Dobson Ranch - (DSL) High Speed Internet (optic) and FIOS Digital TV (Phoenix: house)

[Endurance]

Hello everybody,

One of my concerns related to our relocation from Montclair, VA is changing our TV/Internet provider (Verizon) whom we really got attached to for their almost flawless service and technical support in our neighborhood. For the phone we will continue with Vonage.
Verizon offers to transfer our account from Montclair to Mesa; nevertheless I understand that their signal drops frequently in spite of the Verizon Towers. Did I get it right? Does this impact wireless Internet as well? If this is true, then I need another provider.
So, please tell me which is the most reliable provider in the area of DSL high speed Internet and FIOS Digital TV. I totally depend on high speed wireless connection on my laptop for my daily activities so having continuous strong signal is essential. Does Dobson Ranch have fiber optic cable installed?
How can I know if the house we just bought has fiber optic cable installed? I can see you smiling but networking is not my turf. Thank you.

[dura]

Let me preface this with the assumption that things have not changed in the last couple of years...

You can get Verizon for cell phone service here, but not for TV/ISP. For TV you can get some sort of dish (DIRECTV or Dish Network, and expect a contract of two years) or Cox (contract or not) or Qwest (through DIRECTV). So that's some dish from whomever or through Cox directly. IMO two years is too long if you happen to get some dish and not like it. Same type of thing with other services, long term contracts, pfft, which reminds me, my Verizon cell contract is about over.

For ISP you can get satellite (Wild Blue, Hughes, etc, but could be expensive) or an aircard (Sprint, Verizon, AT&T, etc, etc, but might count bandwidth usage and could get expensive) or Cox Communications (up to 15, 25, or 55 Mbps depending on what you choose) or Qwest (DSL but haven't upgraded lines in this area to handle more than 1.5 Mbps, that's one point five). So that would be Cox, lol, if you want speed at a reasonable price without worrying about bandwidth usage.

You can search for Cox related threads in the Phoenix area forum and find that some people like them and some people hate them. We chose Cox and haven't had any problems post order. It did annoy me though when I called Cox to order, that the guy on the other end was sort of pushy in that he was ready to take my name and sign me up without fully discussing the available options. Well, I had to go, lol, and he didn't get the order, but I called back and talked with a nice person.

If you go to the Cox website you can check their prices. If you order through them, make sure to go UN-contracted so you can then quit them if you decide that they are not for you. So, you can choose option (a) Cox for both TV/ISP or option (b) some dish for TV and either satellite, aircard, or Qwest for ISP.

Well, hopefully I didn't miss an option, but if I did maybe someone else will chime in to help out...

[Endurance]

Thank you Dura Great info!
COX has not a good reputation around here. We have Verizon and Comcast both excellent, V slightly cheaper. I owe you one.