Americans spent an average of 11 hours with digital media daily in 2013. And the days of waiting five minutes for a page to load? Yeah, no one wants to put up with connections like that anymore. Who has that kind of time? That’s probably why so many people have anxiously been waiting for Google Fiber to be available in their area. That includes me, even though I live within an hour or so of Kansas City it still isn’t available here. Pshh. So have I personally tried fiber optics internet? No. Do I want to? Yes.
Fiber optics internet is the future of internet in my opinion, at least for the foreseeable future. How fast is fiber optic internet? It’s crazy fast compared to traditional internet services offered by DSL or cable. But most companies offering fiber optic internet (FiOS) or companies that are in the process of developing a FiOS-based service cater to the metro areas. Google Fiber, just announced they’re expanding to four new southeast locations: Atlanta, Nashville, Raleigh-Durham and Charlotte.
But if you don’t live in a big city, you probably don’t have FiOS yet. Fortunately, more providers are starting to realize that there are many of us not living in urban metro areas that are anxiously waiting for our chance to get fiber optics internet. Here are just a few that might you find useful, as well as a place to search if there are any providers in your area.
Note: I have no personal experience with any of them.
AT&T U-Verse
AT&T has developed their own fiber optic internet service, which starts at $29.95 per month from what I can tell on their site. You can triple the speed by bundling with voice or TV. The prices are apparently good for the first year and require a one year contract.
Verizon FiOS
Verizon has several fiber optic service packages. You can get the “Triple Play” for $79.99/month, which includes HDTV, phone service and 25/25 Mbps internet. It does require a two year contract and the cost doesn’t include equipment and taxes. An added bonus to their offer? You get $300 in the form of a Visa gift card. The Move Your Money Project has more details about this package and other packages that are laid in easy to understand terms.
JAB
JAB Broadband takes a little bit of a different approach than other providers in that they try to focus on those left behind... those not in urban metro areas. It operates under several different names including T6, Digis, Skybeam, Rhino Communications and Prarie iNet. Their packages start at a mere $39.95 per month. It’s available in Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, Indiana, Wisconsin, South Dakota and Indiana. Visit the JAB website for more information.
If none of the above are available in your area, you can try your luck at BroadbandNow to search for possible fiber optics internet in your area.
