RCN "upgrading" phones in Somerville to "Digital"..??.

[push-stars.livejournal.com]

   Anyone know anything about this? We received a letter stating we had to setup a time to have their technician come in and convert us.  I had been trying to talk my wife into dumping cable (and Phone) to do everything with an Internet connection and an antenna using a free phone like Ooma, (kind of like MagicJack).  She objected stating a solid land line phone is reliable and works even when the power goes out -- An important Safety issue. 

 Well they put our New Modem in about 2 weeks ago and it has already gone out twice taking the phone down along with the Internet. I can't call my house right now and there is no easy way to check for missed calls when the service comes back.  They want me to wait at home ALL DAY Saturday (no 3 hours slots available), their technicians have "hectic schedules" so they can't guarantee a call prior to showing up...  They can; however, guarantee a $49.95 Charge if I miss them...

 Has anyone tried that new Clear Internet 4g wireless service?  Is DSL still available? I need a fast connections and I see that Comcast charges 100 Plus for their fastest service.

If we don't win the Google Fiber, shouldn't Somerville start our own municipal fiber broadband service?

Comments

[ron_newman]

I still mosey along on DSL. Mine is from Galaxy, but Verizon frequently advertises its DSL service in Somerville too.

[push-stars.livejournal.com]

What price point and speed?

If I am going to start watching Hulu and netflix in lui of pricey HD Cable premium channels will it work with what you have?

[ron_newman]

Probably not -- I don't do those things.

[arcanology.livejournal.com]

mu verizon dsl gets sufficient bandwidth for hulu

[kelkyag]

I have dry-loop DSL from Verizon at whatever their slowest speed is, ~$30/month. It's borderline for low-quality streaming video, but fine for downloading big things to read or watch later, at least for my (limited) purposes.

[crschmidt.livejournal.com]

DSL will depend where you are. Almost any DSL will let you watch low quality (320p) streaming video; Verizon's slowest at my house would let me do 480p. The one I'm on now ($60 or so a month; don't remember exactly since it's rolled in with all the other verizon stuff) is significantly faster, and would let me watch full HD on a good day.

[boblothrope.livejournal.com]

I have 1 megabit DSL from Galaxy. My rate is $19.99, though they actually charge about $24 including some supposed taxes (which I don't think actually exist).

http://gis.net/resdsl_only.html says they now charge $24.99, which would come to about $30 with the made-up taxes.

I've hardly ever had trouble watching streaming video.

[jamiesquared.livejournal.com]

My phone lines got upgraded a month or two ago and I have had no issues. I also got the $50 credit for allowing them to do so.

[push-stars.livejournal.com]

They are not discounting the phone service any more than the 50 rebate?

They will make that 50 back in two months considering VOIP services Like Ooma are (and should be) free..
Efficiencies of scale and technology belong to us, not the Cable(and now Internet) monopoly or duopolies.

[inahandbasket]

yeah, because it takes no manpower or resources to run a service.
[/sarcasm]

[misterthorn.livejournal.com]

what's a "land line"

[ron_newman]

Something that continues to work in the absence of (external) electric power.

[push-stars.livejournal.com]

yes, blizzards, hurricanes, and other emergencies could take the power out and\or cause cell phone services to be overwhelmed. But your trusty old land line phone could back you up.

[emannths.livejournal.com]

You mean like a cell phone with a charged batter?

I've never had a CableCo-provided phone line. Do they work when the power goes out, or do they need a powered coax <--> twisted pair bridge?

[jennyelfenmass.livejournal.com]

Batteries do discharge over time.

CableCo provided phone line requires a cable modem, and those require power.

A standard land line (not cordless phone) is powered through the phone jack.

[smammy]

My understanding is that RCN has copper loops for landlines in Somerville, making them real land-lines with an independent power source and all. It sounds like they're getting tired of maintaining that junk, so they're switching people to VoIP. These sorts of systems generally have their own dedicated channels on the cable line, so they're not competing for bandwidth with your Internet connection. The interface with your existing phone equipment may also have a built-in battery, so they may continue to work if your power goes out. (You may want to check on that.) Essentially, they're less "real land-line" than a traditional copper loop to the switching office, but way more real than something like Vonage or Ooma.

[push-stars.livejournal.com]

there is a 5 hour battery on their new modem... so their modem would work but not necessarily everyone's routers, computers, or cordless phone's base stations..

Maybe instead of a 50 dollars refund they should just give you the modem instead of charging you 5 or 10 dollars a month to rent it , and they should throw in a small UPS so that you could power your router, phone and a pc or two with...

clear

[geekchik.livejournal.com]

Hey there,

I had Clear's sister service, clearwire, when I lived in Ohio (2007-2008). They make you rent the modem/box thing for about $5/month, but the monthly price was still really competitive and my internet was very fast. It went out once or twice over a whole year, but when I called about it they knocked $20 off of my bill each time.

I'd like to switch back; I hate giving my money to RCN every month, and I don't like Comcast either.

Re: clear

[ron_newman]

Hasn't Clear just now started service in our area?

Re: clear

[geekchik.livejournal.com]

Yes, but my house isn't covered (yet!) on their coverage map.

[comcastmike.livejournal.com]

Hi there,

My name is Mike and I work for Comcast. I see that you are interested in Internet services. If you would like, send us an email and we will look into promotions that you may qualify for. Have a great day!

Best regards,
Mike Padgeon
National Customer Operations
We_Can_Help@cable.comcast.com

[ron_newman]

Hi, Mike. If I get phone service through Comcast, and I lose electric power, will my phone line still work?

[kalimba21.livejournal.com]

I have a landline with unlimited national calling, along with DSL internet 3-7meg, seems fast enough for whatever I do, and we run a few wireless devices all at the same time. We have this thru verizon and pay about $70/month. It originally came with a free modem/router as part of a promotion. The internet occasionally goes out but it seems that if I restart the modem it works fine again.