<p>This is my first official thread I have posted on this site! Anyway, we are currently paying $72 a month for internet services and BASIC cable (simply the major network stations) with Comcast. This is our second year with them, so obviously our rates have gone up a little after our year-long new member special. </p>
<p>We think that $72 a month is a little ridiculous for these two services, and we are thinking about switching to an internet only option and going with a Hulu Plus/Amazon prime type subscription to replace our network cable. We do have Netflix, which I love, but I will need a good quality streaming replacement for our cable stations. </p>
<p>Does anyone use these subscriptions, or are you paying less for internet/cable with a different provider? I would love to hear all of your views, opinions, and ideas regarding this and what you currently use. I am really trying to make an educated decision before H and I just quit Comcast for something else. </p>
<p>In most places, your choices are whatever 1 or 2 companies are in your market. Here, I can choose between Comcast and RCN, though I can also get DirecTV and Dish of course. I have RCN and recommend them but they’re likely not in your area.</p>
<p>Check the speed of your current connection so you can compare that when you are checking to see whether switching is worthwhile. We used to have a very slow ISD line but it made the kids crazy, so we upgraded to a faster speed and the price went up accordingly. It’s still more pleasant than waiting forever for things to load and buffer, so the kids and we are fairly happy, even tho the price increased.</p>
<p>Thank @HImom, our internet connection is fairly quick (IMO, without checking actual download rates) so that is one thing I am concerned about. Is there a good place to check on the bandwidth of my connection? I am searching the my account section of the comcast website, but all it states is that I have “high speed internet.” It’s got to be listed online somewhere, right? </p>
<p>(Just ran the speed test and learned that my wired computer is slower than my son’s wireless. They are both Apple desktops but mine is hardwired. Something wrong with this picture!)</p>
<p>I won’t tell you what we are paying to our cable company (horrifying figure) but it includes far too many movie channels that no one watches, a couple of DVRs, internet, and two phone lines.</p>
<p>Streaming places extra importance on internet speed. I also know that speeds - meaning mostly download speeds - are increasing rapidly but that providers are extracting premiums for as long as they can. For example, Comcast will charge at least $10 more a month for “Blast” speeds of up to 110MBs, but that’s in a package not as a standalone. I priced internet only recently in Boston and found it wasn’t much less than a basic package that included phone and/or cable. My suggestion is to consider short term deals because speeds are going up. </p>