While RCN did at one time have Internet performance issues in Somerville (as described by afty above), overall their performance and speeds have, in general and over time, been FAR superior to Comcast's in terms of speed and reliability. Cable is another matter: RCN sometimes has problems with signal loss and variance that can degrade HD and premium performance.
I am an RCN subscriber and have been since I moved to Somerville 11 years ago. Given the relative costs and benefits of each provider for bundled cable, phone and Internet service, I have seen no reason to switch.
If RCN is available to you, I would call them and ask them for their best deal. Press them hard. If it's better than what you're paying now, call Comcast and ask them to match it for the next twelve months. If they will, stay with Comcast. If they won't, switch to RCN. Repeat the process in eleven months.
It's annoying and time-consuming, but you will get the best deal this way -- and the non-cost pluses and minuses of each company come out about even.
Of course, no matter which vendor you use, pray that the two companies remain in competition: RCN was acquired in March by private-equity firm Abry Partners LLC for about $531 million plus debt.
no subject
I am an RCN subscriber and have been since I moved to Somerville 11 years ago. Given the relative costs and benefits of each provider for bundled cable, phone and Internet service, I have seen no reason to switch.
If RCN is available to you, I would call them and ask them for their best deal. Press them hard. If it's better than what you're paying now, call Comcast and ask them to match it for the next twelve months. If they will, stay with Comcast. If they won't, switch to RCN. Repeat the process in eleven months.
It's annoying and time-consuming, but you will get the best deal this way -- and the non-cost pluses and minuses of each company come out about even.
Of course, no matter which vendor you use, pray that the two companies remain in competition: RCN was acquired in March by private-equity firm Abry Partners LLC for about $531 million plus debt.