$24,000 for an internet line?

[TheArtist]

  Ok, we are wanting a better internet connection for the shop downtown.  We currently have a Sprint 3G hotspot  device that lets us do some internet and our credit card transactions, etc. but whenever I try to download say a pdf from a wholesale company, it bogs down and takes forever, or times out.  Definitely don't have enough to allow others to "surf the web" at our space.  So we thought we would check into having a landline installed.  The first quote we got was from Cox and they said it would cost us $24,000 to have it installed.  Even the person we were working with at cox was floored by what it was going to run us. 

Any advice on how we can get a high speed internet connection downtown without costing an arm and a leg?

[dioscorides]

is satellite a possibility?

[patric]

is satellite a possibility?

DSL or U-Verse?
You can also get a price from one of the re-sellers like TulsaConnect, they are located downtown:
http://www.tulsaconnect.com/connectivity_services.php

[DolfanBob]

I can help you out with Hughesnet or Exede satellite. It will depend on the line of site to the southwest and mounting availability. It is high speed now. Exede is over 12mgs download and Hughes is 8mgs.
Prices would start at 59.99, 79.99 or 119.99 depending on how much Monthly data you would need.

We had EasyTel here at the office a couple of years back and it was awesome. 28mgs or higher. I would check and see if it's available to you.

[nathanm]

Get a T-Mobile or at&t hotspot instead. IME, they both work a lot better downtown.

I presume Cox is charging so much because they don't have cable to your building at the present time. In other Cox markets, I've had reasonable luck getting them to waive the installation fees in exchange for a revenue contract. The last client I had that did that was looking at around $8,000 or $12,000. The revenue target wasn't as high as the construction fee they wanted to charge, so it worked out. Talk to your sales person.

[RecycleMichael]

I use easytel downtown and am very happy.

[zstyles]

We have used EasyTel for years, they are local, really nice and have great customer service.  They have Fiber into most buildings downtown and in the area.

http://easytel.com/

[TeeDub]

Any advice on how we can get a high speed internet connection downtown without costing an arm and a leg?

Ask how much it would cost to install cable television.   Sometimes that will inspire them to run the drops for free.

Can't say it makes sense, but seen it done.

[sgrizzle]

I believe there is phone service to the building, try DSL from AT&T