Paul's Comments

Since I've complained and moaned and carped and every other form of bitching about Verizon's bad service, there is one thing they are doing better than Comcast: recovering from a power failure.

I have a UPS, it keeps my computer and monitor operating. My DSL and Cable Modems are on the other side of the room; I should find another surge suppressor and plug them into that rather than directly into the wall, but that's not a major problem.

A few minutes ago, we had a 'burp' on the electricity, where it goes out for two seconds or less. Computer never noticed because my computer is on the UPS. The battery isn't very good now, but it will provide two minutes of power; I found that out the last time I accidentally disconnected it. I discovered my firewall/router is not on the UPS, however. So that had to reset, but the DSL modem was off-line anyway so it didn't matter.

[Side note: I took a look at my UPS. I have a 6-socket model, some of which have Y-pig tails plugged in them so two devices can be plugged into one socket, and some have single plugs or single plug pig tails. (A "pig tail" is like a 3" long extension cord, it allows you to plug, say, a large transformer block into a socket where it either wouldn't fit or would block other sockets. The UPS has 2 outlets that are surge suppressed only, and 4 that have battery back-up. I discovered I have a surge suppressor plugged into one of the 4 battery backed-up outlets, with nothing plugged into it and the firewall/router plugged into a surge suppressor plugged into the wall, so I removed the surge suppressor (I'll put it on my DSL modem) and I plugged the firewall into the pigtail that is plugged into one of the battery backed-up outlets, so the only thing I'll have to worry about is if there is a power failure the DSL modem will go out momentarily but I won't also have to wait for the firewall to reboot.]

Well, once the DSL service came back, the DSL modem works just fine. Comcast's cable modem is still out of service and may stay that way until I somehow reset it so it goes back in service. This has been a regular problem whenever the power goes out, is that sometimes I had to go to a special page or use Comcast's installer disk to again get the Cable Modem working. So maybe I won't be able to cheat any more and I might as well mail Comcast their modem back. I pay $3 a month to rent it (or I did when I was able to pay the bill); Verizon sold me their modem for $20. Given the numbers, the payback is 7 months, at that point you've paid Comcast $21 vs. $19.95 to Verizon, and at the end of a year, it's $36 to Comcast. Then another $36 to Comcast the next year. And again the next year, and so on. Not sure if one can purcase a cable modem directly but I wouldn't be surprised, only problem is that the one you need either isn't at the store or costs $90 so you basically have to have the service for three years before you get a break-even on the price! Six of one, half-dozen of the other.

So at this point the DSL service has one advantage, if the power fails, when it comes back up it will still work, and do so reliably. Now if it would just do that when the power hasn't failed!

I just went back to check it, and somehow the 'internet' button was turned off on the Comcast modem, this disconnects the Internet. Why a cable modem that is only for Internet connectivity - it is not also the telephone converter, I don't have either double play or triple play - has an 'internet off' button is beyond me. But the Verizon modem still wins, because you can't accidentally do that; all it has in an on/off switch (so you can reset it if something goes wrong; the Cable Modem does not have an on/off switch). And since the lights wouldn't even blink at all if the DSL modem was off, it makes it definitely easier to use.

So Verizon still does one thing right better than Comcast. I have a thought. Because I am on disability I was eligible for food stamps - which the county got my Social Security number wrong and hasn't fixed it, I can't activate their card - in the amount of $10 a month. Which makes me eligible to get Verizon's low-cost phone service, which, if they offer it in Maryland (they offered it in Virginia but I never took advantage of it) it would be like $2.50 a month. The biggest issue is I sometimes need to call 800 numbers, and I hate using cell minutes to do that. An extra $3 a month, I'll find the money for. So I might just do that. You do get some local calls so it would help.

Now all I have to do is find a way to get hold of my previous landlord and figure out how to get my phone system and other stuff back.