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this post was submitted on 27 Nov 2024
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Bluntly: If you're fortunate, you'll have two options for internet. DSL and cable. Sometimes there's other "options" like a WISP or starlink, or even a dual up provider, but the speed comparison is not even close, so I usually discard most of those as viable either on ping time or bandwidth.
It's extremely likely that only one provider services your residence with DSL, and one provider does cable. Two providers. All other options are basically a wholesale or resale of these two providers, meaning you still get service from one of those two.
If you're extremely lucky, you'll also have the option of fiber. And IMO, that is the only time you really get three options.
If you go with a third party ISP, the last mile is still one of the two that actually come into your residence.
So the only real options you have are: do you want to buy internet direct from the ISP that owns the line to your house, or do you want to buy internet from someone who will contact that company to give you internet? If you don't like the DSL provider, and you don't like the cable provider, you're completely fucked. Gg everyone.
Depends on where you live. In the USA, I've got one cable (coax) option and three fiber options. My area has overhead power + utility cables rather than underground, so it was easy for ISPs to run extra fiber lines. In Australia, there's one network (the NBN - National Broadband Network) that the ISPs resell.
I'm in Canada, fiber is fairly rare right now. Some big cities are getting it pushed into neighborhoods, and new condos generally only have fiber, but any home or residence that's over 5 years old probably still has CATV/coax and an analog telephone hookup.
So with few exceptions, the majority of Canadians have the option of DSL, usually from Bell, which is still mostly dominating Canada for ownership of the PSTN wireline services (though some provinces are other companies, like Telus on the west coast, and SaskTel... In Saskatchewan). Even if you buy from another DSL ISP, the last mile is still Bell owned connections.
Cable is a bit more diversified from area to area from what I've seen, one of the bigger providers is Rogers. Different areas can be other providers, Cogeco is pretty prevalent in the Niagara region near me; but the story is unchanged. If you go with another ISP for cable service at your residence, the local cable provider is delivering the last mile connection.
In my area, there's a regional fiber provider, we have overhead lines, and I contacted that provider about getting service, and my home is not serviced by them. Interestingly, the addressees across the damn street (where the utility poles are located) are serviced by the local fiber provider.
The local cable ISP, who I ended up getting service from, was able to quite easily run a cable over the road from the utility post to my residence without issue. Why the fiber provider can't, is beyond me.
I'm lucky that there's even active fiber on my street that I could tap into if the company would run it over the road. Many places I've lived have either cable or DSL as the only options.
I know many others are in a similar spot.