Beware of those $29 per month Broadband plans!

It looks good on the ad. Broadband at Dialup prices. Sure does. But take a closer look. That price is only ‘low’ speed ADSL (256 kbps) and a VERY limited download maximum (200 MB). Then they’ll hit you at 15 cents per MB you get after that 200MB is reached. Hey, sounds cheap!

Do your maths and then think again. Trust me, when you get Broadband, there’s a good chance you’ll be downloading GB per month. Even only 1 GB is about 1,000 MB per month. BTW A single CD holds nearly 2/3rd of one GB.

With ADSL – even at only 256 kbps – you can download 10 MB in about 8 minutes. At that speed, you’ll do your 200 MB in (8 x 20) 160 minutes. Under 3 hours of download.

Do the numbers on something like 1000 MB. That’s $29.95 Per Month base + an ‘extra’ 800 MB Per Month. At 15 cents per MB. I calculate a total of $149.95 per month.

I’m with Netspace – who aren’t even the ‘cheapest’ provider – but here’s a comparison. I get DOUBLE the speed (512 kbps) and QUADRUPLE the download limit (4 GB) for under HALF of that $149.95. That’s $59.95. To me, that’s about 8 times the value.

Shop around. Do not fall these ‘honeymoon’ prices. Numbers, plans and rates used were as of March 21st 2004. These seem to change every few months. So, you should confirm the current deals, then do your comparisons.