Comcast, Time Warner Cable get 71% of new Internet subscribers

AT&T and Verizon struggle to get new customers while cable soars.

Read the whole story

 

[coachmark2]

Makes sense. Co-axial cable and twisted pair copper have been run to just about every house in the United States. DOCSIS-based internet of co-ax is simply a better standard. Higher speeds, better interference mitigation, greater range, etc. With DSL, if you're not near the Central Office or DSLAM, your life generally just sucks.

AT&T and Verizon trying to offer DSL services simply cannot match the quality of connection that a DOCSIS solution provides.

**As an aside, AT&T's U-Verse moniker is pure marketing. All they've done is improve the backhaul from the node/DSLAM in the field to the central office. It's still twisted pair copper into your house. So...yeah. They're marketing an upgrade on their backend network as an entirely new service. It's better, yeah, but it's nothing new.

EDIT: The situation sucks. I've spend three years now researching (lack of) broadband competition in the United States (TL;DR, most households only have access to 2 ISPs. For every additional ISP, prices fall 25%. I'll put a link up to the paper once it's published). Our broadband market is horrible. The above post is solely based on the technical merits of the technology being discussed

 

[andrewb610]

These numbers must indicate that Comcast is the best choice in internet service...right?.....

 

[THavoc]

as US consumers generally have few high-speed Internet options and cable easily outperforms DSL Internet.

Until this is resolved, I don't expect this trend to change anytime soon.

 

[andrewb610]

THavoc[/url]":2k99fdbm]

andrewb610[/url]":2k99fdbm]These numbers must indicate that Comcast is the best choice in internet service...right?.....

Forget to take your anti-psychotic meds this morning?

No, just my "add /s tag" pills.

 

[arkiel]

Any study which doesn't break out AT&T DSL from literal broadband is not a study that should be relied upon.

AT&T DSL is terrible. It is the rough beast that stalks heavy the poorest shrouded corners of our economy, consuming the sanity of those who have no other choice of service provider. Comcast customer service may be an example of the highest evil men can organize to achieve, rivaling in modern times only ISIS for the sheer malignancy of purpose, but AT&T DSL service, the literal service through which internet is provided, is a festering corpse upon which not even vultures would feed.

#hasbeenreadinglovecraft

 

[Munden]

True story - We've been Verizon DSL customers for our plant in MD for 7 or 8 years now as there has been no alternative other than Satellite, which isn't much of an alternative.

Thankfully, Comcast finally came on the scene this year (to a town 1.5 miles away). We were given the privilege to pay just under $25,000 to provide us with access.

Hooray for Comcast!

 

[Drizzt321]

coachmark2[/url]":juecbvje]
**As an aside, AT&T's U-Verse moniker is pure marketing. All they've done is improve the backhaul from the node/DSLAM in the field to the central office. It's still twisted pair copper into your house. So...yeah. They're marketing an upgrade on their backend network as an entirely new service. It's better, yeah, but it's nothing new.

Well, it's not pure marketing. It's better because they move the DSLAM closer to the customer, which means shorter copper runs into the house. Not going to say that it's an enormous upgrade, but it's certainly a lot better than the older one which was all the way from the local CO.

 

[snowman<ca>]

I can not say as much on Verizon, since they are not in my area but AT&T has an issue of not wanting to price what they can sell at a value it is worth, and they pretty much can only compete on value since DOCSIS can blow them away on speed until they actually deploy fiber widely. They do not want to sell Internet serveces alone either.

 

[THavoc]

andrewb610[/url]":3e3g6vc6]

THavoc[/url]":3e3g6vc6]

andrewb610[/url]":3e3g6vc6]These numbers must indicate that Comcast is the best choice in internet service...right?.....

Forget to take your anti-psychotic meds this morning?

No, just my "add /s tag" pills.

Clearly you are a danger to society.

 

[coachmark2]

Drizzt321[/url]":e4mq11p1]

coachmark2[/url]":e4mq11p1]
**As an aside, AT&T's U-Verse moniker is pure marketing. All they've done is improve the backhaul from the node/DSLAM in the field to the central office. It's still twisted pair copper into your house. So...yeah. They're marketing an upgrade on their backend network as an entirely new service. It's better, yeah, but it's nothing new.

Well, it's not pure marketing. It's better because they move the DSLAM closer to the customer, which means shorter copper runs into the house. Not going to say that it's an enormous upgrade, but it's certainly a lot better than the older one which was all the way from the local CO.

I guess I get really frustrated when they call me once a week asking me if I want to change over to their "fiber-based internet service." I ask them if they're running 8.3 or 9micron Single-Mode fiber or 50nm OM3+ multimode into my house. If they answer with anything other than "yes", I hang up the phone.

 

[THavoc]

Munden[/url]":2a4wi3m7]True story - We've been Verizon DSL customers for our plant in MD for 7 or 8 years now as there has been no alternative other than Satellite, which isn't much of an alternative.

Thankfully, Comcast finally came on the scene this year (to a town 1.5 miles away). We were given the privilege to pay just under $25,000 to provide us with access.

Hooray for Comcast!

I'm not sure you should use the words "Thankfully" and "Comcast" in the same sentence.

 

[soulsabr]

Munden[/url]":2pijz1sr]True story - We've been Verizon DSL customers for our plant in MD for 7 or 8 years now as there has been no alternative other than Satellite, which isn't much of an alternative.

Thankfully, Comcast finally came on the scene this year (to a town 1.5 miles away). We were given the privilege to pay just under $25,000 to provide us with access.

Hooray for Comcast!

?????

*OUT OF CHEESE ERROR*

*REBOOT*

 

[Trogmor]

I wonder if any of these gains are in areas that actually have some competition or not.

Thankfully outside of internet access, I do not need TV anymore.

 

[soulsabr]

THavoc[/url]":1quub8ej]

Munden[/url]":1quub8ej]True story - We've been Verizon DSL customers for our plant in MD for 7 or 8 years now as there has been no alternative other than Satellite, which isn't much of an alternative.

Thankfully, Comcast finally came on the scene this year (to a town 1.5 miles away). We were given the privilege to pay just under $25,000 to provide us with access.

Hooray for Comcast!

I'm not sure you should use the words "Thankfully" and "Comcast" in the same sentence.

Thankfully Comcast is bankrupt.

There is at least ONE instance I can think of.

 

[DanNeely]

It'd be interesting to see what ATT/VZWs numbers would look like if they split legacy DSL subscribers from from Fiber to the neighborhood(Uverse)/home (FIOS) ones.

 

[rick*d]

These guys had the nerve to tell the government that they couldn't survive if they weren't allowed to merge?

 

[rick*d]

andrewb610[/url]":hbkki7ku]These numbers must indicate that Comcast is the best choice in internet service...right?.....

You misspelled "only".

 

[foxyshadis]

coachmark2[/url]":3jof7zz3]

Drizzt321[/url]":3jof7zz3]

coachmark2[/url]":3jof7zz3]
**As an aside, AT&T's U-Verse moniker is pure marketing. All they've done is improve the backhaul from the node/DSLAM in the field to the central office. It's still twisted pair copper into your house. So...yeah. They're marketing an upgrade on their backend network as an entirely new service. It's better, yeah, but it's nothing new.

Well, it's not pure marketing. It's better because they move the DSLAM closer to the customer, which means shorter copper runs into the house. Not going to say that it's an enormous upgrade, but it's certainly a lot better than the older one which was all the way from the local CO.

I guess I get really frustrated when they call me once a week asking me if I want to change over to their "fiber-based internet service." I ask them if they're running 8.3 or 9micron Single-Mode fiber or 50nm OM3+ multimode into my house. If they answer with anything other than "yes", I hang up the phone.

Perfect is the enemy of better; if it was U-Verse or something like capped 3G internet, take the U-Verse any day even if it's not fiber. If you have superior options, of course, no reason not to take them.

 

[Andrewcw]

Well when Verizon and AT&T pretty much can only sell you DSL. Yeah they're going to lose ground.

AT&T's is better than whatever verizon has to offer. Only for the sheer reason they seem to be putting money into their system. Verizon is just letting their DSL die. I swear my Verizon DSLAM reboots once a week on a timer. Seriously I get knocked out 30 minutes because they probably have it on a timer to reboot.

Also Cable unbundled TV service so there is a choice.

 

[sapphir8]

I am not cutting the cord due to regional sports only being on cable (baseball and basketball), but it's not cheaper to get internet only from Comcast and then satellite for everything else. Sad really.

 

[popnwave]

arkiel[/url]":19xo071e]Any study which doesn't break out AT&T DSL from literal broadband is not a study that should be relied upon.

Agreed, why would anyone get DSL from a US provider at this point, only out of them being the ONLY option where they are? Certainly, it barely scrapes by as broadband in some markets (I think here in Reno they do offer 45Mbit if you're within distance), and then you still SHARE that with your U-Verse IPTV setups. Insanity to say the least.

I think the only thing that will save the TV side of AT&T is their few fiber markets and their acquisition of DirecTV which is FAR superior to anything on the U-Verse side of things.

For now, the only usable net in my town is Charter, and I have to dance with DirecTV to get the viewing options I want along with better hardware than what Charter offers.

 

[andrewb610]

rick*d[/url]":19gqlkx5]

andrewb610[/url]":19gqlkx5]These numbers must indicate that Comcast is the best choice in internet service...right?.....

You misspelled "only".

You know, for a second there, I actually double checked my spelling because spelling errors make me

 

[mdt]

coachmark2[/url]":zuufckr8]
**As an aside, AT&T's U-Verse moniker is pure marketing. All they've done is improve the backhaul from the node/DSLAM in the field to the central office. It's still twisted pair copper into your house. So...yeah. They're marketing an upgrade on their backend network as an entirely new service. It's better, yeah, but it's nothing new.

Worse, they're not fixing DSL in the areas where they've done this if anything goes wrong with it. My DSL worked fine for 6 years (not great, but reliable, at least, which is something). However, last tuesday while I was out of town, they had a network issue with my feed, and they are not fixing it. I have to switch over to U-Verse (granted, higher advertised speeds, but no idea if it's reliable or not). And I'm out of internet while I'm waiting for them to do an 'install'.

Only reason I'm on here is my emergency backup Verizon wifi.

 

[coachmark2]

foxyshadis[/url]":4m49yxrq]

coachmark2[/url]":4m49yxrq]

Drizzt321[/url]":4m49yxrq]

coachmark2[/url]":4m49yxrq]
**As an aside, AT&T's U-Verse moniker is pure marketing. All they've done is improve the backhaul from the node/DSLAM in the field to the central office. It's still twisted pair copper into your house. So...yeah. They're marketing an upgrade on their backend network as an entirely new service. It's better, yeah, but it's nothing new.

Well, it's not pure marketing. It's better because they move the DSLAM closer to the customer, which means shorter copper runs into the house. Not going to say that it's an enormous upgrade, but it's certainly a lot better than the older one which was all the way from the local CO.

I guess I get really frustrated when they call me once a week asking me if I want to change over to their "fiber-based internet service." I ask them if they're running 8.3 or 9micron Single-Mode fiber or 50nm OM3+ multimode into my house. If they answer with anything other than "yes", I hang up the phone.

Perfect is the enemy of better; if it was U-Verse or something like capped 3G internet, take the U-Verse any day even if it's not fiber. If you have superior options, of course, no reason not to take them.

It's a turd polishing contest compared to what it could be.

 

[Shudder]

Interesting to see the only available ISP in my area gets more than the others.

 

[THavoc]

soulsabr[/url]":ftbi4ryr]

THavoc[/url]":ftbi4ryr]

Munden[/url]":ftbi4ryr]True story - We've been Verizon DSL customers for our plant in MD for 7 or 8 years now as there has been no alternative other than Satellite, which isn't much of an alternative.

Thankfully, Comcast finally came on the scene this year (to a town 1.5 miles away). We were given the privilege to pay just under $25,000 to provide us with access.

Hooray for Comcast!

I'm not sure you should use the words "Thankfully" and "Comcast" in the same sentence.

Thankfully Comcast is bankrupt.

There is at least ONE instance I can think of.

Sadly, I can't find fault with your logic.

 

[Leachpunk]

Who needs a free market when you have the top 2 hording 70% of consumers and a handful of others trailing in single digits?

 

[MythBusterJoe]

popnwave[/url]":2b4vq46y]

arkiel[/url]":2b4vq46y]Agreed, why would anyone get DSL from a US provider at this point, only out of them being the ONLY option where they are?

I am a subscriber to AT&T DSL, even though Comcast is available in my area, for the sole reason AT&T DSL does not have data caps.

 

[foxyshadis]

coachmark2[/url]":33lhjbxh]

foxyshadis[/url]":33lhjbxh]

coachmark2[/url]":33lhjbxh]

Drizzt321[/url]":33lhjbxh]

coachmark2[/url]":33lhjbxh]
**As an aside, AT&T's U-Verse moniker is pure marketing. All they've done is improve the backhaul from the node/DSLAM in the field to the central office. It's still twisted pair copper into your house. So...yeah. They're marketing an upgrade on their backend network as an entirely new service. It's better, yeah, but it's nothing new.

Well, it's not pure marketing. It's better because they move the DSLAM closer to the customer, which means shorter copper runs into the house. Not going to say that it's an enormous upgrade, but it's certainly a lot better than the older one which was all the way from the local CO.

I guess I get really frustrated when they call me once a week asking me if I want to change over to their "fiber-based internet service." I ask them if they're running 8.3 or 9micron Single-Mode fiber or 50nm OM3+ multimode into my house. If they answer with anything other than "yes", I hang up the phone.

Perfect is the enemy of better; if it was U-Verse or something like capped 3G internet, take the U-Verse any day even if it's not fiber. If you have superior options, of course, no reason not to take them.

It's a turd polishing contest compared to what it could be.

Sure, I pretty much loathe it too despite having good speeds from Comcast, but grousing doesn't get me any more online with Euro or Korean speeds right now. Despite how many trips I've had up and down their call centers the last decade, I'd have been literally unable to make a living without it for the first few years, and spending more to get less the last few, so I have to hold my nose and make the least-bad choice like everyone else.

 

[noanoxan]

THavoc[/url]":2ybb6mnp]

Munden[/url]":2ybb6mnp]True story - We've been Verizon DSL customers for our plant in MD for 7 or 8 years now as there has been no alternative other than Satellite, which isn't much of an alternative.

Thankfully, Comcast finally came on the scene this year (to a town 1.5 miles away). We were given the privilege to pay just under $25,000 to provide us with access.

Hooray for Comcast!

I'm not sure you should use the words "Thankfully" and "Comcast" in the same sentence.

Not sure if you seriously missed the sarcasm in two posts on the same thread...

 

[THavoc]

noanoxan[/url]":34blpo32]

THavoc[/url]":34blpo32]

Munden[/url]":34blpo32]True story - We've been Verizon DSL customers for our plant in MD for 7 or 8 years now as there has been no alternative other than Satellite, which isn't much of an alternative.

Thankfully, Comcast finally came on the scene this year (to a town 1.5 miles away). We were given the privilege to pay just under $25,000 to provide us with access.

Hooray for Comcast!

I'm not sure you should use the words "Thankfully" and "Comcast" in the same sentence.

Not sure if you seriously missed the sarcasm in two posts on the same thread...

Nope. I got it. Perhaps you missed my sarcasm instead?

 

[JustAnotherNobody]

Well, at least we can be thankful for competition in the market.

 

[andrewb610]

THavoc[/url]":if7yo2tj]

noanoxan[/url]":if7yo2tj]

THavoc[/url]":if7yo2tj]

Munden[/url]":if7yo2tj]True story - We've been Verizon DSL customers for our plant in MD for 7 or 8 years now as there has been no alternative other than Satellite, which isn't much of an alternative.

Thankfully, Comcast finally came on the scene this year (to a town 1.5 miles away). We were given the privilege to pay just under $25,000 to provide us with access.

Hooray for Comcast!

I'm not sure you should use the words "Thankfully" and "Comcast" in the same sentence.

Not sure if you seriously missed the sarcasm in two posts on the same thread...

Nope. I got it. Perhaps you missed my sarcasm instead?

Apparently I'm not the only one who forgot their "add /s tag" pills today.

 

[MisterAlex]

As a lucky jerk with access to two of those ISPs, I'm not at all surprised by the numbers. We switched from U-verse's 24 Mbps service last spring and didn't look back.

AT&T sent me a "special offer" letter last week. They said I could pay just $15 a month for super fast (fine print: 3 Mbps) Internet speeds or just $10 more to quadruple!!! that speed. I get officially 200 Mbps from TWC, but whenever I test it, it's always above 230 Mbps.

 

[THavoc]

andrewb610[/url]":59imn4bz]

THavoc[/url]":59imn4bz]

noanoxan[/url]":59imn4bz]

THavoc[/url]":59imn4bz]

Munden[/url]":59imn4bz]True story - We've been Verizon DSL customers for our plant in MD for 7 or 8 years now as there has been no alternative other than Satellite, which isn't much of an alternative.

Thankfully, Comcast finally came on the scene this year (to a town 1.5 miles away). We were given the privilege to pay just under $25,000 to provide us with access.

Hooray for Comcast!

I'm not sure you should use the words "Thankfully" and "Comcast" in the same sentence.

Not sure if you seriously missed the sarcasm in two posts on the same thread...

Nope. I got it. Perhaps you missed my sarcasm instead?

Apparently I'm not the only one who forgot their "add /s tag" pills today.

Shush you.

 

[andrewb610]

MisterAlex[/url]":19bqe0ay]As a lucky jerk with access to two of those ISPs, I'm not at all surprised by the numbers. We switched from U-verse's 24 Mbps service last spring and didn't look back.

AT&T sent me a "special offer" letter last week. They said I could pay just $15 a month for super fast (fine print: 3 Mbps) Internet speeds or just $10 more to quadruple!!! that speed. I get officially 200 Mbps from TWC, but whenever I test it, it's always above 230 Mbps.

The funny thing about my internet service is that I pay for Comcast's 25 Mbps with the special that made it 50 Mbps. Since August it's been testing at 125 Mbps. I'm not one to complain about Comcast: but that doesn't take away from the other millions of people that justifiably do.

 

[grahamj]

One thing I haven't seen mentioned is the fact that AT&T often requires you sign a service contract when getting UVerse, whereas in many cases is it possible to get Comcast (and other cable providers) without one. I've usually used TimeWarner, and I've never seen a service contract, however, I have a friend who recently had to choose between Uverse and Comcast. Uverse had a contract, but there was some uncertainty about Comcast (I found a lot of complaints from people unexpectedly getting hit with termination fees). However, I eventually realized that the deals offered on the internet specifically state "No term agreement", meaning there was no need to worry about a termination fee.

 

[DarthSlack]

rick*d[/url]":sycp41mq]

andrewb610[/url]":sycp41mq]These numbers must indicate that Comcast is the best choice in internet service...right?.....

You misspelled "only".

I'm curious.... Verizon stopped rolling out FIOS quite a while ago. Is AT&T expanding at all? Or are all these "new" subscribers simply DSL refugees with no place else to go?