Well, you're probably also getting a Cantor and Brokertec cash screen feed, CBOT T-Note and CME S&P Pit S&P sqwauk box services, Bloomberg news feed, T-1 lines, and dedicated servers for orders and executions as well as a backup. Most have battery back-up and some guys like me have big-ass generators parked on the roof. These bigger houses also have full-time IT guys on the payroll, and smaller ones like mine have IT guys on retainer. You guys don't realize that Eurex, CBOT, LIFFE, and CME all have monthly line charges as well. And don't forget the membership seat leases for the CME and the CBOT. Yeah, $2500 to 3000 per month is about right.
This isn't daytrading stocks. That's alot cheaper to do.