Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
"jJim McLaughlin" wrote in message
. ..

Here in PDX, OR., Comcast is pushing VOIP on their cable, and
including a warning that you can't reach local 911 service with
their VOIP.

Somehow, I don't think thats a problem unique to Comcast, or to this area.

Why would any body use VOIP?


Because it is cheap compared to the phone companies. The $99 packages are a
good deal. When my cable company finally had it, I may consider changing.



Sorry Ed, I have to disagree with you.

VOIP is not cheap. And the $ 99.00 packages around here are a low ball
come on,
and jump way up when the promotional period runs out in 12 months.

I know that individual situations will vary, but.......

My POTS dial tone from Qworst is 24 and change a month.

My "dial one" carrier for long distance is an outfit called myGTC. I
pay $ 0.025
(thats 2 and a half cents a minute) for long distance, anywhere in the
US or Canada.

Even with "unlimited" long distance from Comcast here on their VOIP
service,
my total phone bills for local and long distance never approach the $ 48
plus a
month that Comcast wants as their "real" price for VOIP.

I'd have to spend more than $ 23.00 on long distance at $ 0.025 / minute --
more than 900 minutes - ~ 15 hours on long distance for VOIP to
make mere economic sense.

And with Comcast, I can't reach local police, fire and medical emergency
service on 911.

Not to mention that Qworst has to get rate increases approved by the Oregon
PUC and Comcast doesn't. And I can get a response from Qworst because
the PUC
monitors service quality and response / repair time with Qworst, but not
Comcast/

I don't see any economic benefit (Comcast is more expesive than my
current set up)
or technological benefit (no phone in a power outage, and we get lots of
power
outages from November through March) or service benefit (no 911 service on
Comcast) to Comcast VOIP.

Other areas of the country may have a different calculus, and other
folks may have
different calling patterns, but for me VOIP makes no sense.

YMMV