Internet/TV in Port Charlotte (North Port, Punta Gorda: house, transfer, taxes) - Punta Gorda - Port Charlotte - Florida (FL) -Charlotte County - City-Data Forum

TravelerGirl101 · 05-05-2011, 07:12 PM

Who do you suggest we use for Internet & TV in Port Charlotte? I've heard a lot of people say Comcast, but I'm sure that's very expensive. Looking for basic TV and high speed internet. Would you suggest using a dish? Are there other internet providers out there? Thanks!!

marinergeek · 05-05-2011, 09:23 PM

What do you consider expensive, and what is a high speed internet (kb) to you? I recently moved to Punta Gorda, and signed up for internet, cable and phone for $99 month. Didn't really want the phone but ATT's signal is SO bad where I live I had no choice. They do have lower cost options. Imo Comcast really tries hard, but they don't have a clue to what customer service really is (website is useless). Their internet is fast where I live, yours ?.

Bill

SoFLGal · 05-06-2011, 04:55 AM

I have Comcast and I like it. I've also heard decent things about Verizon Internet. One thing I would suggest with having Comcast/Verizon, etc is to not use their email. I've had Comcast for about 10 years now and it would be difficult for me to switch because so many people have my email. I suppose I could start give out another email address but it's just a pain.

For TV I have DirecTv. It's fine as well other than in the summer when the rain storms get bad we occasionally lose our signal.

TravelerGirl101 · 05-06-2011, 07:24 AM

I would consider high speed internet to be anything OTHER than dial up. I'm NOT going backwards to dial up. LOL. I don't need a phone, either. We both have cell phones and don't need a house line. I don't know what to consider "affordable", because I don't know what the average costs for TV/Internet are around here. We had Mediacom back in our old town in Illinois and they had HORRIBLE customer service as well. I guess that's just typical with cable companies??

I did not know that Verizon offers internet. I suppose if we go with Dish Network or Direct TV it would be less costly than with cable. But then I'm not sure who to go with for internet. I know there are some other internet options like earthlink or netzero, but I have not heard any comments about them and I don't know if they're even available in the area.

Thanks for your comments. I really do need to hear your opinions!

Big House · 05-06-2011, 07:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TravelerGirl101

I would consider high speed internet to be anything OTHER than dial up. I'm NOT going backwards to dial up. LOL. I don't need a phone, either. We both have cell phones and don't need a house line. I don't know what to consider "affordable", because I don't know what the average costs for TV/Internet are around here. We had Mediacom back in our old town in Illinois and they had HORRIBLE customer service as well. I guess that's just typical with cable companies??

I did not know that Verizon offers internet. I suppose if we go with Dish Network or Direct TV it would be less costly than with cable. But then I'm not sure who to go with for internet. I know there are some other internet options like earthlink or netzero, but I have not heard any comments about them and I don't know if they're even available in the area.

Thanks for your comments. I really do need to hear your opinions!

They don't have Verizon FIOS or I would get that! Comcast, is a pretty good option. We have that, and use our cell phones. We hooked our internet up so it is wireless in the house and it works well. There aren't a lot of great options. When FIOS comes to down it will make things much better, and you'll have more options. We had Comcast in MD and switched to FIOS. I would / will do in PGI when it becomes available.

nphomeowner · 05-06-2011, 07:53 AM

At our house in North Port Verizon FIOS is available so that is what we will be going with. We have had it here in PA for about 4 years now and just LOVE it. Our internet NEVER goes down and the TV reception is perfect. Just hoping it is this good in Florida. Hoping to be able to just transfer our account to there and not have to get new emails. When I call, I hope I get a competent rep that is here and not in India.

TamRE · 05-06-2011, 12:32 PM

We live in Port Charlotte and use Dish Network. We have Century Link in our area and they will bundle Cable TV, Internet and Phone. They have a new high speed Internet in some areas of Port Charlotte called Prism. It really depends on what you are looking for. I think all of the companies are expensive. Most of the companies offer a reduced rate for the first 6 months or sometimes a year and then the rates go up. I would first of all decide what you want and need, check to see which companies have it in your area, and then and compare rates. We were going to switch to Prism from Dish Network, but they couldn't provide all the things we needed.

Harbor Hopper · 05-06-2011, 02:36 PM

We have Comcast for both basic cable (cheapest plan they have) and "high speed" cable. The cable is around $58/mo, and internet is like $26. Both just went up this month as they introduced their "Xfinity" joke. Same exact service but the added $5/mo to my bill. With taxes & fees, it's like $96/month. Definitely don't get the phone service unless you really need a landline (who does anymore???)

TravelerGirl101 · 05-06-2011, 07:11 PM

Quick question--what is FIOS?

LovePalms · 05-06-2011, 07:32 PM

Short answer, FIOS is fiber optic to the home, and for Internet service, it is VERY fast. I'd say expect a 10-times speed improvement over typical cable or DSL service, although that of course depends on quite a lot of factors. They also send TV signal and phone signal digitally down the same fiber, and decode it all in a box in the house.