Atlantic Broadband already screwing us over

Clem72

Well-Known Member
So with the change in ownership they have instituted a new policy, auto-pay will get you a $10 discount on the full rate.

But if you were a Metrocast customer this is not available to you. I understand why you wouldn't get the 1 year promotional pricing for their packages, but not why you would be blocked from the auto-pay discount.

I would very much like to cancel my service with them, but I literally have no other high speed options (too far away from the DSLAM for DSL, no OTA service from Peak Broadband (or anyone else I am aware of).

And of course satellite options are still crappy. Perhaps one of the new low earth orbit satellite internet providers will be worthwhile (or google if they ever launch their balloons in the US).
 
So with the change in ownership they have instituted a new policy, auto-pay will get you a $10 discount on the full rate.

But if you were a Metrocast customer this is not available to you. I understand why you wouldn't get the 1 year promotional pricing for their packages, but not why you would be blocked from the auto-pay discount.

I would very much like to cancel my service with them, but I literally have no other high speed options (too far away from the DSLAM for DSL, no OTA service from Peak Broadband (or anyone else I am aware of).

And of course satellite options are still crappy. Perhaps one of the new low earth orbit satellite internet providers will be worthwhile (or google if they ever launch their balloons in the US).

I've been watching an outfit called ViaSat, waiting for it to become available here. Looking forward to getting rid of the DSL and associated land line (can't cancel land line without canceling DSL, Verizon policy).

www.viasatspecials.com/

If you enter a zip code from Virginia, you can get an idea on plans and rates.
 

Clem72

Well-Known Member
Not exactly competative. $75/mo for 25mbit and $10 mandatory equipment rental. Plus this is in GEO orbit so pings will not be usable for gaming (or video chat).

Better off waiting for one of the new products from SpaceXBoeing/OneWeb/Google. 5 years from now there will be some good competition and we should start to see price reductions.

But AtlanticBB is still a POS company with policies that penalize old customers (forever).
 

Chris0nllyn

Well-Known Member
Not exactly competative. $75/mo for 25mbit and $10 mandatory equipment rental. Plus this is in GEO orbit so pings will not be usable for gaming (or video chat).

Better off waiting for one of the new products from SpaceXBoeing/OneWeb/Google. 5 years from now there will be some good competition and we should start to see price reductions.

But AtlanticBB is still a POS company with policies that penalize old customers (forever).

Nothing else is going to be competitive, unfortunately. PeakeNet is another local ISP but uses LoS arrays so latency is likely an issue there as well. It's not cheap either. 50up/50down = $65.99/month; 100/100 is $95.99/month (plus a $150 install fee).

https://www.peakenetbroadband.com/

I agree that it's silly they won't let you do that. I assume you've called and asked about it?
 
My DSL/phone costs me $70/mo for less than 1Mb service. I can trade up to 45Mb/s for $65/m ($45 for 3 months). To me, that's like trading in a Kia and getting an STS for less money per month. I don't video chat or game, so ping/delay time isn't important. Why wait 5 years for tech that may or may not come to fruition? I upgrade now, if something better comes along, I'll upgrade again.

No brainer.
 

wubbles

Active Member
I'll be happy as long as they don't require me to go on a contract, get a bundle, or data cap me. For how much I use the internet I don't mind paying ~$80/mo as long as I don't get forced into anything. With all the horror stories I see about Comcast across the bridge, at least Atlantic is using lube when they pound me from behind and also give me the courtesy of a reacharound.
 

MiddleGround

Well-Known Member
I have a feeling that this "gracious speed increase" will end up costing us when they get their billing system in place. Expect a payment increase in the near future. NOTHING IS FREE!!
 

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
PREMO Member
Patron
I had DirecTV when I lived in the apartment and I was very happy with it. Not sure why people say it's no good.
 

glhs837

Power with Control
I had DirecTV when I lived in the apartment and I was very happy with it. Not sure why people say it's no good.

DSLs quality varies greatly depending on your distance to the local switching node. I had great DSL when I lived on Cabot Place in Patuxent homes, where the local switching station was two blocks over next to the skate park. When I moved onto Chancellors, that was too far away.
 

Clem72

Well-Known Member
Did you get Internet through DirecTV?

DirecTV partners with local ISPs (but typically not Cable companies) to offer bundles, so they can be competative with Cable companies that do the same.

Typically this means DSL, but in some places has meant HughesNet (funny because they own DISH), or other local ISPs (wired and wireless).

Some of my family out west have a DirecTV bundle that provides gigabit FTTH (through Sonic.net)
 

glhs837

Power with Control
I had DirecTV when I lived in the apartment and I was very happy with it. Not sure why people say it's no good.



Sorry, I read DSL.

So, for gamers and others where lag (signal speed back and forth) matters, waiting for a signal to go all the way to space and back down before your character actually does what you directed them to do makes a huge difference.
 

Goldenhawk

Well-Known Member
So, for gamers and others where lag (signal speed back and forth) matters, waiting for a signal to go all the way to space and back down before your character actually does what you directed them to do makes a huge difference.

To put a finer point on it for people a bit older than the average gamer...

Satellite internet also makes it functionally impossible to Skype or FaceTime, or use your internet service with MagicJack or Ooma or other non-Verizon landline replacements. Yes, you can stream videos one-way - but anything two-way is not practical.

Also, it can make it painfully slow to check email - if you have more than one or two email boxes that you must check, it can take quite a while (for certain technical reasons).
 

Ken King

A little rusty but not crusty
PREMO Member
To put a finer point on it for people a bit older than the average gamer...

Satellite internet also makes it functionally impossible to Skype or FaceTime, or use your internet service with MagicJack or Ooma or other non-Verizon landline replacements. Yes, you can stream videos one-way - but anything two-way is not practical.

Also, it can make it painfully slow to check email - if you have more than one or two email boxes that you must check, it can take quite a while (for certain technical reasons).

Hughesnet has a VOIP service, unlimited local and long-distance. Works great. If I had any choice other than satellite I would use it, unfortunately I am miles from DSL or cable.
 

BernieP

Resident PIA
My DSL/phone costs me $70/mo for less than 1Mb service. I can trade up to 45Mb/s for $65/m ($45 for 3 months). To me, that's like trading in a Kia and getting an STS for less money per month. I don't video chat or game, so ping/delay time isn't important. Why wait 5 years for tech that may or may not come to fruition? I upgrade now, if something better comes along, I'll upgrade again.

No brainer.

read the fine print, DSL maybe slower than cable but cable is still copper and the format is still one pipe, in the case of some areas it's like having 100 people drinking out of the same straw.
But the fine print says you MAY get UP TO xyz Mbs
It doesn't promise you will get it, but you won't be throttled lower than that. But if all the people on your pipe bough the super service, none of you will get the max rate shown.
Copper (as they have laid it in) just can't push enough bits, fast enough to handle all the people / devices.
 
read the fine print, DSL maybe slower than cable but cable is still copper and the format is still one pipe, in the case of some areas it's like having 100 people drinking out of the same straw.
But the fine print says you MAY get UP TO xyz Mbs
It doesn't promise you will get it, but you won't be throttled lower than that. But if all the people on your pipe bough the super service, none of you will get the max rate shown.
Copper (as they have laid it in) just can't push enough bits, fast enough to handle all the people / devices.

Well, not comparing DSL to cable. ViaSat is a satellite service.

And I used to design communications systems. Terrestrial, satellite, fiber, microwave, etc.....
 

itsbob

I bowl overhand
Why nit just get umlimited data on your phone and use LTE? Hell of a lot better/faster than satellite.
 

BernieP

Resident PIA
My DSL/phone costs me $70/mo for less than 1Mb service. I can trade up to 45Mb/s for $65/m ($45 for 3 months). To me, that's like trading in a Kia and getting an STS for less money per month. I don't video chat or game, so ping/delay time isn't important. Why wait 5 years for tech that may or may not come to fruition? I upgrade now, if something better comes along, I'll upgrade again.

No brainer.

I hear you, worst part is AT&T bought Directv and has changed the services. The On Demand channels no longer stream the data from the satellite channel, the movie is downloaded to your DVR via the internet connection. If you have DSL, it's ain't happening.

If I had fast and reliable internet I'd dump both and just stream the shows I wanted.
 

tward

New Member
I hear you, worst part is AT&T bought Directv and has changed the services. The On Demand channels no longer stream the data from the satellite channel, the movie is downloaded to your DVR via the internet connection. If you have DSL, it's ain't happening.

If I had fast and reliable internet I'd dump both and just stream the shows I wanted.

Directv's on demand has always downloaded via your internet connection and never via satellite, it has nothing to do with AT&T buying them....
 

sparkyaclown

Active Member
Has anyone noticed emails they know should be coming not being received to their Metrocast accounts since Atlantic took over? I've had some financial institutions sending letters to me saying my Metrocast email is undeliverable and to verify it is correct. I also bought a digital xBox Live code from Best Buy online recently and never received it on my Metrocast account. They tried re-sending it several times until finally we gave up and I had them send it to my gmail instead where it popped right in. There are probably others but those are the ones that I have identified as not being received. There are no SPAM filters and I verified that nothing was in the junk/SPAM folders.
 
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