although fiber customers found their internet to be relatively reliable and their bills easy to understand, earning an 80 in both categories, non-fiber customers weren't as impressed at 72 and 75, respectively. Unsurprisingly, both fiber and non-fiber customers enjoyed reaching out to their providers' customer service teams the least out of 14 total data points.
There was only one industry that ranked lower than ISPs. As much as Americans generally dislike the way ISPs manage hardware, pricing, customer service, outages, and more, they dislike gas stations even more, giving the category a measly score of 65. While the ACSI doesn't share respondents' reasoning (it's a telecommunications study, after all), it's easy to see why consumers might not enjoy spending obscene money to fill their tanks at dusty roadside stops.
On a satisfaction scale of 1 to 100, ISPs earned a lackluster 68, which consists of fiber's 75-point and non-fiber's 66-point satisfaction scores combined. The ACSI used customers' input on a number of experiential data points, from choosing a plan to actually using their home Wi-Fi networks, to calculate both scores and combine them based on usage. Although fiber customers found their internet to be relatively reliable and their bills easy to understand, earning an 80 in both categories, non-fiber customers weren't as impressed at 72 and 75, respectively. Unsurprisingly, both fiber and non-fiber customers enjoyed reaching out to their providers' customer service teams the least out of 14 total data points.
There was only one industry that ranked lower than ISPs. As much as Americans generally dislike the way ISPs manage hardware, pricing, customer service, outages, and more, they dislike gas stations even more, giving the category a measly score of 65. While the ACSI doesn't share respondents' reasoning (it's a telecommunications study, after all), it's easy to see why consumers might not enjoy spending obscene money to fill their tanks at dusty roadside stops.
Gas stations #1? (Score:1)
gas stations are very up front about the price! (Score:3)
gas stations are very up front about the price and they compete in most areas.
ISP's?
in some areas you have no choice and the price??? you have to wait for bill to see what all of their hidden fees are like.
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That wasn't my experience when doing a short road trip in the US - the price was something x.9 cents per gallon (like really - that 1 cent less than a and then there's some tax added on top of that - and they don't even trust their customers enough to fill up then pay inside like you do in any other normal country (for example, Japan, Australia, UK, France, Germany or Italy - all of which I have bought fuel in) - apparently the norm is to pay inside or at the pump first before filling up.
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That wasn't my experience when doing a short road trip in the US - the price was something x.9 cents per gallon (like really - that 1 cent less than a and then there's some tax added on top of that - and they don't even trust their customers enough to fill up then pay inside like you do in any other normal country (for example, Japan, Australia, UK, France, Germany or Italy - all of which I have bought fuel in) - apparently the norm is to pay inside or at the pump first before filling up.
You used to be able to fill up and then pay back in the 80s. I guess too many people drove off without paying, plus you can easily just pay at the pump with a credit card so it seems like a trivial thing to complain about. Also, I'm pretty sure the price stated at the pump already includes tax so I'm not sure what you're talking about. And seriously, you're complaining that the price was something like $2.99 and 9/10 a gallon? Is there nothing else more trivial to complain about?
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the price stated at the pump already includes tax
Yes, almost everything in the US cost more than the signs said, with the exception of liquor and gasoline. I suppose no coincidence that they have higher taxes than most goods?
Actually, when I was driving there (a while back), the gasoline actually cost *less* than the pump price. All the gas stations displayed the same price, but some had another sign saying "10c/gallon off for everyone". Why not just post a lower price? Is it some weird form of collusion?
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Actually, when I was driving there (a while back), the gasoline actually cost *less* than the pump price. All the gas stations displayed the same price, but some had another sign saying "10c/gallon off for everyone". Why not just post a lower price? Is it some weird form of collusion?
I've seen some that have a discount for paying in cash so maybe that was it?
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Many grocery chains that also operate fuel centers will offer discounts based on "free" "loyalty" programs that basically offer fuel savings in trade for you letting them know each and every thing you buy easily indexed by household and purchaser, so they can send you coupons that keep you coming back into their store for the $0.50 off a pound of hamburger while giving them hundreds of dollars worth of your purchasing trend information to sell to marketing agencies.
If you don't join the "loyalty" program, y
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> based on "free" "loyalty" programs that basically offer fuel savings
It was like that, but "10c off for everyone". I guess it started as having to show a card. Was memorable, because almost everything else in the US had extras tacked on to the advertised price. Unlike most of the rest of the world, where $10 means you pay $10. Consumer protection laws.
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They started the pay before pumping here in BC after a kid got dragged to death trying to stop some gas thieves. Seems the gas stations would deduct gas thefts from the workers wages, motivating workers to try to stop gas thieves.
Gas stations were likely happy with the legislation as it applies to all and does cut down on the theft.
Re: gas stations are very up front about the price (Score:2)
Now they have to steal a credit card and the theft is now someone else's problem.
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Or a card skimmer in the pump
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Skimmer? What third-world country still uses the magnet strip?
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Canada, even though most cards use chips, there's still a magnetic strip that can be read, or even photographing the card (both sides I guess) to get the info needed to do things like buy online.
Has Europe made it so credit cards can only be used with a chip reader? What happens if you want to buy online?
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I've had to think very hard how long ago I actually used a terminal that relied on the magnet strip. All POS terminals here rely on chip only.
Also, how would you hope to take a picture of my card? My card never leaves my hand. No, not even when paying at a restaurant. The waiter will come with a mobile device to your table where you can put your card in and punch in the PIN.
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I can't remember the last time I used a terminal that read the strip either, but I don't use cards much, banks have to much power as it is. There's still the opportunity to have cameras, which can be pretty small, watching the terminal at the pump or register.
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That's even more insane then deducting it if you were the only one on shift. I think the same law that introduced pay before filling also made it illegal to charge workers for theft here. It's not like the worker can do much if someone fills up and runs and that kid got killed in a horrible way trying to stop a theft
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Re: gas stations are very up front about the price (Score:1)
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Nope, the price listed on the big board is the price you pay, all taxes included. Yes, the 9/10 feature. So what? It's plainly shown on the big board. No other business is that up front about their prices in the US.
Re:Gas stations #1? (Score:4, Interesting)
- Slow pumps
- Pumps that have a broken latch such that you have to hold it down the whole time
- People who park and block the pumps to go inside and shop
- Receipt printers that don't work or are out of paper
- Overflowing trash cans
- Broken windshield washers, or with no water, or the water smells fishy and nasty
- Video screens that blast you with CHEDDAR NEWS! or other advertising crap.
- Do you want to buy a car wash? Sign up for rewards? Are you sure about that car wash?
- DISGUSTING restrooms
- Pump didn't shut off and splashed gas on your shoe, now you have to smell it.
- Panhandlers
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is a major bugbear as it applies to every single pump anywhere. I assume they're broken by design due to some sucky safety regulation
Re: Gas stations #1? (Score:2)
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It usually find the latches working on new tank stations opened less than 6months ago, but that is between 1 and 5% of tank stops.
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I don't know if it was a law in my state that was finally rescinded, or just ridiculously common, but I was in my mid-30s before I learned that those latches were even a thing.
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UK petrol pumps don't have latches. You have to hold down the latch. Yes, that is a safety regulation.
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Panhandlers
That's the worst part right there. "Sir, sir ... ". Seriously, I think panhandlers are the only people who still call anyone "sir".
That alone might drive me to an EV (if my son didn't need a wheelchair, and thus I need a large wheelchair van).
Too bad we can't have home gas pumps ...
Re: Gas stations #1? (Score:2)
Re: Gas stations #1? (Score:2)
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Re: Gas stations #1? (Score:2)
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That would be the big one for me. It's like they're saying, "Goodness me! It seems like you might have had a spare moment of quiet reflection like a bad consumer. Let's fill your head with mindless crap instead."
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> High prices for sundries and cost of gas aside, the dislike of gas stations is probably due to
*cut a bunch of marginal reasons nobody thinks about*
Much more likely it's simply an inaccurate analysis (intentionally or not).
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I hate the gas stations where the pumps are broken and the working pumps dispense with the flow of a cocktail straw.
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If I had to list companies I hate dealing with, it'd be:
1. My landlord.
2. Government services (DMV, permit office, USPS, etc.)
3. Banks (mostly due to inconvenient hours, bullshit fees, and long waits).
4. Walmart.
5. Shipping companies.
6. Car dealers.
7. Cable companies.
8. Wireless companies.
9. Pharmacies (just because they're so damn slow).
10. Google. (They'd be further up on this list except for the fact that they basically have no customer service, and when something goes wrong you just have to make peace
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Be a google cloud customer and Google will move way up your list.
Oracle would be on my list, except I know their reputation well enough to promptly move off of anything they buy. Oracle pricing: "How much do you have? Add 10%"
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And what is this crap about the gas station? I have a Tesla now, but I was never annoyed by the gas station. One of the most straightforward interactions one can have. Except for no interaction at all.
Is this one of those AI articles one of the other posts was talking about?
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No Amazon?
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I don't get it either. Why the hate for gas stations?
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"I don't get it. It takes 5 minutes to fill up, and you can grab a snack or light groceries if you need to "
Same here, not to mention there's an ATM and a Parcel Locker with my Amazon stuff in it, Whiskey and beer...
"(granted at high prices) that might postpone a trip to the supermarket."
They know that most clients have a car to make a supermarket run.
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Buc-ee's (Score:2)
Anyone who has ever been to a Buc-ee's station knows what I mean.
My neighborhood QuikTrip was also a great store with surprisingly good little snackle area (fresh-made pizzas, sandwiches...).
so dumb (Score:5, Interesting)
in all my years I've never heard of anybody saying anything like "I hate gas stations"
at worst, they bemoan the prices but that's a market thing, not a gas station thing; I find them quite convenient and it would suck if I had to find another way to fill my tank
stupid poll meant to make somebody, somewhere... some money; don't really know if the poll is stupid, or maybe the editorializing / spin, or maybe all of it
I can only hope I didn't help in that regard
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I hate gas stations.
Fortunately, I haven't had to use one in many years. So much better to charge at home.
Electric Car Owners... (Score:2)
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It's much more, "that place smells like gas." It's also a stop that doesn't feel like it has any benefit other than keeping my car (or lawnmower) moving. I'm really quite happy to be done with that.
Re: so dumb (Score:2)
Sounds rough. Glad I'm not so sensitive.
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Yeah, nobody else sells electric cars
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If I could fix one industry in the USA, it would definitely be healthcare. Literally a couple grand per month in insurance premiums and still cannot schedule a doctor's appointment within the next 6 months.
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For real. People don't hate the healthcare industry enough, even though it's literally robbing people of their entire life's accumulated wealth.
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For real. People don't hate the healthcare industry enough, even though it's literally robbing people of their entire life's accumulated wealth.
They hate the healthcare "system", mainly the insurance companies and the byzantine billing and care denial, and the total lack of providers (eg. you never see a doctor). If you don't hate it yet, just wait until you are old.
Netflix with dumb consumers ruined competition (Score:1)
As a former lead for an non-cable and non-phone company ISP, it is dumb consumerism that ruined this!
1.) You would work with big companies more than small, duped by advertising or crammed by telco reps.
2.) Lacked knowledge that most cable companies were faux ISP walled garden bait and switch options with invasive layer 7 injections you got ripped off on
3.) You squandered expensive bandwidth on Netflix before CDN options like Akamai would have kept the littler ISP able to handle your watching binge items onl
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My first thought as I read the title was "...do we hate gas stations?"
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I hate gas stations.
I live in Oregon where someone (well up until last week) had to pump your gas for you.
So you hand them your card to put in the machine (and probably take a copy of with their phone while they are at it).
Also these people are the bottom of the barrel. Some are ok, but in my experience, many are psychologically damaged in some way and got the job because no one else would take it.
Going electric was the best thing. No more trips to the loonies at the gas station to steal my credit card deta
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... people are the bottom of the barrel. Some are ok, but in my experience, many are psychologically damaged(*) ...
Some may very well be physically "damaged" by the fumes they inhale on a daily basis to fill up you car. That shit makes people go soft in the head. Self-filling was made mandatory many years ago in Europe, because the exposure to hazardous vapour is basically inhumane treatment.
(*) this description is incredibly problematic
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This wouldn't be a concern in the United States. In a recent study, it came in dead last for treatment of workers. Even Estonia ranked higher.
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You may be the only person I've ever encountered who hasn't suffered serious mental trauma from being so desperate for relief they were forced to endure the unspeakable horrors to be found in a gas station washroom.
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Well, gas stations, until recently, were a necessary evil. People hate gas stations like they hate supermarkets - you won't hear people say "they hate gas stations", but they hate the activity "I hate gassing up" - like people say "I hate shopping".
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EV adoption rates very widely from place to place. So this "chore" is still very much a part of life for many of us.
In my case, I go to a gas station every morning even when I don't need gas, because nothing else is open at 6am, and I do need coffee and some type of snack to serve as my main meal of the day. Sometimes two gas stations in fact, because the one that has cheap gas does not have great coffee or drinks and vice versa.
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Probably the only people who responded were EV owners who wanted to make a political point.
Okay, I'll bite. (Score:2)
I've had ISPs that I hate. Plenty of them. But my current ISP, Google Fiber, love 'em.
I'm not generally a fan of Google, but Google Fiber is on point. A real public v4 IP, a /56 on the v6 side. They don't block shit. I could run an SMTP server on 25/tcp if I wanted. It's also a full 1000 Mbit up and down. Crazy reliable. It's the ISP I dreamed of for decades.
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On the whole, I agree. And the bill is straight-forward. I did have an odd problem Sunday morning though, where many/most websites (including Google's) failed to load, or partially loaded and stalled out. Speedtest was fine, and SSH worked fine, and I could tunnel my browsers through to a remote system, and web worked fine that way.
Which makes me wonder... are they doing some kind of transparent proxy on HTTP/HTTPS that was having trouble? That would be... not so fine.
Re: Okay, I'll bite. (Score:1)
Not my experience at all. I've even poked at the connection from the outside web server side.
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I could run an SMTP server on 25/tcp if I wanted.
I'm in the same situation with my fiber Internet. The only thing that keeps from from doing it is the scourge that is the email black hole lists. Those should be outlawed as illegal interference with business relationships. Those are the main reasons I rent a cheap server rather than partitioning off a chunk of my gigabit to a separate subnet.
Re: Okay, I'll bite. (Score:1)
Also, it's locked in at $70/mo.
Gas Station hate? No. Oil Industry? Yes. (Score:2)
I Like ISP's & Gas Stations. (Score:4, Insightful)
Life would suck without them.
I like Mesh Networks and EVs (Score:2)
ISPs and Gas Stations are some old shit that we're saddled with because they're making money and that means they have power
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The power is only in your mind. I have needs. They fill them. Anything else is paranoid delusions. And just for arguments' sake, lets say they do have some power. That power was given to them by the government which we elected, supposedly. So any power they do have is self inflicted.
Everything that survives has a business model. (Score:2)
Sorry, but it is what it is.
Why mesh networks haven't already taken over. Also why EVs need taxpayer subsidies
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Life is so much better with home/destination charging, and occasional rapid charges on long trips.
No need to divert to a petrol station, handle dirty gasoline pumps, or pay an outrageous amount for it. No anxiety about having to keep an eye on the fuel gauge.
Today I learned (Score:2)
Fuck 'em in the ass with a chainsaw! (Score:3)
I live in the SF Bay Area, specifically in one of the first two areas to get cable Internet in the US (@home). Since @home's deployment here in the late '90s, the only infrastructure upgrades PacBell/AT&T have deployed is AT&T's project 'Pronto' FTTN initiated in 1999 to compete with cable. The Feds gave AT&T money to upgrade Internet access for schools, which resulted in the most minimal fibre deployment in my area to each of the individual schools. They were kind enough to offer fibre Internet to homes directly along the route, and at most one block perpendicular to the route. I got fucked, being two blocks as the car crawls from the route. People behind me get gigabit, while AT&T is only offering the same lame bonded-pair 100mbps DSL that's been available here since 2005.
Comcast has only built out marginally more infrastructure, relying on their fat coax pipes backed by fibre, and increasing bandwidth as technology has been able to squeeze more from the coax.
Meanwhile, I'm waiting for the small, but scrappy, Sonic.Net to soon deploy their own fibre in my neighborhood so I can give the middle finger to the existing duopoly and give my money to a company that actually understands and cares about customer service. So much for it not being cost effective for AT&T to deploy fibre here, and Comcast stroking their coax.
I love my gas stations (Score:2)
I most go to the ones that are also actual restaurants and convenience stores. They're not expensive, they are super clean, everything works, etc. And they also have the cheapest gas prices. Even the decent ones that are "just gas stations" with only maybe coffee and twinkies. Pretty much everywhere is a lot nicer than your average gas station from the old days. (I've been driving -- a lot -- for 45 years.)
I have lived a few places where I hated my ISP, and it was always when they were cable companies. When
unqualified to rate (Score:2)
The same dumbasses that put in a 20 year-old WRT-54G Linksys all the way across a 3000 square foot house are the same ones that are going to bitch about the ISP when their speed test results while they've got six kids streaming (trying to) high def. video on 10Mbps connections.
yeah, ask me what I do for a living...
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*Ahem* What do you do for a living?
I bet it's pumping gas.
Huh? I don't hate gasoline stations (Score:1)
and I don't know anyone who hates gasoline stations.
And while I dislike Comcast and don't trust them not to jack up prices on me, I don't hate them.
And I absolutely love T-Mobile. Fixed price. Good service. Easy setup. No holes drilled in my walls.
I'm pretty sure Verizon is about as good.
Comcast jacked me up to $95 a month. I called and said, "I'm on a fixed income, can you help me out here?" They said, "nope".
I went to T-Mobile. After 5 months, Comcast contacts me and offers me $10 more than T-Mo
I hate both (Score:1)
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for no reason
I am certain they had a reason.
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"I am certain they had a reason." - PROFIT$
Say what? (Score:2)
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Because US gas stations (at least in many states) are ludicrously stupid. Can't even fill a car with gas because you have to prepay, so you have to estimate how much it will cost to fill your car. Then either not fill it up if you estimated too low, or overpay if you estimated too high.
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If you pay cash. Which about 2% of drivers do.
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It's evidence that the survey itself is bogus.
What's it worth to you? (Score:2)
I like my ISP (Score:2)
I have had very few dealings with them once things were set up. It just works.
I like the local Indian reservation gas station too. No silly-assed extra state taxes for tribe members. And if you pay cash, everyone is a brother.
Loved gas staions better with lead (Score:2)
century link, comcast, and ziply (Score:2)
Century link and comcast in 80126 was HORRIBLE. I am surprised if there is a SINGLE gas station that is rated lower than either of these 2.
Moved to 98275 and had Ziply fiber installed. Their router sux, they are missing IPv6, but everything else has been amazing. Decent prices, decent service, decent uptime, etc. Have to say that if you live in Ziply area, pick them up. Just be sure to tell them that IPv6 is important and maybe, just maybe, they w
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As soon as such a thing is available to me, I'll sign up. Alas, there is no such service available to me despite living in the 50th most populous city in the country, in the middle of the fourth most populous metropolitan area in the US.
Something. something, lack of competition...
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As soon as such a thing is available to me, I'll sign up. Alas, there is no such service available to me despite living in the 50th most populous city in the country, in the middle of the fourth most populous metropolitan area in the US.
Something. something, lack of competition...
Assuming you're talking about Houston since it is the 4th largest metropolitan area in the US... The best I can get here is Xfinity 1 gbps / 42 mbps and no cap for like $110 a month.
Re: ISP: Mine isn't so bad (Score:2)
No, I'm in DFW. Houston I think is the 4th largest city. But DFW is the 4th largest metropolitan statistical area. Houston/Woodlands/Sugarland area is 5th.
There are some places around that can get symmetrical fiber, but my area of Arlington isn't one of them.
Supposedly the city signed a deal to roll out fiber to the whole city, but it's been something like 3 years since the "groundbreaking" and I haven't heard a peep of an update from the city, or the company they are working with to do the rollout.
Best I c
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$65.00/month Gigabit Fiber.
While that may be a great deal to someone who needs those kind of speeds, I hate the one-size-fits-all approach. I'd happily take half a gigabit at half the price.
Re: I hate... (Score:1)
Did you wash your red hat with your tightie whities again?