Can't live without internet. Television, maybe. But not internet.
It appears as though Charter's primary goal is to steal away customers from AT&T. It's an ongoing battle where the winner will have the best price (lowest price) and greatest service (fastest broadband speed as well as highest number of channels). If you are considering one or the other, look into prices for both and use the price of the competing company as leverage. On numerous accounts, people have brought the package deal from one competing company to the other only to have it matched or beaten. Eventually one will stay firm but not before you're pleased of what you're receiving for the price you're paying. Beware though. There are many hidden costs to both. For example, after negotiating our TV and internet bill down to $30/month, my buddy and I were surprised to find out that Charter had failed to mention the $30 fee for transporting and setting up the wireless router (something I could have done in 5 minutes). Also, many of the packaged deals require you to sign contracts for several months. If you're only there for 3 or 4 months at a time, ask for pay-for-service contracts.
Charter's internet service wasn't too bad. There were 3 people (computers and smart phones each) logged onto our server at all times and never once did I feel as if our internet lagged. I believe we purchased to 2 mb/s broadband speed package.
The TV channels are a different story. Charter may boast that you're getting 40 channels. However, 10 of them are advertising channels (full-screen nonanimated advertisements/billboards 24/7), 10 of them don't work, and many are replicated. For example, Fox sports net was on channels 6, 13, and 27.1. Don't be fooled by the numbers. Ask for exactly which channels you'll be getting (networks, not numbers) and research ahead of time.
Recommendation: If you need internet to get through your day, BUY! If not, try to bargain with neighbors ($5/month to jump onto their wireless router, etc.) or get by with your smart phone. read more
