Try contacting Verizon or Sprint in your area and get a wireless card referred to as "Air Card" they sometimes work in areas where DSL service is not avaliable and you can take it with you anywhere (love mine and get transfer rates of over 1,000kbps - test speed at - http://www.abeltronica.com/velocimetro/pt/?idioma=uk&newlang=uk ) Not easily networkable though if that is something you are trying to do. We got sucked into Hughes Net last year and had to spend almost $1,000 to get installed since there are trees around and they could not mount on the house - Its speed is OK faster than dial up and works 90% of the time (sometimes rain or cloudy days kick it off) Transfer speeds not even near what they tout on TV. I would only get Hughes again as a LAST resort - you have to get an 18 month minimum plan and it really starts to rack up especially if DSL service may be available to you in 6 mos or so. (You can cancel early for a fee.)

lukki - It took us *months* to get AT&T to send someone who really looked at the problem, and then multiple visits to fix it. I've got a direct number to their St Louis tech support office, and the cell phone of the latest (and greatest!) local tech, so I can skip the overseas people unless I really need to put in a trouble ticket (then it has to go chain of command). I got tired of hearing them ask me to cycle the power on the modem and tell them which lights were blinking too! This AM the guy in St Louis asked if I worked for them b/c I seemed to know so much LOL! But I'm still waiting for tech to come and test my lines - it seems to have settled down a bit, was getting 2.2Mbps pretty reliably b4 I went to Verizon store, now I can still connect but speed has dropped to about 1.7M - still good, but makes me wonder if we'll have service at all by the time DH gets home. Oh, and I found I'm on a "secondary" ($9.99/mo) line on my mon's contract, my dad was "primary" (I thought he and I had the same plan) so that's why he got a free phone. I'd have to pay for mine (with rebates, but still not free). So I'll hold off and see if DH's company is going to stop paying for his Blackberry. He said it was possibility in next couple of months that they'd cancel and just tell people they'd remiburse them for their own plans (minutes?). If that happens I can drop out of my parents' plan for no penalty (found I'm month-to-month now, if I got a new phone I'd be locked in), then DH and I can get our own plan - if they take away the company device, we can get 2 Blackberry Curves for $50 after rebate. At least if they keep running the same promotion they have now. We'd have to get insurance though - DH is hard on them, esp. the holsters, but he did drop one device in the gutter and break it running across the street a couple years ago.

Yeah, not really my idea of 'living' either, dlm. I can't imagine spending all those hundreds of dollars a month for all this stuff. I used to pay $155 for internet/VOIP/cable tv. I thought that was an outrageous amount to spend on these things! I also have a cell phone strictly for emergencies that costs $25/mo. I've since switched to a landline $17/mo (only $8 for the landline but another $8+ surcharges). I need this for security system/fire, incoming calls, and power outages. I use Google Voice (free) for all outbound calls (usually works just fine though certainly not as convenient as just picking up a handset). Switched from broadband to DSL which is half the cost at $30/mo. It usually seems to be faster! As for the tv, it's not something I really enjoy or want to spend my time on. I will use the DVD player when I want to spend my time watching something really good (once I get it set up). Or read, play music or even watch select shows that are available on the net. I am however paying $22/mo for the antenna service at this point (the digital box and indoor antennas I tried aren't working very well). I think I'll be getting a roof antenna installed to rid the monthly fee for that expensive service. I am also changing over to a $100/yr prepaid phone card for the emergency cell (has a $1 daily access fee when the phone is used). So, $8-$10/mo for that instead of $25, reduced by $200/yr. So, down from approximately $180/mo (ridiculous) to $78. Hopefully $56/mo in the near future when I've got an outdoor antenna installed. Boy that sounds good. More like the old days!

I don't have problem paying for services I USE. I DO have problem paying for services I do NOT use, OR, services "not rendered" - (a whole different story), When we were moving into this house, I called to have phone service turned on. We finally got moved in, but no phone service! I kept calling, (from another phone), telling them I STILL don't have phone service. "THEY" kept telling me I DID! Well, I didn't. "They" said they would send someone out (btwn 8am-5pm). I was up early EVERY MORNING - sitting at dining table - waiting...all day long every day. Nobody ever showed. I kept calling - daily. They kept insisting I HAD phone service. I kept insisting I did NOT! Then I got my phone bill! I blew my lid! I STILL had no phone service, and I'm getting billed for it?!!! Took almost two months. Someone FINALLY showed up. He checked the lines, and guess what? There was no line connected to the house! Just about two minutes (literally) after the PHYSICAL phone tech told us the problem and said he connected a line to the house, the guy (whom I'd been speaking with that past couple weeks) who PROMISED someone would be out - about two days prior (which never happened) - called on MY phone to tell me the phone repair guy was running late! Well, needless to say, I had a LOT of stuff to say to HIM! And (besides all the carp I told him), I told him that the guy is NOT running late, as he's standing right here next to me and just NOW got my phone connected - and he was "just now in process" of calling the company to report the "problem". (The repair guy was literally on his phone right beside me calling into office about it). I passed the phone on so the tech could talk to the dingbat on the other end. I figured from beginning, that they are relying on a computer or something. The phone I wanted connected to begin with was an existing line to the house, and I KNEW it worked, 'cuz during escrow, we came to check some things out, and the previous owner rec'd a 'landline' phone call while we were there. I DID get charges reversed for "non-service". Now, this past week, DH called to have some "x-tra" services REMOVED from HIS phone service with this company (since he no longer has need for those), and they call back and say they can't... AMAZING...they will bend over backwards to "sell" their services (yes, we STILL get junk from them every week), but they can't do a simple thing to "REMOVE" services. DH "thought" he would just cancel ALL service and go with another company...the CABLE TV COMPANY I'VE BEEN FIGHTING FOR ALMOST THREE YEARS NOW! Guess what? I blew it AGAIN! Told him he's crazy, and if he does THAT, I will certainly TOTALLY divorce him! LOLOL! I could NOT believe he even pondered that one - as I complain about it almost daily. Whatever...If HE wants to deal with THAT headache, I told him "If you go 'there', DON'T complain to ME, as I'm totally against it!" Funny thing is, all the phone company needs to do is send a truck out to switch 2 wires - and mission accomplished. But they don't want to do that. ================================= I've decided I'm not going to mess with phone cards or get a cell phone. (Altho, I'm still wondering why the "dial-around" didn't show ANYTHING on this last bill...did I get dropped? I donno...) I'm just going to make a point to call ex-hubby, or have son call every month on our landline LD. Which, BTW, I'm guessing it's time to call him this weekend! (Good thing we are still friends even tho divorced! haha)