Poll: Would you switch carriers if fiber came to town?

by Darren Murph, posted Dec 13th 2008 at 12:00PM

Depending on where you live, the entrance of a fiber carrier may or may not sway your pay-TV decisions. Apparently Comcast sure thinks it will in Philadelphia, and it got us to wondering just how eager people are to transition from tried-and-true cable to the likes of U-verse TV (AT&T) and FiOS TV (Verizon). Moreover, would those of you in satellite contracts also consider jumping ship when the time came? Why or why not? We've certainly seen less than enthusiastic reviews for both major fiber carriers in the US, but it's not like cable companies are spot free of issues, either. If fiber came calling, would you come running (and if so, from who)?

Filed under: Industry, Polls, Cable, Fiber, Internet, OTA, Satellite

Tags: att, fiber, fios, fios tv, FiosTv, poll, polls, u verse, u-verse, UVerse, verizon

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Highest Ranked

Prophet @ Dec 13th 2008 12:25PM

I would probably switch my internet to fiber but keep my satellite service for tv.

Neutral

drphil7 @ Dec 13th 2008 12:35PM

I think many people think this same way.

Neutral

JDS @ Dec 13th 2008 1:20PM

I too would keep my DirecTV but would LOVE FIOS for internet @ 50 - 100Mbps

Neutral

Big Sam @ Dec 13th 2008 1:28PM

Same here

Neutral

VP @ Dec 13th 2008 6:50PM

I would do the same things as well. Only Dish Network offers the International channels i need so i am not moving from Dish Network. But i would probably switch from DSL if the prices are competitive.

Neutral

David S @ Dec 13th 2008 12:27PM

Something else - I already have fiber

Highest Ranked

Ed @ Dec 13th 2008 12:37PM

It would depend on what they're offering and for what price. Fibre is just a transport layer and I personally don't care what it is. It's like asking my carpenter what tools he's going to use - I simply don't care.

Bring me better/more content or lower the price, yet let me continue to use my current TV and TiVo, and we'll talk. Prove you can deliver the service and the support (in English) and not lock me into contracts.

Highest Ranked

Eric @ Dec 13th 2008 1:26PM

As long as it lets me use my TiVO HD and not some lame HD-DVR.

Neutral

Montusama @ Dec 13th 2008 1:28PM

I'd go in a heartbeat for the internet, could care aless about the tv

Highly Ranked

bizdady @ Dec 13th 2008 1:30PM

As long as they offered me more HD channels than the whopping 10 or so TimeWarner gives now I woud switch in a heartbeat. TWC has been saying theyre going to add more HD channels for months, still nothing. Really starting to get fed up with having to pay so much money just so I can get all my channels twice (digital cable my ass!)

Neutral

cwnyc @ Dec 14th 2008 8:28PM

Completely agree! And TWC customer service is the WORST! They know they have the monopoly over most the buildings here in Manhattan so they don't give a damn. I do not know how many times I have heard friends with scheduled in-home service appointment with TWC and the guys never showed!! TWC, your time in NYC is up!

Neutral

Bradlyj @ Dec 13th 2008 1:41PM

Voted for Other - Because I jumped in a heartbeat the moment U-Verse was available here. I was fed up with the constant Channel Not Available messages with Time Warner Cable and Switched digital Video.

Neutral

minimalist @ Dec 13th 2008 1:44PM

U-Verse is available in my market but my Comcast high speed gives me 10-12 Mbps down and 2-3 Mbps up for 50 bucks. To get a competing service with u-Verse it would cost me almost twice as much (80-90 dollars minimum).

It seems that with U-verse, if you don't want TV or phone and just want high speed internet you get horrible prices.

Neutral

Marshall @ Dec 13th 2008 1:53PM

Only for internet (TV's not worth it), and only if the price were right (i.e. a little more than cable internet for a lot more speed).

Neutral

WallyB @ Dec 13th 2008 2:21PM

I have FIOS internet and it's great, but politics is keeping FIOS TV away. However, I agree with Ed. If it's good quality at a good price, who cares what medium it comes on. The word I get around here (Central Virginia) is that those who have FIOS TV in Northern VA got a good startup deal but the price skyrocketed after the intro months. I don't really like the weather disruptions I get with Dish, but otherwise the quality is good and the price okay.

Neutral

CTMike @ Dec 13th 2008 2:18PM

Depends on the following :

1) Quantity of HD
2) Price

Neutral

josejrp @ Dec 13th 2008 2:37PM

I would switch from DirecTV if FiOS became available in my area, but the reported quality and shared bandwidth problems with U-Verse make it an unacceptable choice for me. Too bad I have AT&T and not Verizon :-(

Neutral

dyhrdmet @ Dec 13th 2008 2:40PM

I would switch to fiber. It's the best technology for the delivery of phone, tv, and internet. it's always a better price when you get a bundle, compared with picking one or two services (especially internet when it's not from your phone or cable company). the only hesitation for me is certain programming is unfairly withheld by competing cable companies as a competitive edge (Comcast SportsNet in Philly, MSGHD/MSG+HD in NY/NJ/CT, the Padres channel in San Diego, among others).

Neutral

Schwinn @ Dec 13th 2008 3:00PM

From who? Comcast, of course. Crappy service, crappy picture quality, and continually increasing prices. I refuse to pay them any more money for HD and a digital box, so I've been sticking with analog cable only for now.

I too, would prefer a system that worked with my Tivos (2 Series1 units, and a Mythbox) but if I can get them to work with their STB or they have a decent DVR, I would be ok. Point is, I would STILL switch.

Comcast sucks.

Neutral

dwaynev1290 @ Dec 13th 2008 3:48PM

I already got FIOS 20/5mb HA!!

Neutral

baldrick5 @ Dec 13th 2008 3:55PM

for internet: absolutely if price was the near what I pay now ($50/month for 10 Mbps Down via Charter)

for TV: if they had all of the HD channels i get now that i watch (HDnet, HDnet Movies, FX, TLC, A&E, Bio, Crime & Investigation, Discovery, History, Palladia, Food Network, and a few others) and ones that i don't get now that i would really like (full suite of HBO/Cinemax, Encore, AMC, Fuse, IFC, &Travel Channel) and price was same or less than what I have now (DirecTV) i would switch in a heartbeat!

Neutral

pete @ Dec 13th 2008 3:59PM

U-verse is not fiber, it's DSL. There's U-verse in my neighborhood (VRADs everywhere) but I'm sticking with opt-online triple play. FIOS will never come here, AT&T OWNS CT :(

Highest Ranked

rothgar @ Dec 13th 2008 4:24PM

Fios yes, U-verse no

Neutral

Vince @ Dec 14th 2008 1:16AM

Exactly, AT&T can stick their Pugh-Verse up their obsolescent asses.

Neutral

kcmurphy88 @ Dec 14th 2008 1:47PM

It's not like they give you a choice of the two. In most of California, it's U-verse or DSL. Oh, wait, that's redundant.

I'm happy with DirecTV, been with them since '94. A FiOS service that had actual digital fiber TV might be of interest, but AT&T owns this territory so not much chance of that.

I guess I have to wait for AT&T to give up on fiber-to-the-neighborhood and go to full fiber before I have to choose. Not sure I'll live that long.

Neutral

DallasJayhawk @ Dec 13th 2008 5:03PM

I traded in DirecTV for U-verse about six months ago and I'm happy with it (PQ, channel surfing speed, price, no contract, no equipment purchase, no down time when thunderstorms/tornados are threatening and DVR for the whole house).

I would consider FIOS if it had a better price and gave me the capability to tape more than two simultaneous HD channels.

However, if U-verse gives me access to my DVR content via my iPhone (as rumored) then I'd be even happier.

Neutral

Mark @ Dec 13th 2008 5:15PM

I have DirecTV and love it. I also like my phone sevice from AT&T. I would like faster internet however (particularly upload speed to improve my Slingbox PRO-HD).

I would switch if FiOS was available in my area and the price was comparable to what I have now. It will probably be Uverse since AT&T is so big in the metro Atlanta area.

Neutral

JoshG @ Dec 13th 2008 5:37PM

I switched to Uverse, and then switched back to DirecTV/cable internet. First of all ATT is introducing caps and that is unacceptable. DirecTV high def is better in my opinion, and the internet slowed down on Saturday just like cable did.

Neutral

bcurran @ Dec 13th 2008 6:26PM

When FIOS first came to my town, I called Comcast and they gave me a very good deal to stay with them. I have no issues with Comcast other then the cost, but FIOS isn't really much cheaper. My cable has probably gone out once in three years, so I can't really complain. I did try to switch to FIOS twice, but both times got blown off by the installers, so I basically told them to screw off and that I would not be signing up for their service after that. To be honest, I hate Verizon more than Comcast so I am happy right where I am. The main reason I hate Verizon is because of their cell phone practices, things like charging extra to tether you cell phone as a modem and crippling the phones they cell. I have T-Mobile and they could care less what I do with my phone, if the phone supports it, I can do it and they don't nickle and dime me to death with fees. Also, my mother had a Verizon bundle that was all supposed to be on one bill, it took them over two years to actually send her one bill. They are a bunch of morons too. So, if you are happy with what you have, I would stick with it. Oh, and one other thing about FIOS. The ActionTech routers that they make you use are the biggest pieces of shit ever made. They die every year (EVERYONE I know has had theirs die after a year), without fail. So, maybe if they upgrade those and actually show up to do my install I may think about switching.

Neutral

MidnightDT @ Dec 13th 2008 7:43PM

no shit they charge you to tether your phone to use it on the internet, you think that 3g broadband bandwith is free for them? it ties down the network and the more people connected lowers the speeds for paying subscribers.

what else is free in this country? people and their cell phones always thinking stuff should be free, I just dont get it.

as for your mother that sucks for her, One bill isnt handled by Verizon Wireless its handled by Verizon Communications (landline portion) so that sucks but its not a reflection on how the wireless service is, wireless is a seperate company. VZW is ranked #1 in customer service and customer loyalty by Jd Power and Consumer Reports so your moms issue is not reflective of what the entire nation sees.

Neutral

MidnightDT @ Dec 13th 2008 7:39PM

FIOS YES, U-Verse hell no

uverse is available now where I live but im sticking with DirecTV for tv and TWC Roadrunner Turbo (15mbps) for internet.

Neutral

Dan @ Dec 13th 2008 11:28PM

Save me from scamcast! I'd ditch them if fiber came, sign me up.

Neutral

cypherstream @ Dec 14th 2008 1:32AM

In a heartbeat!

Fios has a more robust channel lineup (both SD and more importantly, HD). They have more features and a more modern DVR interface. Faster internet with plenty of headroom for future growth. Fios (or fiber to the home in general) is where it's at.

HFC has a lot of potential, but Comcast doesn't want to upgrade to 1 GHz or remove analog in my area. Not to mention modernizing the guide.

Neutral

GhostDoggy @ Dec 14th 2008 7:38AM

Legacy BellSouth deployed fiber to lawns of several communities in Atlanta and Miami starting in the mid-1990's and pretty much shelved the project in new neighborhood deployment by the time 2003 rolled around. The lawn pedestals and Ethernet switches aggregating customers were fine for 1995-2000 broadband marketing needs, but cowsumers demands out-grew the ability to deliver.

Well, not only did BellSouth not bother to upgrade the platform, they got bought by SBC (ahem, AT&T) and the continued attitude of a dead-platform has led to subscribers giving up that fiber solution for conventional solutions from the competition. And this conventional solutions are coax and cable modem service. I was one of them.

So, unless my neighborhood sells out to Verizon, AND Verizon deployed Fios into my neighborhood then the idea of fiber in my life other than in my butt is a moot point.

Neutral

Daimyo Nintendo @ Dec 14th 2008 11:23AM

Funny thing is that fiber would not be much better because it would leave the station through coax, travel through fiber optics, but then it would come through coax again into your TV from your wall so what does coax matter unless we change those damn copper hook ups. I know plenty of people in the broadcasting industry, fiber optics will not matter unless we change the coax hookup and wiring in our houses and the broadcasting changes their output system and not just the carrier system in the ground.

Neutral

cwnyc @ Dec 14th 2008 8:28PM

That is entirely not true. The connection to your residential building has nothing to do with the miles and miles of cabling OUTSIDE your home. It is the BANDWIDTH of the LONG carrying cable that makes the difference. This is digital signals we are talking about, so your argument does not make sense. The metal coax connection at both ends is just basically transferring complex digital on and off pulses, not analogue electrical wave forms, so as long as there is good conduction, the 3 principles of electricity, inductance, resistance, and capacitance has very little significance here. What do you think happens with your fiber optic cable sending light on and off pulses between your stereo equipment..? These digital light pulses are STILL being transformed into digital electrical pulses via copper wires INSIDE your stereo equipment before it is sent to and decoded by the D/A converter!

Neutral

cwnyc @ Dec 14th 2008 8:55PM

Furthermore, the increase of bandwidth fiber cabling offers allows Fios to increase the available bitrate. For TV signals, this has a tremendous impact.

Yes, cable companies can claim they have HD content of 720p or 1080i and some even claim 1080p resolutions. What they don't tell you is the limited bandwidth equals low bitrate. Low bitrate means each pixel is poorly processed... So sure you have 720p/1080i (about 1 million pixels per frame) or 1080p (about 2 million pixels per frame) resolution with cable, but what you don't know is that you just have lots of TERRIBLE looking dots! This is the same thing with digital cameras, just because you have lots of dots (high or HD resolution in TV terms or megapixel in camera talk), does NOT mean you have a good picture.

And guess what? Cable TV HD signals are so compressed, the bitrate is actually LESS than a standard resolution DVD! This varies between program from program... Some are worse than others on Cable. Have you ever seen the Sci-Fi channel on HD? It is so soft looking that is does not even appear HD anymore... Fios offers bitrate that is consistently 10% to 38% more than competitive services.

Check out these articles on bitrate:

http://blogs.zdnet.com/Ou/?p=959

http://kirklindstrom.blogspot.com/2008/04/best-hdtv-comcast-dish-directv-or.html

So Fios with high bandwidth and high bitrate makes a tremendous significance for both internet and TV services.

Neutral

air12ick @ Dec 14th 2008 3:11PM

I would not jump on fiber right off the bat as it would depend of the provider. My area only has Cox and AT&T, so I'd rather choose Cox. As of right now, the way we are setup is fiber to our front lawn (fiber to the node) for the past 15 years now? We've been liking the service so far. I have played with FIOS, and would prefer that over all the other providers, though they could cut the cost though. AT&T just recently launched U-Verse, and my neighbors had terrible intallation service with that, so we opted out. Cox does offer the better value in my market too. $130 for HD w/ specialty channel, ~20Mbps internet, and phone is not bad compared to what I am hearing and seeing out there.

Now I did hear Cox may potentially got fiber to the house...which I see feasible due to the way their fiber network is setup. But with their recent 1GHz upgrade, not sure how this would change their plans. I have yet to see 1GHz tuners in Cox's arsenal of equipment. I know they recently swapped out the amplifiers at the node to handle 1GHz, but the digital box and cable modem don't support that frequency range.

Neutral

Michael @ Dec 14th 2008 4:45PM

I live in Burlington, Connecticut and my Grandparents live in Bristol, Connecticut which is just south of Burlington, when I was there for Christmas my Grandmother asked me if she should get AT&T U-Verse which had just entered Bristol (I don't remember engadget mentioning that deployment) so I said yes and apparently AT&T is so booked up with people throwing their outrageously over priced Cable TV to the curb that she can't get it installed until January 10th. So now that my town is just north of Bristol it got me thinking that U-Verse will be in my town soon, then I noticied an odd box on a telaphone pole in my neighborhood my first thought was U-VERSE U-VERSE U-VERSE is comming, but I didn't want to get my hopes up over some new electrical boxes so I went onto google images to search for U-Verse boxes and sure enough it was exactly what went on my telephone poll!!!!!!!!!! So now I've been checking the AT&T website everyday, not in Burlington yet but already in Bristol.

Neutral

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