Let's dispell a few myths.

Optimum was not charging for modems up until recently. Around 2 years ago they began to charged customers 5 dollars a month and now new customers pay 10 dollars a month to rent a modem. Grandfathered customers were exempt from the modem charge for the last year and a half until recently. And they're only paying 5 dollars... Half price what a new customer pays.

This is an industry standard practice. I challenge anybody to find a real world scenario in the US where you don't pay to rent a modem.

You can get a modem from www.arrismodemsitecsc.com and then avoid the modem rental fee. Only the modems from this site are considered "approved" modems. If you get any other kind from Best buy or some shit and it doesn't work... Well that's just technology for ya.

Do not cheap out and buy a crappy 50 dollar modem and then expect to get you super fast 200,300 speed internet working. That's not how it goes. buy a fucking modem off that website, the 1602.

Welcome to the 21st century. It's sad that consumerism is so fucked in America that posts like this incite such fury