Internet only plans?

[Guest]

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

You seem smart. Start your own company and let's see what you got.

[pockyken007]

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

You seem smart. Start your own company and let's see what you got.

LOL well said :p

[jimstinnett]

I am interested in the Gbit internet service, but like some other people don't really want or need a land line, mostly because I hate talking to telemarketers pollers and pretty much anyone.
If the city taxes on the phone service push the cost up to what I'm paying now for Comcast's cable internet, where I'm getting a solid 70mbps (I can run 20 devices through it and it has never had a bottleneck.) , with a TpLink Ac router, what is the advantage?
I don't have Comcast TV service, just Internet.

Yes it would be nice to stop paying Comcast for anything but it seems like it's almost a wash cost wise.
I do get that Gigabit fiber is a superior media to coaxial cable and that it's faster etc.

Can someone please tell me what the local taxes are on phone service so I can make an informed decision?
Thanks! I appreciate any information.

[Anonymous1209]

The taxes and fees for voice service vary from city to city (some cities have a Utility Users Tax, for example). Sonic has a page on their website that lists these by city: https://www.sonic.com/taxesfees

The amount there for my city is a few cents lower than my last bill, but it should give you a general idea of the cost.

You may wish to know that some of the charges described on that page are actual taxes, or are at least meant to recover amounts charged to Sonic by various government agencies, but the biggest part, the $6.50 per month Federal Subscriber Line Charge, is not, and Sonic keeps this money. It’s a “Federal” charge only in the sense that the FCC’s regulations allow Sonic to impose it without having to get permission from the California Public Utilities Commission.

This was meaningful in the days after the Bell System breakup, when local telephone rates were strictly regulated by the states, and the FCC needed to provide a way for all of the local exchange carriers to replace the subsidy they would no longer be receiving from AT&T’s long distance business. Today, it’s a little disingenuous for companies like Sonic, whose rates aren’t subject to CPUC regulation, to impose this as a separate charge, instead of including it in their advertised price.

[Guest]

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.

I live in SF and see a few of my neighbors have gotten sonic. As much as I dislike Comcast for Internet, I don't think I could go for sonic until it is unbundled with voice line. I like our landline and can't see getting rid of it.

[virtualmike]

As much as I dislike Comcast for Internet, I don't think I could go for sonic until it is unbundled with voice line. I like our landline and can't see getting rid of it.

Sonic service includes a landline. You can even have your current number ported over.

[Guest]

From the sonic website - this is NOT a landline

VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) phone service
FTTN service comes with a Voice-Over-IP phone connection. Since it's not a traditional landline, we'll provide an Analog Telephone Adaptor (ATA) for your phone service to work. Your ATA is a small box that allows you to convert your Internet connection to a telephone connection.
Please note: VoIP phone server will be impacted by Internet service issues and may not be available in a power outage.

[pockyken007]

ATA makes it behave like a landline ....

[Bella]

I'm deaf, so having an internet plan that includes a phone line. I would prefer internet only plan. Is that coming in the near future?

[steelgaze]

I'm deaf, so having an internet plan that includes a phone line. I would prefer internet only plan. Is that coming in the near future?

The short answer is: No.