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Hello LV Redditors! I know that this is a topic that comes up quite a bit but I wanted to get some fresh advice to see what my options are.

TL;DR – I am only able to get Service Electric/PTD in my area and their speeds are not as advertised on a consistent basis. What are my options?

Ok now – on to the actual post. For the last two years, my wife and I lived in an apartment by LVH Cedar Crest. We had RCN and we absolutely loved their cable and Internet service. We had 110Mb/15Mb service and it was consistent and flawless for the entire two years.

About two months ago, we entered into contract on a house in Fogelsville (Weisenberg Township, 18051). We quickly found out that RCN doesn’t service the area and that the ONLY ISP option was Service Electric/PennTeleData. Knowing their horrible reputation as an ISP, I was disappointed and reluctant to sign up for their service.

I got the fastest package I could get, 25Mb/5Mb… wow. 2016 and this is the best they can offer? They say their 100Mb/10Mb service will be coming this fall. Sweet, still less than RCN and more expensive? I’ll take it! But hey, at least they’re the oldest cable company in America! Maybe that explains their lackluster response to changing technology and demands of ISP consumers.

Since moving in, we are getting consistent dips in our speeds. There are some parts of the night that we are getting what we are paying for. Then, between 6pm-10/11pm, the speeds drop significantly. Now, I know what you’re thinking. “Cable Internet is a shared-bandwidth service so of course it is going to drop during peak hours!” I totally agree with you; however, I don’t think the speeds should be dropping this much.

See this Imgur album for my Speedtest results so far:

When our speeds slow, we get about 3-4Mb download speeds. This is about 80% less than what we are paying for (if I did my math correctly). IMHO, this is not getting service as advertised.

Another thing you may be thinking is “what do you need fast Internet for anyway?” Nobody really NEEDS fast speeds; however, it is a first world problem. I am a gamer, live streamer, avid tech enthusiast, and frequent streamer of Netflix. It is annoying that a 4GB Xbox One update takes an hour to download, or that i have to experience constant buffering of a 30 minute HDTV show. It is also very frustrating when I cannot play my games due to me “lagging out.” Good luck if the wife wants to watch Netflix and I want to play a game during peak hours. Not happening.

Another thought you may have: “I see through your pictures that you’re using Wi-Fi. That’s slower than Ethernet.” You are absolutely correct. Once again however, speed drops should not be this severe. Using the same router and devices with RCN, I would consistently get over 100Mb down, even during peak hours. This is a capacity problem, not an equipment problem.

Now, I understand that this is a very common complaint of SE’s Internet service. From my understanding, there is not much to be done. Customers call in, they “test” the modem, tell you there is nothing wrong on their end, and that’s it. They then give you the script about shared bandwidth and peak hours. I’m not buying it. If you advertise something and you consistently get 80% less than what is advertised during a sizable chunk of the day, there is a problem.

What irritates me more is that they can get away with this. Their “legal monopoly” of the area prevents healthy competition, which is good for the consumer. I know for a fact that there are so many customers out there that would switch if they could. I also feel like many don’t feel taking steps to fix this issue is worth the time.

I have been considering the following options:

0.5. Continue to test the speeds of my network. To get more consistent, I will check speeds in the morning, when I get home from work, three times during peak hours, and once before bed. Paper trails are always helpful. My hypothesis is that this issue will not fix itself until SE/PTD increases network capacity through overhauling their lines, switches, etc.

1. Contact SE every week if this behavior continues and let them know I am not getting what I’m paying for. I know they won’t care, but at least I’ll have a paper trail. If needed, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and let them replace the modem if need be. I doubt that will do anything.

2. If the problem does not resolve, file a formal complaint to SE and threaten to contact the BBB and the FCC. Again, won’t really do anything I’m sure. I hate to be “that guy” but this is an issue I truly care about.

3. If the issue still continues, file an informal complaint with the FCC and a formal complaint with the BBB. Allow the FCC to investigate the issue.

4. Finally, if nothing works, I will need to take the “nuclear” option which is to file a complaint to my township for allowing this “monopoly” to continue, publicize this issue, seek media assistance, and start going door to door in my township to obtain signatures demanding this monopoly to end.

Again, I really, really do not want to be the person that asks to speak to a supervisor, or files a bunch of complaints. There are too many people that do this for illegitimate reasons. But, IMHO, this is warranted. There are too many ISPs out there that screw their customers over, especially on advertised speeds.

Is there any advice that you can offer me LV? Any tips/tricks/stories that would be beneficial? Constructive criticism is also welcome. Thanks in advance!

Edit #1: Added Imgur link to Speedtest results. Sorry for the cruddy job in masking my SSID/IP/Location. I was in a rush 🙂