Got an e-mail from a regular reader and hope you guys can offer some advice:
Hey Dave!! Glad to hear you decided against “Silicon Valley”!! haha. Hey, I am wondering if you know of any good reliable, inexpensive, local ISP’s? I have been with 3 Rivers for 3 years now & was notified by them that they are discontinuing their ISP service as of June 1st. Any ideas? I’ve read about Bridgemaxx, but they sound like they will be a rip off not too far down the road as well. Any ideas appreciated.
I’ve been with Bresnan for over six years and very happy with it – probably not the cheapest service, but the speed and reliability do the job. I think he’s right about Bridgemaxx, sadly – it sounds good, but the comments here make me very skeptical. I know there are others out there (Qwest, IMT, etc?), but don’t know the pros, cons, and price of them. Any of you have some insight?
I am consistently pleased with Bresnan. Especially considering the speed of my connection.
I have been very happy with my Bresnan connection since I changed over about a year ago. I will never go back to Qwest. The speed is so much better with cable. The only drawback to cable is the upload speed. It’s about a third of my old DSL upload.
How about Verizon? Has anybody had good experience with them as far as ISP? I am thinking about getting 2 cell phones and Internet, preferably from the same Company.
Good point, Todd — I actually have a VZW hi-speed USB, and it is AWESOME. Super easy to set up, fast, and have had NO problems with it. The only possible downside is the cost – about $60/month. I got the USB for free when I signed up for 2 yrs of service. Another plus: you can use it on your PC, a laptop/netbook, wherever you go. Just plug it into whatever machine you want — I’ve used it on my fiancee’s Mac, my desktop, a laptop, etc.
Verizon wireless all the way (VZW hi-speed USB).
Can be expensive if one were to go past the 5gb free, to the tune of .25 per mb, but if you need flexibility, Verizon would be the way to go.
Dumped Qwest some odd years ago for Bresnan, right after At&T left town, and never looked back.
Either of these would be the great pick of the day in my book.
Thank you so much you guys. I checked several places to get all the info I need & it turns out that I’m looking at going with Verizon. About $60 a month ISP & the same for the 2 phones/700 minutes monthly. Just looking at saving money, but not sacrificing service & performance. Like you said Dave, if you have the “card” from Verizon, it really is the way to go. I’ll let you know how things are in a month, as they have a “Free-Ride Program” for a month(Not happy, send it all back). I would go to a whole different package, (TV, ISP, & Phone), don’t want a landline, just 2 cell-phones & ISP, but am happy with my DirectTv & don’t want to change it all up. I’ll check but for any other options, but again, Thank you Dave for just being there for us all. You Rock!
I have Bridgemaxx here and since they have finally become stable
it is a good service for a great price! They do have moments of slow speed (like DSL) but typically I’m getting the same speeds as cable does according to speed tests. While I loved 3 rivers, I couldn’t see paying as much as I was when I would have to call as much as I did because my internet wasn’t working. I’m also a gamer when I get free time and so it has to be stable enough for me to play (as well as my hubby)
for the basic pkg w/ phone I was paying 60+ (whatever service fees, taxes, blah blah) which sounds reasonable enough, but like I said constant disruptions in service, which didn’t get better over the years I was with them which was 4.
Bridgemaxx Gold is the plan I am on it’s 44 dollars a month, I rarely have disruptions in service (even though I AM deemed out of service range by a few blocks) It’s direct withdrawl so I don’t have to worry about my bill coming! I really like this company. I have heard horror stories about the company over in Idaho, but as of yet our Great Falls office is wonderful..A+ customer service, timely call backs and polite staff! Oh and there wasn’t a hefty 100 dollar + deposit!