Internet only plans?

[pockyken007]

One problem is that Sonic constantly advertises the price of Fusion as $40/month when it is not that price at all; it is $53/month due to the mandatory equipment rental fees and if they were honest, they would just price it that way. On top of that, the mandatory phone service also subjects users to a bunch of additional taxes/fees, which in my city adds almost $11, bringing the monthly total to $64/month. So even if Sonic charged $50/month for an Internet-only plan, it would still be a substantial savings compared to the Fusion plan for those of us who don't want phone service.

you can use your own modem ( taking the 13$ fee down ) and lose support from sonic in case the problem with the internal wiring / setup as sonic at that point is only responsible for service delivery . And 11$ on taxes is in no way sonics fault they sell a package deal and they are upfront about it and you can't blame sonic for taxes that your city and county imposes ....

[mediahound]

One problem is that Sonic constantly advertises the price of Fusion as $40/month when it is not that price at all; it is $53/month due to the mandatory equipment rental fees and if they were honest, they would just price it that way. On top of that, the mandatory phone service also subjects users to a bunch of additional taxes/fees, which in my city adds almost $11, bringing the monthly total to $64/month. So even if Sonic charged $50/month for an Internet-only plan, it would still be a substantial savings compared to the Fusion plan for those of us who don't want phone service.

you can use your own modem ( taking the 13$ fee down ) and lose support from sonic in case the problem with the internal wiring / setup as sonic at that point is only responsible for service delivery . And 11$ on taxes is in no way sonics fault they sell a package deal and they are upfront about it and you can't blame sonic for taxes that your city and county imposes ....

You CANNOT use your own modem with Fusion FTTN. Well, you probably technically could, but that would not save you any money as Sonic would still charge you for their modem rental.

[Guest]

Taxes have crept up on my $39.99 Fusion service to the point that I'm now paying a full $20 more (including 6.50 modem rental) for what is a real world 8Mb down service and a phone that I've literally never used.

While I've essentially NEVER had an issue with Sonic's service, the price point is becoming less competitive quickly.

[Guest]

Whoops. only half my comment submitted.

To continue --

I've never had an issue with Sonic's service, though the price point for internet is quickly becoming less competitive.

If I were able to get X2 without phone, basically paying the same price for what would end up being about 16Mb down, I'd probably consider it.

Sure would be nice to live in Brentwood and have Gig though, for the same cost as what I'm paying now for Fusion. I'd probably even keep the phone.

[patty1]

yup savings on the phone are nice with the FTTN connection just remember to have a backup in case power / internet outage

I use one of these which keeps my internet and phone going even if the power goes out: http://amzn.to/1KELnHk

That keeps power to your equipment, but what about the phone company's equipment? Is AT&T's VOIP service just as reliable as their POTS service when power is out?

[mediahound]

yup savings on the phone are nice with the FTTN connection just remember to have a backup in case power / internet outage

I use one of these which keeps my internet and phone going even if the power goes out: http://amzn.to/1KELnHk

That keeps power to your equipment, but what about the phone company's equipment? Is AT&T's VOIP service just as reliable as their POTS service when power is out?

Sonic FTTN service does not use ATT voip. It's through Sonic. That said, the chances of both my location and Sonic's network center being without power are extremely slim.

[patty1]

Oh, sorry, I thought I'd heard that FTTN was a rebranded AT&T service. I thought I had read that if I got it, I'd lose some Sonic services such my shell account. How does Sonic get connectivity to people's houses? They must be using some other company's copper or fiber, if it isn't AT&T.

After the Loma Prieta quake, Comcast was unavailable in my area for several hours. I ran a small TV with an antenna in order to watch the local news. (First off my car battery, then off the mains after we got power back.) My PacBell landline phone was fine the whole time, however.

[mediahound]

It is rebranded att uverse but the voip phone line is through sonic.

[Guest]

In 1850, Frederic Bastiat wrote an classic economics essay titled "That Which is Seen, and That Which is Not Seen." In this case, what you have not seen is six years - around $3600 - of revenue from me. With taxes and fees on your mandatory voice service, the Sonic fusion service has been more expensive than a "dry loop" from ATT. I still check in annually, hoping you will change your policy. And each year you leave another $480 revenue unseen.

[I_call_bullshit]

It is likely that Sonic can't make money on the FTTN service without bundling the phone line and charging equipment rental fees.

Bingo. And when life gives you lemons (a low margin product), make lemonade (add value, for example phone service).

We could offer a no-phone version, at roughly a $10 higher monthly rate, but that would add complexity to what is now a pretty simple product line-up: Broadband+Phone for $40, or about about double the speed for $20 more.

I'll also say that for life safety, I think that having a home phone is a useful resource. e911 with instant location transmission to emergency services can be critical in some situations.

Please save the cliché sales pitch and model a business based on what people actually want. More bandwidth (certainly more than 40mbps), fiber optic, no data capping, no packet inspection, and certainly no phone line!! Are you kidding me with this? Maybe try a different approach than that of the conglomerates and don't package marginal services with obsolete add ons. gtfo