Choosing an Internet provider in New York City could be a daunting task. There are so many options out there. We’re here to break it down in simple terms.
For residential users, you have the big boys, TimeWarner RoadRunner Cable and Verizon DSL. Then, you have the rest, including RCN. The first thing you should do is to find out if your building uses TimeWarner. If it does, see if there is a building discount since this is present sometimes. If not, then you should weigh between Cable or DSL.
What’s the difference? Well, the cost is just about similar nowadays when you bundle your phone and/or TV bill with your 
Internet bill. The big difference is that Cable is a shared medium so if your building is heavy RoadRunner Cable users, you might not get the full speed all the time that you paid for. DSL gives you a 
direct line to your building and is the speed you pay for.
What about Verizon FIOS? You have to see if it’s offered in your area first. If it is, check out the price based on the 
speed with DSL and Cable. It is typically more.
For business users, there is Verizon DSL, Roadrunner Cable, Covad DSL and T1, and others. The next step up from DSL and Cable is T1 speed which goes for a minimum of $450/month. It is much faster, but the key is to see whose network the T1 provider is using. You want to make sure the Internet provider is not using 3-4 different networks to get to you. See how many of these hops it takes because the less means faster service when it comes to Internet maintenance and repairs.
