I have Options

I didn't get around to calling Com... the cable company today but did have a little bit of time to research some options. Internet is easy: DSL. I went to Ver... I mean a DSL provider's website and found out that they do provide service to my house. I don't have a phone line so need to find out if this will be a problem and what the price points will be. It does look like I can get 3.0 mbps service or 7.1 mbps. I have a feeling that a dedicated 3.0 mbps line will be more than enough (especially since I know I wasn't getting 10.0 service with cable even though it was advertised as that).

As far as TV goes, my wife and I talked and I think we're going to attempt to ride it out for a while. There are many video options on the internet. I'm looking into running Boxee on an old laptop hooked to the TV as well as simple streaming video sites. I visited Hulu.com today and was pretty amazed at their video selections and the quality. Before and after the visit I did a CNET bandwidth test on my cable and it said I was barely getting 1.5 mpbs download. With 3.0 DSL service, streaming video as a replacement for TV could very well be viable. And if it's not, an upgrade to 7.1 service might be a very good substitute to cable or satelite service.

Some Background Information

I am a former cable subscriber. I used to receive high-speed internet and TV service from a provider which shall remain nameless (however, you might have seen their quirky commercials in which "happy" customers traverse a dream world of peppy music and bright colors). Com... I mean, the cable company in question is the only cable provider in my area. I have been a subscriber of this company for over 2 years. I used to be a happy customer, when prices were lower and I had more channels. This is before Insight was bought by Com... I mean the cable company in question.