SandyBeach

How do you guys feel about doing this? AT&T is offering these services for almost less than I pay for upgraded (not digital) cable. However, doesn't this come through a phone line? When I had dial-up I was told it was so slow because the phone lines were poor in my area. This was when dial-up was new and very few people were online. Could this be true? Is bundling with the cable company my only solution? I already know the problems with reception from satellite dishes so I don't think that's a solution. It rains a lot here!

Also, will all three services go out at the same time? I can have great TV service but very poor internet at the same time. Do you really want to bundle all these services?

HillsdaleHHR

We have the same provider for Cable and Internet. Haven't done the phone thing yet though since we use a cellphone.

Harpozep

My neighbor has this and we do to but she has no real problems and got to keep her old phone number. We were told we could keep our number but then told we have a number that would not work in their system ( Comcast ) and have not been able to utilize the telephone part of our package because of this. They will give us a new phone number, but this is not what we want for a variety of reasons.

Our neighbor shares our house withus and has a different exchange than we do. We have an exchange that is mainly used in another town but somehow given to us when we moved here ten years back.
The cost of the two portions we use ( internet and TV )is normally the same price as we are paying for all three parts, so we are not really out money but will be if we keep the package past the introductory one year rate of $99.00/mo.


AT&T will likely use the cable lines since that is what has the bandwidth they need for this all to happen. They either rent the lines or have their own installed. It is interesting seeing who rents from who out there.
Good luck.

TomsHHR

Dish and Direct are hooked into that kind of deal also. my Wildblue, direct and a phone provider have a package deal with 3 different billings. so watch how you handle that. I think in the long run you may be better and get better deals going with the service that you like best. Package deals sometime are not the most adaptable for your needs.

JimZ_HHR

I have Cox Commnunications... Cable, Internet and Phone bundle, I like it ... one bill for all 3... Never have a problem with the phone. Only problem with the TV is when my DVR acts funny, Internet is so-so, but is usually attributed to someone working on the lines somewhere or the old cables in my apt building... internet speed is quite fast....

tsaints1115

I have had DirectTv for over 14 years and can tell you I have never had the service totally drop out more than 5 times in any given year and at those times never more than an hour at a time. When i was on cable it would go out all the time,in heavy wheather they would shut it down to prevent damage to the equipment,during construction,etc. The big thing is when it is installed the tech needs to aim the dish to get the highest signal possible. Mine is in the mid 90% level. It used to be a lot harder when it was done by measurement but now they have hand held computers to recieve the signals as they adjust the dish. Cable around here raises it`s rates almost annually,my dish rate has gone up only three times in those 14 years. It got to the point where my folks cable cost more than my dish so I switched them over. I`ve never been disapointed and will never go back. Besides the few times your dish might go out from wheather it`s just gods way of saying it`s time to read a book.

SandyBeach

Ahh, Jim, I keep calling Cox to complain about how their working on the lines messes up my internet. They think I'm crazy. But, I swear every time I see a Cox truck in the neighborhood my modem has to be rebooted. By the way, how much do you save by bundling?

I'd really like to upgrade to digital and HD cable since I have an HD-ready TV. But, Cox seems to be raising their prices every month. If enough people go elsewhere, maybe they'll find a way to cut costs instead of passing it on to us. Also, Florida deregulated local phone service with the intent of bringing in competition. Instead, my local-only service went from $16 to $26 in one year. All they're doing is forcing people to give up their land lines for cell phones. Good plan!

I'm seriously looking for something better and cheaper!

TomsHHR

I get local HD channels without the cable/satelite