On Fri, 2010-04-30 at 10:10 -0500, Daniel McDonald wrote: > On 4/30/10 8:22 AM, "Martin Gregorie" <mar...@gregorie.org> wrote: > > > On Fri, 2010-04-30 at 08:43 -0400, Lee Dilkie wrote: > >> First, I'd like to point out that not everyone has the option of > >> changing ISP's. Believe it or not, there are many folks who have only > >> one choice for high-speed internet access (myself included). > >> > > However, that doesn't apply to the OP, who is using British Telecom as > > his ISP. My broadband connection goes through the local BT exchange and > > copper after that, but BT has never been my ISP. I initially used Demon > > as my ISP, switching to my current ISP (who subcontract broadband > > connectivity to a third party, *not* BT) when I discovered that Demon > > didn't offer a suitable package that included domain registration. > > > > The OP can do exactly what I did. > > > > Out of pure curiosity, what is there about the broadband set-up in your > > locality that could prevent you from doing something similar? Are both > > your broadband provider and your ISP monopolies? > > For me, it was the case the last time I renegotiated my contract for my > business-class broadband at home. Short of bringing in a T1 at > $600-$1000/month, I had exactly one choice for a provider that would provide > me with a static /29 and a SWIP record - the monopoly cable provider. In > another year or so I'll see if the monopoly POTS provider can provide the > service I need - they promise the moon in their advertisements but balk > really fast when you start to ask specific, tangible questions.
I have a number of friends who concur that the US small-business broadband scene is seriously poor so I feel your pain. I can remember the hassle one guy had trying to get a static IP out of Warners. They wanted to up his subscription by a factor of three. In the UK we are really lucky in most cases that we can pick and choose good providers and change fairly easily without it costing an arm and a leg.
