AT&T sneaks in $10/mo Broadband
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There will be a day when low-tier broadband will plummet in price, and be, say, $10/mo. Oh wait…that day is here. Apparently, as part of the purchase of Bell South Corp, AT&T had to enter into an agreement with the FCC that it would provide super-cheap broadband for its customers. While this DSL is their lowest tier of service (768kbps down/128kbps up), it still undercuts conventional broadband costs significantly. However, there is a downside. The agreement with the FCC is for two and a half years only, so don’t expect it to be around much longer than that. Make the jump to find out if its available in your area.
Unable to find anything about the $10 dollar a month service on AT&T’s web site and only passing mention of it on the BellSouth web page I decided to give AT&T a call. They are my local phone provider here in Pennsylvania and I also have their cell phone service (my wife got me stuck in some 2 year plan.) After being passed around and given multiple numbers to call I was finally given 1-800-967-5363. This will allow you to talk directly to the DSL department with any questions regarding this matter. I should note that all representatives I spoke with were obviously outsourced, probably Indian, so it made communications difficult and frustrating.
My first go resulted in the representative saying that the $10 offer was not available to me so I asked to speak with the manager. The manager said the “special offer” was only available in 22 states. I asked him to list them and he gave me the following: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. I asked him why it is only available in those states. He didn’t know. I then told him that I had family in California who would be interested in this DSL price, how do I directly access the AT&T web page that details this “special offer.” He directed me to att.net which uncovered nothing, then to att.com/localhelp which also uncovered nothing, finally he told me to go to newatt.com which redirects you to attfashion.net a site selling shoes. At this point he was getting frustrated and said he would connect me to one of his “DSL specialists” to resolve the matter.
Can you guess what happened? He redirected me back to the main menu of 1-800-967-5363. *sigh* I waited on hold again for another outsourced Indian representative. This lady was armed with a lot of information. She was obviously reading a printed statement and basically said that the $10 offer is only available where BellSouth owns the land lines. Because Verizon owns the land lines in Pennsylvania the service is not available. I asked when the offer would be available to Pennsylvania and she said she did not have that information.
She then tried to sell on the 19.99 DSL offer. No thanks. Much faster than the $10 offer! No thanks. How about AT&T dial up? No thanks. Its very fast with an accelerator! No thanks. Would you like AT&T wireless? I have it already, it sucks and is overpriced. How about adding another line? *CLICK*
That was my experience. I say to hell with AT&T. Although if you’re in one of those 22 states you might be in luck and your best bet is probably ordering it over the phone.
If my facts are straight, this offer is for new DSL subscribers only.
@Charlesa you are right but try finding the link or the option. They have it nicely hidden.
Yeah, that is a hard link to find.
From The Feed article:
1. Go to http://www.att.com and click on “Internet Services”
2. Enter your location information (zip code or phone number)
3. On the next page with all the DSL deals, scroll all the way down to the bottom right of the page and click on “View more current offers”
4. Select the “DSL at a Dial-up price” and enter more personal information to see if it’s available in your area.
They don’t really want you to find it, so don’t expect an easy go at it.
1. Go here: http://www.bellsouth.com/consumer/inetsrvcs/index.html
2. Then click “Term contract plans available”
http://www.bellsouth.com/consumer/inetsrvcs/index.html
Pop up window reads:
FastAccess DSL Term Agreement Plans Available
FastAccess DSL Lite with term agreement. Monthly price is $10 per month and requires a 12-month commitment. Except for free dsl modem with term agreement, this plan is not eligible for any other promotions. Plan is available to new FastAccess DSL customers who have not previously subscribed to AT&T or BellSouth’s high-speed Internet and who order online. To order FastAccess DSL Lite with term agreement, visit http://www.bellsouth.com and enter your telephone number to order the service.
Free DSL Modem with term agreement for BellSouth or AT&T Dial Subscribers Upgrading to FastAccess DSL. Requires a 12-month commitment. To obtain the free modem, visit http://www.bellsouth.com and enter your telephone number to order FastAccess DSL, and indicate that you have Dial service with AT&T or BellSouth.
Terms and Conditions
FastAccess DSL Lite with term agreement: Requires subscription to FastAccess DSL Lite (Downstream speeds up to 768Kbps/Upstream speeds up to 128Kbps) for twelve (12) months from the date of activation. Eligibility: customers who order online and who have not previously subscribed to FastAccess DSL service from BellSouth or high-speed Internet service from AT&T. FastAccess DSL is subject to the terms and conditions of the BellSouth Internet Service Agreement (“Service Agreement”). Termination of FastAccess service, or if service is terminated for violation of the Service Agreement, prior to the expiration of twelve (12) months from the activation date, will incur a $50 termination fee that represents a portion of the network activation and setup costs foregone as a result of such termination.
Free DSL Modem with term agreement: Offer available to active subscribers of AT&T or BellSouth Dial service who purchase and receive FastAccess DSL. In exchange for a free DSL modem customers must maintain FastAccess DSL service for at least twelve (12) months from the date the modem was shipped or installed by BellSouth, and pay all applicable charges in connection with FastAccess service in a timely manner. If FastAccess service is terminated or in the event service is terminated for a violation of the BellSouth Internet Service Agreement, including but not limited to failure to pay the monthly FastAccess service charge, an early termination charge of $75.00 (representing the full price of the modem) if service is terminated between 0 and 6 months from the date the modem was shipped or installed by BellSouth or $37.50 (representing one half of the price of the modem) if service is terminated more than 6 months but less than 12 months from the date the modem was shipped or installed by BellSouth will be incurred.
My wife checked into it because we still have dial up (*GASP*) at home. She was told it was not available in our area, which is one of the states you mentioned. Are we being jerked around?
I am already a subscriber for DSL lite through Bellsouth/ATT, is there any info on how to get this deal for existing customers?