Cheap Broadband in Albany, NY?

September 5, 2007 1:47 PM

Can someone suggest cheap ($15/mo) broadband in zip 12208? Verizon DSL 768kbps is unavailable there.

I'm looking for DSL at 768kbps download speed in Albany, NY, comparable to what's offered by Verizon Online for $14.99 in other markets. Apparently this package is not offered in the zip code where my parents live (12208). They have never had broadband before, and now are looking to obtain it, after using dial-up for many years. However, they have a limited budget and could not pay more than around $15/mo. They do not need download speeds of higher than 768bps; however, I don't think paying $10/mo for 50 hours of Verizon dialup is worth it.

My parents do not need DSL per se, only broadband. However, they do not have cable TV, so bundling w/ cable is not an option. If a company offered cable broadband at around $15/mo, that would work for them too.

I have searched DSL Reports and Google without success.

I'd appreciate any suggestions.

posted by cahlers to computers & internet (5 comments total)

AT&T has been required to offer $10 DSL for awhile now, but good luck getting them to give it to you. Or finding it on their website (I tried!).
posted by backseatpilot at 1:59 PM on September 5, 2007

I live a few hours for Albany. To the best of my knowledge if they're not going to be able to get Verizon's 768 deal they may be out of luck. Even their lowest DSL package comes to about $19/mo after taxes and fees. $15/mo is really almost unatainably low for any non-telco DSL in the US in my experience, but I'd be happy to be proven wrong. There just aren't that many companies that do it and they're all buying their line access from Verizon (or sometimes, rarely, other telcos or competitive local exchange carrier)

Verizon is circling the wagons in this area of the country and trying to sell off their less profitable lines which means they're not expending a lot of cash or effort moving infrastructure [more capacity for more DSL] into places that don't already have it. Make sure that you or your parents call Verizon and make sure the 768 package isn't available, don't just rely on their website to tell you.
posted by jessamyn at 2:03 PM on September 5, 2007

Thanks jessamyn, I think they already called, but considering their limited "internet vocabulary", it might be worth my calling to check.
posted by cahlers at 3:22 PM on September 5, 2007

I have used the cheap verizon DSL for a few years. They creep up the price--it has gone from 14.99 to 17.99 in less than 2 years. Still cheap, but ....
posted by hexatron at 7:07 PM on September 5, 2007

---in north central New Jersey (Morris County)
posted by hexatron at 7:08 PM on September 5, 2007