BROADBANDblogs

In a recent article I wrote about my "Penny Pinching Customer" that thought they were getting a great deal by saving six or seven dollars per month on their high speed internet access bill. (For the purpose of this article I'll refer to all high speed internet access as DSL.) I continue to be amazed at how many people give themselves a raw deal when it comes to choosing their DSL provider. They grab the service that has the lowest introductory pricing and believe that this is the cheapest service. When taking a closer look, we find that the lowest "come-on" prices do not mean the best DSL pricing. Let's take another look at the cost of DSL service.

When calculating the real cost of your DSL service, you need to be aware that, almost without exception, DSL providers require a one year commitment. Some will not require a "signed" commitment, but if you read the fine print, you will see that there are usually significant penalties if you terminate service in less than a year. So, one year of total charges is what you should look when buying DSL service. I would not want to change service providers every year, so I tend to look even farther - 2 to 3 years.

Start by adding all of the costs for the first year. Check to see what the DSL providers regular monthly rate is and multiply this by 12. Add in the cost of the DSL modem or router. Add the cost of installation or the installation kit. Don't forget to include the shipping charges if you purchase a self installation kit. Add the activation charges. Total these numbers, then we can subtract.

Subtract the available rebates. Many providers will rebate the cost of installation and equipment after a given time period, when they have recovered their costs. Next, figure the difference between the regular monthly rate and the introductory price. Multiply that by the number of months that the "come-on" period lasts. For example, the providers regular rate is $42.95 per month, and the "come-on" rate is $19.95 per month for 3 months; subtract $19.95 from $42.95, then times this by 3 to get the introductory savings. Subtract the introductory savings from the total. Subtract any additional rebates from the sales agency, such as the $50 rebate that we currently provide on top of the DSL providers rebates. This will give you your first year total cost.

It's a good bet that the second and following years savings will exceed the first year savings. It is also a good bet that if you divide the annual rate by 12, the monthly cost for the best rates will fall between $25 and $35 per month.

Now that you know what to look for when calculating your DSL service cost, you can see what is available in your area and get prices by using the Residential Price Quote Generator in the right hand column.

We've moved !!! After months of frustration, we have figured out how to get our blog to post to our own URL ( http://BROADBANDblogs.org/ ). Now all of the features should work.

We've been Syndicated !!! We have added our blog to the "FeedBurner" news syndication services. If you would like to get our updates sent to your news reader, just add the following URL - http://feeds.feedburner.com/Broadbandblogs . We are new to this RSS process, so bear with us as we become more educated about the use of this new tool.

We're growing !!! We are very pleased with our recent sales growth. We have been hard at work developing new web sites to serve even more customers. Watch for the launch announcements right here.

NEW TOOL !!! Check residential high speed internet prices and availability right here. Just use the handy Residential DSL Price Quote Generator in the right hand column.

SatellitePC telecommunications & electronics has just completed a re-work of T1 Calculator. The new site contains both a T1 internet service line price calculator and a T1 internet service line bandwidth calculator, as well as helpful information about T1 service lines.

SatellitePC telecommunication & electronics is a Wibaux, Montana based independent marketing agency of telecommunications products and services. We began in 2001 marketing Satellite PC systems ( Satellite Internet ) to farmers, ranchers, oil field companies, and others in Eastern Montana, the Dakotas, and Wyoming. Shortly thereafter, we expanded our offerings to include additional business and residential communications products and services, and partnered with more service providers. Our sales grew steadily, but our market was limited. Early in 2004 we realized that, via the internet, we could leverage our efforts and market still more telecommunication services, nationwide. Services such as T1 internet access lines that enjoy a relatively small market in the MonDak region. Since then we have partnered with many of the nations largest and finest telecommunications carriers and are able to offer T1 Service to virtually anywhere in the Continental US. In the first quarter of 2005 we re-launched a totally revised web site, T1 Calculator .com with great new tools for small business operators and IT professionals.

A customer recently informed me that they were going to decline my services and purchase "BRAND-X" DSL from another source. I politely informed them that I could also sign them up with that provider and they could still get our exclusive $50 rebate on that service. "Well", they exclaimed, "why didn't you offer us this service to begin with. It is only $19.99 per month, and the Verizon Online DSL that you quoted is $29.95 per month!"

I asked them if they were willing to change Residential Broadband Providers every few months and be without their high speed internet connection, to which they, of course, replied "no". I reminded them that they seemed to like the idea of having phone, cellular, and internet billing all in one neat bill. They replied that they did like that idea, but it wasn't worth $10 per month. Then, I asked my penny pinching customer what was the monthly cost of this service after the "come-on" period. They couldn't tell me.

The truth is that many Residential DSL Providers are offering some great come-ons at the present time. But, in this case, "BRAND-X" regular monthly rate is in the mid-40's per month. If the "come-on" period is for 6 months, this service would cost my customer about an extra $100 in the first year, and better than $150 per year after that. On top of that they are sacrificing the convenience of a single point of contact for their communications needs. Take a close look at these deals that seem to good to be true. They usually are.

Also look at what the modem rental charges are, if any; what the installation charges are, if any; and if you need to purchase other services to qualify for these great rates, as you often do. I think you will find that the best rates going for Residential DSL are around the $30 per month range, and that the "come-ons' are just a way to get you to spend more in the long run.