The Best Deal in Broadband: $39 for AT&T U-Verse, Amazon Prime, HBO

$39 a month gets you U-Verse broadband Internet, basic cable, HBO Go, and a full Amazon Prime subscription.

We're all in the same boat here: Your relationship with Comcast, Verizon, Time Warner, etc. is neutral at best, and "I HATE THEM WITH THE FURY OF A THOUSAND SUNS," on a normal day. But it's a struggle we all must endure to access those precious Internet pipes (unless you're some lucky duck who can get municipal broadband or Google Fiber).

But not all is doom and gloom in the world of Big Telecom and Big Cable. Sometimes a deal so rad comes along, that you must put aside your burning hatred, of only for a moment.

Now is one of those times, my netizen friends.

AT&T recently took the wraps off a new U-Verse plan aimed squarely at the cord-cutting generation. For $39 a month, you can get broadband Internet "up to 45 Mbps" (depending on location, which speed you choose), basic cable for your TV, HBO (namely HBO Go), and a full Amazon Prime subscription. That means free two-day shipping, and access to Prime Instant Video.

Let's put this deal in perspective: HBO normally costs $15 a month on top of the cable you're already buying. Amazon Prime is $99 a year, or $8.25 a month. That's $23.25 a month right there, which means your heavily-subsidized broadband connection and basic cable cost a whopping $15.75 a month. That is less than I spend on Humble Bundles every month, I think.

The usual caveats apply: The cost doesn't include taxes, fees, etc., so you're on the hook for equipment. And AT&T does employ a 250 GB bandwidth cap per month, which is standard fare for many cable companies (even if it's really, really crummy standard fare). Furthermore, the deal is only good for the first 12 months you're signed up, and appears to be limited to new customers.

So fees, a 12-month cap, and other cable company nonsense are all in play here. However, a "I AM GOING TO CANCEL IF YOU MESS WITH MY RATE," call to AT&T in that twelfth month could keep your bill at the advertised $39, and a similarly aggressive call when buying the service could knock out some fees, too. Complaining while frothing at the mouth works 60 percent of the time, every time.

If you've read anything I've written on here about cable companies, net neutrality and the like, you know I am not a friend of the cable industry. The relationship I (we?) have with them is a necessary evil...but even I know a good deal when I see one.

Source: AT&T

Permalink

Is this an article or an ad?

I ilke to get Verizon fos internet and phone but I don't lke their tv service so will try to stick with cable

Aristatide:
Is this an article or an ad?

This.

Ian MacDonald:

Aristatide:
Is this an article or an ad?

This.

It's making a population of people that effectively lives on the Internet aware of a good deal that allows cheap(er) access to the Internet. and Amazon Prime.

But hey, thanks for the snark.

-Devin Connors
Tech Editor, AT&T Stockholder (not really)

BeerTent:
250GB/mo bandwidth cap is not standard fare.

I wouldn't touch this deal with an 80ft pole. Eastlink is trying this where I live, and I've been extremely vocal about it.

But bro, aren't you willing to pay for the privilege of having access to speeds that allow you to use your entire cap up in half a day?

Fucking thieves.

Devin Connors:

So fees, a 12-month cap, and other cable company nonsense are all in play here. However, a "I AM GOING TO CANCEL IF YOU MESS WITH MY RATE," call to AT&T in that twelfth month could keep your bill at the advertised $39, and a similarly aggressive call when buying the service could knock out some fees, too. Complaining while frothing at the mouth works 60 percent of the time, every time.

This statement right here makes me very sad. As someone who works in customer service call center (for a cell phone company) i beg yall to please keep in mind the following:

A. The person that you are screaming at is a human being.
B. They making close to minimum wage.
C. They have just spent the last 4 hours listening to other people screaming about the same thing.
D. They have nothing to look forward to but 4 more hours of the same thing.
D. They do not make the rules.
E. They cannot change the rules.
F. They are FAR FAR more likely to take extra time to help you if you are not a raging dickbag (see point D).

this has been a public service announcement from your friendly neighborhood 'customer solutions specialists,' who would like to remind everyone to chill the eff out.

Basic cable apparently doesn't actually mean cable. It just allows you to get the free local channels that you can already get for free.

And this up to 45 MBPS is actually 24 in my area with faster speeds costing more.

Then there is the fact that there is a 100 dollar install fee and 7/month cable box fees and more.

Devin Connors:

Ian MacDonald:

Aristatide:
Is this an article or an ad?

This.

It's making a population of people that effectively lives on the Internet aware of a good deal that allows cheap(er) access to the Internet. and Amazon Prime.

But hey, thanks for the snark.

Your article reads more like advertising copy than it does an actual piece of journalism. That would be an issue at any point, but you really can't blame the gaming community for being a touch sensitive on these matters right now.

For that matter, where on earth was the 'snark'?