Can dial up be any good any more?

[Lurch]

I started on NetZero and Freewwweb dial up but have been on broadband for several years now and I like it better but with net neutrality now possibly becoming a thing of the past, I'm going to refuse to get screwed over by Charter or anyone else. It's one of those moral things. I make money on selling and buying things online but I hate greedy corporations with a passion and I think I'd rather be poor and have dial up than let the greedy a***oles screw me over.

I'd have to pay for a phone land line (since I do not want cell phone technology in my life) to get dial up again, but it would be better than nothing, I think. As long as I could still access eBay and amazon, I can say to hell with youtube, tho I will miss it.
I also have an addiction to facebook and will miss that.
I feel the need to rebel against corporate greed which is trying to turn the USA into a coast to coast slum.

[Philip]

Lurch,

I wouldn't go back to dial-up, you wouldn't like it and it is not likely you'd dent corporate revenue. You'd just move from paying one corporation for broadband to another for phone/dial-up for a comparable price. If you'd like to make a statement, look for a local/municipal/regional ISP, there are still some Wireless Internet providers, or even municipal optical networks.. Here is an incomplete map: https://muninetworks.org/communitymap . Even if you can't find a non-profit ISP, just stick with one that fights for Net Neutrality.

Also, keep in mind websites have increased in size at least ten-fold since dial-up was popular (and the number of http requests to load a page as well), accessing those same pages will be a lot more sluggish than it used to be, you will only be hurting yourself.

[Lurch]

OK, sounds like good advice and thanks.
I don't have a cell phone and I'm not sure if I'd want wireless in the house.
My router will do wired or wireless but I run it wired.

Another plus about broadband over dialup is that I make money selling and if I can't access those pages quickly any more I won't make much money any more.
So my sales really pay for the BB anyway, even though I spend a lot of hours on facebook forums.
Sales are up and down though. I get busy for a while and then for no reason it gets very slow, which puzzles me.

[Lurch]

I think a wireless modem would be safer than me using a cell phone though, do you agree?

I'll check with Unbound Digital about possible other BB options locally.
I could perhaps switch to wireless if it's a much better option.

[Lurch]

I remember spending hours each day for pages to load. I'd download songs that took 15 minutes a song to DL.
You need more than dialup to be a competitive eBay buyer.

[Philip]

Yeah, broadband has definitely become an almost necessary part of our lives.

As to wireless vs. cell reception.. I think I get what the concern is.
Still, Wi-Fi works in the 2.4GHz to about 5Ghz range. Cell phones work in lower ranges, 7-900MHz, and 4G also uses 1.7-1.9GHz. The issue with cellphones is the transmission, rather than reception of signals IMHO, especially the fact you use a transceiver next to your head right at the ear canal with direct unobstructed proximity to your brain, especially if used for extended periods of time. This would expose you to some radio frequency emissions while transmitting. If you constantly use it, and with some older phones that have higher transmission power this may cause some concern, even though several long-term studies throughout the world found little to no correlation to brain tumors. (https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/radiation/cell-phones-fact-sheet#q2).

Anyway, yes, Wireless ISPs would be safer because of the different intensity and radio frequency, the fact they are not in your ear canal, and they use directional antennas anyway. I would consider not only wireless providers, but any smaller broadband ISP outside of the big ones (AT&T, Charter, Comcast and Verizon in the US) that benefit from the repeal of Net Neutrality - any small/local ISP, really.

[Lurch]

I'll definitely consider that.
Thanks again for your good advice and info.
Charter has been a reliable ISP but I don't like big corporations and I'd rather help to support a friendlier, smaller ISP, just as long as they're reliable.