Solar flares could be part of the problem too. Cant say for sure!

I used to shoot skip on the cb when the flares were running wild! LOL ( long story there so will leave it at that)!!

Our local cable TV/telephone/internet/cell-phone provider first had plain old one-wire cable and things were okay; internet wasn't half bad and TV was great.

Then, they went on this crusade to switch everything over to fibre-optic and things have steadily went South from there; plus, before, the telephone was always on a wire of it's own, not in anyway connected to any internet or TV; we had GREAT telephone service; I could talk to somebody on the other side of the earth as clear as a bell with nary a hiccup of any kind.

Then, they switched us to fibre-optic and telephone is now so bad that I dread to talk on it; it pops and crackles and fizzes and then starts echoing; you say something and when the other person starts talking, a second or two after whatever you said, you hear yourself echoing louder than you hear whoever you are trying to talk to; not somewhat immediate like a true echo, but like they have recorded what you said and are replaying it a few seconds later = highly annoying.

I wish we had never heard of fibre-optic.

The internet got so bad and the TV as well that we just got DISH TV and satellite internet; at that time, DISH trumped fibre-optic on both counts.

Then, DISH quit the internet business; it is somewhat confusing to explain, but we still have DISH internet and it still works good 95% of the time.

DISH will not service the internet we are paying them for; they are no longer in the internet business; and, if we can't figure out how to fix whatever issue we are having ourselves, we are out of luck.

Hughes Net is really pushing themselves in our area; but, those I have talked to that have it are not at all impressed.

We really have no decent option and all of it is way too expensive.

In the next county over, the government is putting up new poles and new wires for some sort of "no child left behind" internet service that is supposed to really rock your boat at a very affordable price; however, our county doesn't qualify on account of those idiots stringing that useless fibre-optic all over the county and making it "seem" like we already have a reliable affordable fast internet provider.

Very pleased with the service.  I am on the basic service/speed.  Much faster than the old system. Have had it for many years.

TV is an option but I am too CHEAP to subscribe to the service.  

Since all the TV transmitters have gone to digital, I get lots of channels.  My Roku  smart TV is hooked to the modem and I get even more channels.  I have to option to subscribe to lots of other offers but to CHEAP to buy them.   

Thanks for confirming what I have already been hearing.

Anytime I talk to DISH about our non-supported internet service, they give me contact information for Hughes Net.

In our area, it's either that local fibre-optic joke or Hughes Net or nothing.

The wife, with her work, has these little devices she calls "Hot Spots".

A while back, when the current-adapter thingie to our DISH modem quit working, she brought one in from her vehicle and set it up; and, for just plain old internet traffic, it seemed to work as well as our regular connection.

She first had to buy the equipment. She was a little leery about the investment, but is now happy with the service.