I think some responders are confused. My cable company Comcast offers phone
service but it is separate from the internet service and not VOIP.

It works well and you can dial out using a modem etc.. with VOIP most
systems cannot handle a fax call or modem.

Wayne

"Chet Hayes" wrote in message
om...
G. Morgan wrote in message
...
Someone named ECKHARDT Proclaimed on Sat, 02
Oct 2004 14:00:12 GMT,

I like to know what type of experices others have had Charter phone
service and Charter High-Speed internet. We are going to leave SBC due
to fact that the can not fix cross wire in theier system. BTW we are in
Saint Louis


If you have a monitored security system it may *not* be able to dial
out with that service.


-Graham

Remove the 'snails' from my email

Why wouldn't a monitored security system be able to dial out with
internet phone service? The systems provided by the cable companies
look like just a regular phone line from the phones in the house and
the numbers are dialed the same way.

The whole internet vs telco phone service issue is really not
understood by most people. They think there is some big technology
break through that leads to the cost savings. Like the internet is
magically more efficient at moving bits around. The reality is, it's
simply a tarrif avoidance issue. If internet calls were to be
tarrifed like regular calls, most of the cost savings would disappear.

For the average person today, I don't think it's worth it for several
reasons. One is call quality. Internet calls get routed like all
internet traffic, so you can't be sure what kind of quality you'll get
on a given call. With telco calls you have a dedicated connection
with guaranteed real-time delivery. There is the power outage issue.
There is the issue of having to install a box that goes between your
phone lines and the cable and one more piece of eqpt to go bad or to
figure who's going to come fix it and for how much. And there is the
issue of giving more business to cable companies, which most people
don't like very much, one issue being customer service.

I can see internet phone service being worthwhile if you do a lot of
calls, especially international, but that's about it.