On Internet Service Providers - What ISP do you use?

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) breathe life into the career (maybe even the personal life) of the online worker.  Without an internet connection, you just can't work.  No contacts, no communications, no spadework (for us who enter websites from across the globes).  Without a proper ISP, we  cannot earn a living.

When I started online work,  I decided to subscribe, not to the basic plan, but to the faster plan, even if it was more expensive and I wasn't earning  yet.  Since it was going to be for work, might as well be equipped for it.  Not to mention I have the patience of a 2 yr old for loading over the net, I might end up chucking out my PC out the window even if it was the net that was quite slow.

That was in 2007.  We got the 1.2Mbps plan from a Quezon City ISP. Services were fine and uneventful then.  Now in 2010, when the little broadband dongles say they deliver up to 3Mbps, I still had the 1.2Mbps until October 2010 (and still paying double the basic plan).  It was only this November that the ISP called and said they were upgrading my speed to 1.5 Mbps and subtracting PhP200 from the subscription cost.

I noticed though, that :

• Around June this year, my connection always dies around 2PM and stays that way for 2-3 hours.  You can imagine how distraught I can get because I don't get to do any work, and had to extend to the work hours until beyond midnight.
• I noticed this September?  October? upto now (this very moment) the lights in my modem always has the hiccups and dies and resurrects every so often, sometimes every 5 minutes, every 15 minutes, etc.
• And yes, the phone included in the service is ALWAYS dead.  Causing another inconvenience to call cellphones instead of the land line service.  Hmp.  (Yes, my phone is dead right now.)

I have learned to ignore this since it's happening frequently, and I thought maybe it's just my area, etc.  Now I find out an online contact with the same ISP has the same net and phone problem.  My son's classmate also told him they have the same situation at home.  

What is happening?  

I have shared this concern with the counter person while paying bills, she just told me to file a complaint to services so that line men can come over.  Oh, what she told me exactly was TO CALL and file a complaint.  I find that funny because I just said the line was dead.  Yes, I can call using the cell but it's still funny to make me call.

I can always change ISPs, but my sons agree this damn blasted service is still the most reliable for their gaming needs compared to other ISPs. So yes, I am a hostage of my own ISP.  Boo.


How about you? What ISP do you use and is it reliable and quick for surfing, gaming and web maintenance?


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