Network Management and Performance

Rise broadband advertises speeds up to 50Mbps, but in reality, these sorts of speeds are rarely met, mainly because of the technology they use to deliver their internet services. They state that many of the factors and conditions that affect their internet speeds are “beyond Rise Broadband’s control.” The factors that play a big role in network performance include:

• User hardware – computer, phone, router capabilities
• Type of connection used – Wi-Fi usually has lower speeds than a cable connection
• Number of devices used at the same time – the higher the number of devices, the higher the chance internet will be slower
• They also state that large file downloads can affect the bandwidth they can deliver.
• They also cite the actual website and service as a limiting factor. If only one page or service is slow but other sites/services work fine, it’s not an internet speed issue; it’s a site/service issue.
• Network congestion is also a critical factor. If many customers use the same access point at the same time, the network will slow down.
• Weather is another limiting factor. Severe weather will heavily impact internet performance, as it can damage access points and make them inoperational.

Rise Broadband states that their “Internet packages are advertised as ‘up to’ certain speeds reflecting performance under ideal conditions. Without purchasing an expensive ‘dedicated’ internet connection, no Internet Service Provider can guarantee package speeds at all times.”

Users interested in their services should know “ideal conditions” are rarely met in reality, so you should expect lower speeds as a norm.

Fees

Rise Broadband has quite a number of additional fees that can quickly add to your monthly bill.

Most importantly, they are one of the very few providers that don’t offer anything towards residential installation. Usually, providers will waive the initial installation fee if users order services online, but with Rise Broadband, customers can only expect to get a 50% discount at best.

They only reserve the discount for those customers who sign a two-year contract. The standard installation fee is $149 and can be cut in half with a 2-year contract. That would bring it down to $74.50, which isn’t that affordable either. Also, if existing customers decide to upgrade their service plan, they will have to pay $150 for the upgrade.

The equipment rental fee is $10.99, and each month customers have to pay a recurring carrier cost recovery fee of $4.84. Rise Broadband explains that this fee helps cover the costs associated with building and maintaining their internet network.

Rise Broadband also has data caps that depend on the type of agreement and internet speed available to customers, so it’s important to ask about this before signing your agreement.

The overcharge fee, once you reach the data cap, is charged for each 10GB above the cap and will be $3.50 per 10GB.

Other fees that users have to look out for include:

• Unreturned equipment fee is $300 or the cost of equipment, whichever is greater.
• Early termination fee – $10 per month for each remaining month of the contract
• If users wish to receive a paper statement for the services, they will have to pay $5 per month for this.
• The convenience fee is the most interesting fee listed on their site, and it’s explained as the fee that is applied to any phone payments made by getting assistance from their call center representatives. The fee will be $10 for each use!

Fees Related to Late Payments and Insufficient Funds

Rise Broadband is very detailed about due dates and how much time customers have to cover payments before their service is interrupted or officially disconnected.

• The payment due date is set 15 days after the invoice date.
• The payment late date is set eight days after the bill due date.

If you miss paying the bill, your internet service will be:

• interrupted 25 days after due date
• officially disconnected 35 days after

Finally, the outstanding account balance will be submitted to collections 55 days after the due date and to get services back, you’ll have to pay a reconnect fee.

If the reconnect was requested after the service was interrupted or officially disconnected, customers will have to pay:

• $35 + the first month of service if the equipment wasn’t retrieved
• $100 + the first month of service if the equipment was already retrieved

In case the reconnect was requested after the account balance was submitted to collections, then users will have to pay $149 plus the first month of service and setup of account autopay.