Fios

Weeeeeeeeeee!

That's my response to the newfound speed of Verizon's Fios. I had it installed yesterday and went from a 4.5Mbps/384kbps connection with Comcast to a 15Mbps/2Mbps connection over a fiber optic connection all the way to my house. (The fiber optics stop at the garage, where Verizon's equipment connects to a regular Cat5 cable to the rest of the house.) The added upload speed will be especially nice when uploading photos and other things to the website.

There were a few growing pains along the way, but only because I like things "just so." In the end it was worth it for a faster and cheaper internet connection. Yes, I did say cheaper! I went from $52.95/month with Comcast to $49.95/month with Verizon, while more than tripling my download speed and quadrupling my upload speed. If I wanted to, I could drop down a notch to 5Mbps/2Mbps and save another $10, but I thought I'd give the higher speed a try first.

My recommendation: If Fios is available in your area, GET IT! This is particularly true if you are currently using Comcast, who is not likely to drop their prices to compete with Verizon, based on this article. I have relatives who just signed up with Comcast and got a great deal on the first six months of service, but there are no such price breaks for existing customers. Based on the article, it seems that Comcast's assumption is that users will find it "too inconvenient to switch," so most users will stay despite their higher prices. Based on my experience, Comcast may be in trouble because it's a breeze!