What year did you switch from dial-up access to broadband?  For me, 2004 was the year but I lived out in the country where I didn't have it available any sooner.

In Germany:

It was available since about 1999 in urban areas, but since I live in a rural era, I didn't get it in my street before October 2004. Before that, I had digital dial-up, which was 64K (or 128K, if you blocked two telephone lines). I never had classic 56K dial-up.

February 2006 :).

I think it was about 2000 and up. ???

I believe it was 2003, because I have memories of dial-up until 2002.

2012 we finally got cable internet, so very very late.

2012 we finally got cable internet, so very very late.


What did you use before? Dial-up?

I believe it was 2003, because I have memories of dial-up until 2002.

That was around the time we started using broadband as well. Prior to then, we only used dial-up.

2011 I think, or 2005/06

I don't remember I was too young. Sometime after 2000 but before 2005 I think.

2008. Internet was still slow though and I still frequently saw the buffer screen on youtube. I had dial-up recently enough to try watching Youtube videos with it and all I can say is it was actually better than Wi-Fi at the time.

May 2005, so exactly 10 years ago!

2004, like most Americans.

What did you use before? Dial-up?

Yes, it's what we could afford in the 2000's, but in the 10's there really wasn't an excuse.

Technically August of 2004. Then my mom cancelled it in October of that year because we were moving to a different house and she couldn't afford it for a while. So I had to put up with Dial Up for another year until October of 2005  when we got it back and I have never been back to dial up since.

2004 just before I started a university home computer course.

Yes, it's what we could afford in the 2000's


I always thought, dial-up was more expensive than broadband. Or was it cheaper in the US?
In Germany, you had to pay for every minute. Flat rates for dial-up were rare (and also extremely expensive).

2008

I always thought, dial-up was more expensive than broadband. Or was it cheaper in the US?
In Germany, you had to pay for every minute. Flat rates for dial-up were rare (and also extremely expensive).


Even though early providers like CompuServe and Prodigy were originally pay-by-the-hour, I'm pretty sure flat rate pricing for internet access had become the norm in the U.S. by the early '00s. I know that when my family finally got the internet in the Spring of 2000, it was through a small, local provider that offered a flat monthly rate.

As far as broadband/DSL, we were fairly late to party on that. My parents didn't upgrade to broadband until June 2006, by which time the "Summer of YouTube" was already in full swing. The result of this was that for the first six months I was aware of YouTube, I actually had to watch the videos on a substandard dial-up connection. I'd have to wait nearly 30 minutes just to be able to stream a 3 minute song. :P

Even though early providers like CompuServe and Prodigy were originally pay-by-the-hour, I'm pretty sure flat rate pricing for internet access had become the norm in the U.S. by the early '00s. I know that when my family finally got the internet in the Spring of 2000, it was through a small, local provider that offered a flat monthly rate.

As far as broadband/DSL, we were fairly late to party on that. My parents didn't upgrade to broadband until June 2006, by which time the "Summer of YouTube" was already in full swing. The result of this was that for the first six months I was aware of YouTube, I actually had to watch the videos on a substandard dial-up connection. I'd have to wait nearly 30 minutes just to be able to stream a 3 minute song. :P

Lol! My dial-up was not that slow. Thats how long it took for me on Wi-fi.

I'd have to wait nearly 30 minutes just to be able to stream a 3 minute song

Now that's slow! :o

Lol! My dial-up was not that slow. Thats how long it took for me on Wi-fi.


We lived in the middle of nowhere at the time, so our only option was to get an extremely cut-rate dial-up service that was lucky if it could hit 30kb/s most of the time. I remember that one of the first videos I ever watched on YouTube was a full length film (this was in the days before the original 10 minute time limit had been put in place) and it took literally hours for the video to load far enough so that I could watch it without interruption.

Actually, before the Summer of '06, it became routine for me that if I wanted to watch a long video on YT I would set up the page so that the video was loading while I went to work, and then I would watch it in the afternoon when I got home. ;D

I think it was 2002 for us, so our family got it pretty early compared to most of the posts here.

I remember that one of the first videos I ever watched on YouTube was a full length film (this was in the days before the original 10 minute time limit had been put in place)

Really? I started watching Youtube in approximately '07 and there was a 10 minute time limit that I think you as an uploader had to pay to get around. It made it impossible to watch Goosebumps episodes online, coupled with the fact that Youtube felt pretty barren at the time for content. As far as I know, they removed the limit since '09 or '10.

Really? I started watching Youtube in approximately '07 and there was a 10 minute time limit that I think you as an uploader had to pay to get around. It made it impossible to watch Goosebumps episodes online, coupled with the fact that Youtube felt pretty barren at the time for content. As far as I know, they removed the limit since '09 or '10.


I remember watching YouTube in 2006.

Around 2004, maybe. I was only three and a half when I started using the Internet and that was in 2003.