Cable Broadband :: Essays Papers

Cable Broadband Five years ago, all that people had to worry about when they wanted to connect to the Internet was really what modem they were going to purchase. It was simple. Do I buy a 33.6Kbps modem or a 56Kbps modem? With the advances in current technologies, that decision has become a bit more difficult. Now people have to make the decision between 56k modems, Asynchronous Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL), Cable Broadband, and Satellite Broadband. I believe the choice to be simple. Cable Broadband, with its widespread availability, is definitely a great investment for the average consumer. Broadband Daily states, â€Å"Its fatter pipes and inherent two-way capability promise to deliver everything – video, voice, data, text, graphics, and more – to both the PC and the TV.† (â€Å"What’s Broadband†, 2002, para. 4). The most important factor to take into account for any service is the cost. Most Cable Broadband across the country costs between $40 and $50 per month. To all those who have Insight Communications Cable service in Noblesville also have the ability to receive their Cable Broadband. It costs just $39.95 per month for their cable customers and $49.95 per month for non-customers (http://www.insight-com.com/net/roadrunner/rrfaq.html). Obviously, it pays a little to be a regular customer. They receive a $10 discount. To those that are still using a 56k dial-up service this may seem a bit steep considering that most dial-up services only cost about $22 per month. However, if they were to take into account the fact that most people have a separate phone line for the modem and pay for the dial-up service also, they would see that they are paying around $35 and $45 per month (â€Å"Cable Modem Guide†, 2000, para. 5). There is only one more cost and that is the one time cost of the cable modem itself. Generally, they cost about $120. That is about the same for a good 56k modem. If someone were to compare the cost of Cable Broadband to ADSL they would find that for the same price ADSL offers slower download/upload speeds (Nismojjang, 2002). Also with most ADSL services they require a one year contract. Cable Broadband services do not. All this definitely shows Cable Broadband to have a very reasonable cost. Most would wonder, â€Å"How much faster is Cable Broadband?