High Speed Internet Service Providers Reviewed

Online TV programming is going to be one of the most profitable additions to the Internet in many years. Insiders believe it will change the entertainment industry forever. Online TV viewing has grown steadily, particularly since Hulu, NetFlix, & Blockbuster have added television shows to their online content. Well, you can now add video giant YouTube to their number.  Owned by Google, YouTube just announced it is launching 100 new online TV channels over the next twelve months. With an investment of $100 million, YouTube is working with principal Hollywood studios, major Hollywood stars and prime media outlets, to put together a line-up of programming that will appeal to a large and diverse audience. If you are not sure if your Internet connection is fast enough to allow you to watch streaming TV shows online, try doing a search for “Internet service providers in my area” and you should be able to find out quickly.

When my wife and I first met it was in the 1970s. I was living in Brooklyn, New York and Carol was in Peoria, Illinois.  Even though we fell in love and decided to get married, we both had a year to finish at our respective schools.  For the next 14 months, or so, we carried on what is commonly referred to as a “long-term relationship.”  Back then that meant writing letters and making very expensive long distance phone calls.  I would call Carol every Sunday night from a pay phone in my dorm and we would talk for about an hour. The cost was about $25.00 a week — back then!  How different things would have been if we would have had the worldwide web and Internet service providers. We could have been in constant contact via email, instant messaging and Skype — and it wouldn’t have cost a penny.  I think couples in long distance relationships have it much easier today. The only thing I feel bad about is that they will probably never know the joy of receiving a letter from the person they are in love with.

Semillitas, a 24 hour animation channel, is now available on Verizon FiOS TV.  The show, which targets Hispanic pre-schoolers is part of the La Conexion package which offers over 155 channels — eighteen in high definition. The show is designed to preserve Hispanic language and roots, an important goal of most Latino parents.  These same parents recognize that TV watching is an essential way of transmitting a cultural identity. Semillitas focuses on young children from ages 1 to 5. According to the recent Census, Hispanics are the demographic group most responsible for the growth of the American population.  Hispanic children, aged five years or younger, currently make up 27% of that total age group inside the U.S. That figure jumps to over 50% in Southwestern markets like Texas, California, Arizona and New Mexico.

Last year at this time the TV industry was filled with concern about cable cutting — folks dropping their cable subscriptions because they were watching television on the Internet. Perhaps you heard this concern from the Internet service providers in your city. Today’s NY Times reports, however, that cables remain connected and recent earnings reports show that satellite and cable subscriptions are doing better than industry insiders forecast. While video viewing via the Internet is increasing, most American households still pay for TV subscriptions and seem to prefer watching programs in that way. The cancellations that have come in seem to be due to poverty, not technology.  The affects of the difficult economy on American families has become evident because many families are eliminating premium channels such as Showtime and HBO or are dropping their land line telephones or the digital video recorders they first signed up for before the economy went south.

The Los Angeles Times reported yesterday that the new Droid Razr from Motorola became available to pre-order from Verizon on Thursday.  The new smart phone, named Razr after the prominent flip-phone from the early part of the last decade, is extremely thin — just 7.1 millimeter thick, the thinnest 4G phone available in the marketplace. As a result it is also very light weight. The backing of the phone is covered in kevlar, giving it the necessary strength despite being so thin. The device comes with a 4.3 inch touch-screen and a 1.2 gig dual core processor. The new smart phone is scheduled to hit stores sometime in the early part of November — a Verizon spokesman said an official launch date has not yet been set.  The unit has a price tag of $299 with a two year Verizon contract.

According to an article in PC Magazine last Thursday, Verizon has been letting customers know via email of a change to their privacy setting.  Verizon plans to start collecting your browsing history, app usage and cell phone location for third-party marketing purposes.  You are able to opt out of the program, but Verizon has promised not to share any personal information that might identify you. Those who remain in the program will begin seeing ads that more personalized while using their mobile devices for web surfing or when they are using Verizon DSL or FiOS, said  Jeffrey Nelson, a spokesman for Verizon. If you would like to know if Verizon is available in your area, try searching for Internet providers by zip code.  These changes have to do with ads that are targeted, a new service Verizon is offering advertisers. The program will create marketing reports and Verizon plans to sell more ad space that is specifically targeted.  Nelson went on reassure customers, stating “safeguarding data and protecting our customers’ privacy are high priorities for Verizon.”

From dangerous hurricanes to devastating earthquakes, the area surrounding the nation’s capital has recently been reminded of the fact that disasters can happen virtually without notice. AT&T has just completed a study which indicates that approximately 89% of local companies have a plan to aid them in maintaining operations if, and when, a disaster strikes. Recognizing the need to prepare ahead of time for a crisis, AT&T is undergoing a Network Disaster Recovery simulation in Maryland during the October 13 through 19. These exercises, held many times each year, recreate the loss of a full network office and therefore refine, test and strengthen the company’s disaster recovery & business continuity services in an effort to minimize network downtime. “More than ever before, communities must to be ready for natural or manmade disasters, and have effective plans in place to respond,” said the president of AT&T Mid-Atlantic Division, Michael Schweder. “These types of exercises will ensure that AT&T Internet service is prepared for a disaster.  We hope the organizations and businesses in the D.C. metropolitan area also continue to realize the importance of investing in crisis preparation.”

According to a report posted earlier this week on Daily Finance, an AOL money and finance site, when CenturyLink merged with Qwest Internet in April, there was an immediate drop in broadband subscribers.  According to CenturyLink‘s CFO, Stewart Ewing, the drop was related to a number of special-priced promotional packages Qwest had offered its DSL users.  Today CenturyLink is actively going after broadband-only customers at the end of promotional cycles by offering additional product bundles.  Included among the products being offered is wireless service — utilizing their new relationship with Verizon.  Also being offered, in those markets where it is available, is Prism IPTV.  It’s interesting to note that CenturyLink‘s new RBOC partners, Verizon  and AT&T, have both seen gains in both broadband and video — a trend that will no doubt be reported in their earnings reports which are due out later this month for both companies.

More and more people are using the Internet to learn how to speak a foreign language. And, if you think about it, it really makes sense. Online language programs can flash pictures while simultaneously voicing the word that describes the image.  That is something no high school Spanish book or French book is able to do.  In addition, learning online lets you hear correct pronunciation, move along at your own pace, and repeat things as many times as necessary.  Also, most online language courses are much less expensive than the language schools that mail out huge volumes of audio files and/or DVDs.  Of course, to benefit from an online language program, you must have a high speed Internet connection.  Don’t worry, however, if your connection is a bit slow.  Just do a simple online search for the best Internet providers in your area — and include your zip code. You will quickly find a company that can upgrade your connection and have you learning a new language online in no time!

According to an article published last week at consumeraffairs.com, the FCC has taken the initial steps to provide funding to pay for the expansion of high-speed broadband service to rural America.  The article said that FCC representatives propose overhauling the Universal Service Fund, a fund set up many years ago to expand telephone service to rural American communities.  Julius Genachowski, Federal Communications Commission chairman, spelled out the details in a speech given recently in Washington.  He proposed an $8 billion subsidy that would make broadband as commonplace as landline telephones.  Genachowski said:  ”High speed broadband has gone from being a luxury to being a necessity if our rural communities hope to enjoy full participation in society and the global economy.”  Currently rural communities are dependent upon dial-up or satellite services, such as Wild Blue Internet, to get high-speed broadband.

The Veterans Administration wants to use the Internet as well as social media to end its  reputation as antiquated, overwhelmed and obstructionist, says an article in today’s edition of the Washington Post.  Accordingly they have hired Kyle Hausmann-Stokes, an Army Veteran, to produce a 4-minute video designed for VA employees.  Officials of the Veterans Administration hope the video will be a reminder to employees to provide excellent service to vets.  The film is designed to show employees exactly what the VA system looks like to the veterans just returning home from Afghanistan and Iraq:  usually daunting, time-consuming and confusing.

The VA has also hired Alex Horton, creator of the blog  named Army of Dude. Horton’s job will be the VA’s official blogger and he has been commissioned to continue pointing out the department’s shortfalls. While Horton has ruffled some feathers in Washington, his new blog, VAntage Point, is read widely by both VA vets and staffers. Still another new way the Internet is helping people.

There are several good reasons why HughesNet Satellite Internet is the #1 provider of satellite Internet in the USA today. Here are just a few:  It is available to everyone, no matter where they live in the U.S.  The connection is so fast you can flip through web pages just like you turn the pages of a book!  It works with both Windows-based and Mac systems.  Dial-up is never necessary, so your phone is always free and never tied up with the Internet. Installation is done right by a HughesNet installer, the secure network is constantly monitored and expert customer service is available from friendly agents 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! HughesNet is provides satellite Internet to over 100 countries, so you know they have the expertise to back up their service — after all Hughes has been a major provider for more than thirty years!

I recently took a look at the Internet service providers in my area to see what was available to our household.  Our family lives in the far northwestern suburbs of St Louis. We are fortunate to have Charter cable, which we use and works great. But unless we went to a satellite service, cable is really all we have available to us as a high-speed broadband connection.  AT&T is heavily advertising Uverse in the St Louis marketplace, but when we checked on its availability we were told that CenturyLink has most of the infrastructure under contract in the St Charles County area — which is where we live.  Even at that, CenturyLink does not offer DSL anywhere near our wooded subdivision. So for the time being we feel we are very fortunate to a have high-speed cable connection, because there are still some outlying areas very near to us that are not wired for cable and are too remote for DSL — even though they are still considered a part of the greater St Louis metropolitan area.

Comcast has been making quite a splash with its Internet Essentials Program around the country.  According to an article in today’s Sacramento Bee, CenturyLink has come up with a very similar program they are calling Internet Basics. The idea behind the program is to get folks who live in low-income households online by offering a discounted monthly rate of $9.95.  And while the Comcast program offers a voucher for a free basic computer, CenturyLink is offering families an Internet netbook computer for a deeply discounted cost of $150.00. “The Internet has become a basic part of daily life for most people in this country but there are many who still are not connected due to cost. CenturyLink is very happy to make affordable high-speed Internet service and inexpensive computers available to those who need the financial help to get online.” said Glen Post, President and C.E.O.  CenturyLink, one of the nation’s leading Internet service providers,  is additionally offering free technology training through the Internet Basics program.

It used to be that buying a car was something everyone dreaded.  Of course we all liked the idea of having a new car — but shopping for it was akin to getting a root canal.  Pushy salesman, game-playing over price with the sales manager, deals being changed at the last minute — it was a nightmare.  Today, however, you can buy a car right on line.  Most dealerships have their entire inventory on their website. Most even have Internet managers to work with you who are NOT commissioned sales people. Just find the car you want, negotiate a price by email and never even talk to a sales person!  If you are purchasing a new car, you can contact several dealerships in a single afternoon! And without having to pay a huge sales commission, the dealerships can give you much better prices.  Of course, if your Internet connection is not up to speed, you may have a problem.  There are, however, many Internet service providers in your city that will help you to bring it up to date.