Cox Communications Internet only renewal question

[TeeDub2]

I've had the ultimate for about 2 months now at $69.99.

[TeeDub2]

I've had the ultimate for about 2 months now at $69.99.

Just realized you said they told you this price was for new customers.

[djohn]

Just noticed another rate increase in this month's bill. 50Mb went from 79.99 to 83.99. It was 74.99 18 months ago. Almost a 15% increase.

I wish we had some alternatives. (ie, google)

[FighttheGoodFight]

Just noticed another rate increase in this month's bill. 50Mb went from 79.99 to 83.99. It was 74.99 18 months ago. Almost a 15% increase.

I wish we had some alternatives. (ie, google)

Yep. The more people move away from cable they will just charge out the ass for internet. OEC can't come soon enough to Norman.

[PaddyShack]

I also hate that my "other options" to paying higher for Cox, is to downgrade my package or switch over to AT&T, which is currently at $80 for the same internet... So much for competition! Why are cable providers allowed to operate this way? Most of the metro only gets one or the other and the areas that get both only get AT&T or Cox. Is there really no incentive for another competitor to enter the market? How does it work in other metro areas?

[king183]

Just noticed another rate increase in this month's bill. 50Mb went from 79.99 to 83.99. It was 74.99 18 months ago. Almost a 15% increase.

I wish we had some alternatives. (ie, google)

Google Fiber is not coming to OKC. It's dead.

[jedicurt]

Google Fiber is not coming to OKC. It's dead.

on pause while they re-evaluate their plan for expansion isn't dead... it's just not happening in the near or mid future

[JohnH_in_OKC]

on pause while they re-evaluate their plan for expansion isn't dead... it's just not happening in the near or mid future

I agree that Google Fiber is dead -- because of technology advances. 5G Internet will become the home Internet provider of the future. There are 4 companies that have purchased bandwidth that will enable them to offer 5G service which will be faster and cheaper than the Gigabit service that Cox now provides people willing to pay. AT&T, Verizon, a combo of T-Mobile and Sprint, and Dish Network are building their 5G services to cover the nation. They will not have Cox's 1 terrabyte limits and hopefully will offer unlimited Internet service for around $50 per month. Cox, of course, will lower its price and provide unlimited streaming at no additional cost to match its new competition.

I had to drop Netflix and switch streaming service providers to Sling TV which has a way to control the bandwidth your straming services utilize (in Sling's settings) so I didn't exceed Cox's 1 terrabyte limit. Cox will give you 1.5 terrabytes of streaming downloads for an extra $30/month or for $50/month extra you can have unlimited streaming. I just didn't want to pay the extra expense every month.

[stile99]

While I agree 5G is the future, I don't agree that it's the nail in the coffin to fiber some think, and AT&T is already doing an excellent job of attempting to ruin the reputation, for some reason. I mean, it's not a shock from the company that sells DSL connections and tells people it's fiber, but it's confusing. There are pros and cons with each technology, and while one of the cons of fiber is getting it deployed, that's actually one of the cons with wireless as well (5G is going to need a looooooooot of access points). Add to that SOMETHING is going to be connected to a neighborhood access point, and let's be honest, it's going to be fiber. These two technologies go together like peanut butter and jelly.

[JohnH_in_OKC]

Here's a story about how Google Fiber has failed in Louisville:

From CNET: https://www.cnet.com/news/google-fib...ck-has-failed/

Google Fiber's secret weapon in its gigabit comeback has failed
An experimental process for more cheaply and quickly rolling out speedy fiber internet didn't pan out, forcing Google Fiber to pull out of Louisville.

BY
JASON HINER
FEBRUARY 7, 2019 10:00 AM PST

Google's trick to more rapidly and cheaply deploy its super-speedy Google Fiber project has hit a wall, complicating the company's broader attempt to get its gigabit service back on track across the nation.

The internet titan had pinned its hopes on an experiment called "shallow trenching," which enabled it to deploy gigabit internet in Louisville in just five months and drastically outpace rival AT&T Fiber. But a Google Fiber spokesperson said problems with the process will force Google Fiber to cease operations in Louisville. Google is informing customers Thursday that their service will end on April 15.

It's a massive setback for Google Fiber, which "paused" operations in October 2016 but rolled out in Louisville and San Antonio in 2017 as part of a quiet Google Fiber 2.0 comeback, using cutting-edge techniques to control costs and outflank traditional telecom companies. The service was supposed to be a speedier, less costly alternative to your standard cable or phone provider, but Google encountered the same problem as everyone else: the insane costs of laying down physical fiber lines.

In the other 10 metropolitan areas where Google Fiber is still operating -- Atlanta; Austin, Texas; Charlotte, North Carolina; Huntsville, Alabama; Kansas City, Missouri; Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina; Nashville, Tennessee; Orange County, California; Salt Lake City/Provo, Utah; and San Antonio -- it'll continue to put more fiber in the ground and sign up new customers. A Google Fiber spokesperson also told CNET that it'll learn from the failure in Louisville and improve its deployments in other cities.

The Google Fiber team cited the experimental construction methods used in Louisville as the reason behind the failure. That deployment technique, called "nanotrenching," enabled Google Fiber to deploy fiber at greater speed and lower cost.

The construction crews for Google Fiber in Louisville were digging trenches only two inches deep on the edges of roads, laying the fiber cables and then filling in the trench with a rubbery liquid that would solidify when it dried.

Within several months, though, some of the fiber cables started popping out of the trenches and were lying exposed in the streets. In other cities, such as San Antonio, Google Fiber has switched to "microtrenching," which uses a similar technique but goes at least six inches deep. The Google Fiber rollout will proceed in San Antonio.

It should be noted that AT&T has been using various forms of shallow trenching since 2009 and hasn't seen similar issues. Google Fiber's build quality and customer service also got called into question when a number of Kansas City customers lost service for over a week during a January snowstorm.
The Google Fiber team indicated that it didn't have any plans to continue operations in Louisville, because it would have to rebuild its entire Louisville network from scratch to bring it up to the same standard of service of its other gigabit cities.

In notifying its Louisville customers of the shutdown, Google FIber is also letting them know they won't be billed for the final two months of service. That could be of little consolation to consumers who were thrilled to get the upgrade to an internet connection that features both upload and download speeds that can reach up to 1 gigabit per second -- far faster and more consistent than the cable and DSL connections most users will have to go back to.

AT&T Fiber operates in some of the same neighborhoods where Google Fiber deployed in Louisville, so it may provide a comparable alternative for some customers. An AT&T spokesperson confirmed that AT&T Fiber will continue to expand its network in Louisville. AT&T also noted that in late 2018 Louisville was one of the first 12 cities where it deployed its 5G network with mobile hotspots, which can rival some of the lower-speed fiber connections.

When Google Fiber goes into a city, it usually spurs competition from other internet providers to increase their connection speeds and provide better customer service. That's been the case in Louisville, where AT&T and Spectrum have stepped up and offered their own forms of gigabit service, though AT&T charges more for its version and Spectrum's service features much lower upload speeds.

With nanotrenching off the table for Google Fiber, it's going to have to play the long game more like a traditional telecom provider. Companies like AT&T take a much slower, more measured approach in rolling out new networks, and AT&T thinks of fiber as an investment with a 100-year return.

[BBatesokc]

Just noticed another rate increase in this month's bill. 50Mb went from 79.99 to 83.99. It was 74.99 18 months ago. Almost a 15% increase.

I wish we had some alternatives. (ie, google)

WOW that seems really high! I pay $73.49 for "Ultimate Internet Service" 300 Mbps. I have to call regularly to fight price increases.

During a power outage though we realized that we could probably survive off just the hot spot from our smart pone. We lost COX internet for a week and used my Sprint Hot Spot the entire week and it worked just fine for general internet usage and Netflix/Hulu streaming. Not so great at uploading/downloading large file or online gaming. But, if your needs are only occasionally and basic, some of you might look into just using your mobile hot spot. I have relatives that use mobile hot spots exclusively at their large home.