Study says many dial-up users don't want broadband

[John Picard]

Linky

Only 14 percent of dial-up users say they're stuck with the older, slower connection technology because they can't get broadband in their neighborhoods, Pew reported Wednesday.
Thirty-five percent say they're still on dial-up because broadband prices are too high, while another 19 percent say nothing would persuade them to upgrade. The remainder have other reasons or do not know.

I'm in the 14% who are "stuck" and I would kill to have high-speed

[B.J.]

I've been part of the "too expensive" crowd for 12 years now (and with the same provider for all that time, too). I'm *finally* moving up to high-speed next week, though! Dropping the land phone line in the process, too.

[Nerdius Maximus]

Oh, is broadband expensive or something? I wouldn't know since my fiancee works for the cable company and we get it for free. We also get(all for free)all the channels, all the on-demand channels, a dvr in each room...But dammit, we still have to pay 30 bucks a month for the phone. Sucks to be me I guess! (ducks down to avoid barrage of rotten tomatoes)

[MarianLH]

There are still dialup users?


Marian

[Smiley]

Given the choice of dial-up vs. broadband at the same price, what reason is there to prefer dial-up? Is it the thrill that you need to do your browsing fast before someone accidentally picks up the phone and disconnects you? Are the longer loading times a good excuse to get up for a snack or do something else for a minute? Cable companies typically set up everything for you, so that part is not hard. What am I missing here?

[Paxil]

The same price? You can get dialup for $10 a month, and true broadband is generally $40-$50 a month after any discounts they may give you initially. I certainly understand where a segment of the population doesn't need it, many of those being too stupid to get any real use out of the internet anyway.

[Galactus]

While full broadband might cost around 40 to 50 bucks, I know in my part of the woods you can get a the slower DSL or cable for like $20 -25 bucks easily. This folks waste more money than that on chips and sodas in a month.

I know from first hand experience that most of the people on dial up are either elderly, just aren't able to get high speed, or better yet have older computers that the internet has left behind, that does everything else just fine but can access simple web pages because of how they are all geared to high speed now.

[John Picard]

MarianLH wrote:

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There are still dialup users?


Marian

I love hearing this remark all the time. If broadband is so wonderful, cures cancer, and eliminates those tough pet odors, how come Comcast and the other broadband providers are starting to institute download limits on users? There are many areas in the US where broadband will never see the light of day, because there isn't enough population density to warrant laying the cable/fiber there, and unlike the telephone company (of old), will not subsidize those rural users who don't have it.

I speak from experience in saying that satellite is not a viable alternative due to customer service and technical issues. In my area, AT&T alleges to have what it calls a "wireless broadband" that will reach wherever a cell phone signal can be detected. I would love to get the service, but the cost is around $60, which is almost an even trade if I ditch the landline as my Internet provider is also my telephone provider. I use my cell phone primarily anyway, so losing the land line won't hurt.

[Captain Craig]

Paxil wrote:

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The same price? You can get dialup for $10 a month, and true broadband is generally $40-$50 a month after any discounts they may give you initially.

And that is why I'm in the its "too expensive" camp. When I need high speed I just use it at work. For those rare Sat-Sun needs email is my primary use so I don't need high speed for that. I can even post here with minimal difficulty. I just have to stay out of pic threads.

[PlixTixiplik]

But if you were given the option to have either dial-up or broadband at the same price, which would you choose? I can totally understand not having broadband because of the cost-benefit issue, but for 19% of dial-up users to say that "nothing would persuade them to upgrade" (i.e., even the same price) is unusual to say the least.

-MEC

[Arrqh]

John_Picard wrote:

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If broadband is so wonderful, cures cancer, and eliminates those tough pet odors, how come Comcast and the other broadband providers are starting to institute download limits on users?

Because broadband in the US is a state-sponsored monopoly (usually on the municipal level, but occasionally on the state level) and the ISP's know they can get away with it because none of them have any significant local competition.

This is also the reason why prices are what they are.

[Kadratis]

Smiley wrote:

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Given the choice of dial-up vs. broadband at the same price, what reason is there to prefer dial-up? Is it the thrill that you need to do your browsing fast before someone accidentally picks up the phone and disconnects you? Are the longer loading times a good excuse to get up for a snack or do something else for a minute? Cable companies typically set up everything for you, so that part is not hard. What am I missing here?

I'd imagine availability would be the factor in that case.

[J. Allen]

AT&T offers 384kbps (about 10x faster than dialup) for $14 a month, no introductory, that's the total cost per month for as long as you have the service.

I, of course, have the 10 Mbps line at $40 a month because I like my, uh, Bible dictionaries to download quickly.


J.

[Gaseous Anomaly]

Not only is dial-up what I prefer, I will stick with my AOL account that I've had for the last 10 years. I have nothing better to do than sit and wait for web pages and all my windows updates to load.

[DanCPA]

J. Allen wrote:

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AT&T offers 384kbps (about 10x faster than dialup) for $14 a month, no introductory, that's the total cost per month for as long as you have the service.

In all honesty it's never made sense to me why, when given the option, people would rather pay $9.99 to use dial up and not $14.99 to use dsl and not hassle with the slower connection and the dialing up...

But, to each his own I suppose