I read the string of comments here a few days ago about Qwest internet problems, and thought I’d add an update.

After two in-house technician visits, a couple of trucks in the street removing 130′ of spare cable and about 15 related phone calls, my problem of super low speeds between the hours of 5pm and 11pm hadn’t changed. I pay for 7Mbps. I work at home, and the speed is fine basically all day–the only trouble pops up in the evening, when it’s so slow it’s impossible to view the ‘Instant Watch’ Netflix movies. In a whole world of things that need fixing, it’s pretty low–but still annoying.

Qwest told me today that it’s a known neighborhood-wide issue, and that the infrastructure is on their list of things to upgrade, but won’t give even an approximate date for this to happen. I decide to investigate getting out of my two-year contract…at which point their “Loyalty Specialist” gives me 50% off my bill for the next three months. After that, if it’s not been fixed, I can call a direct number and apparently re-up for discounts in three-month intervals. If you haven’t called Qwest and jumped through the tech support hoops a few times, I don’t know if this will work. Still, figure it might be worth posting the direct number I was given today, I don’t see it on the company website. 1.888.590.3416

Paying $21/month for inconsistent internet feels decidedly less annoying than paying $42. And maybe if everyone on the Hill calls for discounts, fixing it will become a higher priority.