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Comments on news posted 2002-12-18 14:05:34: In this week's Hot Topic report: The scramble begins as DirecTV DSL customers scurry to find new providers while employees prepare for a blue Christmas. ..
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DaneJasper
Sonic.Net
Premium,VIP
join:2001-08-20
Santa Rosa, CA
clubs:
| The growth of a monopoly Certainly, the demise of DirecTV has far-reaching effects. With around 175,000 DSL customers, mostly in California, this sends a clear signal about the viability of SBC's wholesale model for DSL. Of course, their ownership of more than 80% of the retail DSL market in the state also says something.
Independent providers are working hard to survive, and in many cases must deliver at higher prices or face the type of end that DirecTV has run into.
End-users can help by not supporting the cut-rate offerings from incumbent LEC affiliated ISPs - they're well below the wholesale loop cost for other ISPs, and have a chilling effect on competition. It's a bit like avoiding real fur or not eating veal - by not being co-opted by low introductory price offers from SBC/Yahoo and Verizon ISP, you can help save independent ISPs. Shop elsewhere - they've already got 80% of the market, and if we don't change the purchasing, we'll end up with a gray, ad-laden, PPPoE dynamic IP world.
Dane Jasper
President, California ISP Association, »www.cispa.org
President, Sonic.net, »www.sonic.net | |
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blackjeep
join:2001-07-12
Atlanta, GA
| Re: The growth of a monopoly You know, in times of economic distress like the one we are currently experiencing, the consumer is going to go to the provider that can provide at the lowest price allowable with the options that they need. I cannot conceive of someone going to an independant ISP (and paying higher prices!)just for the sake of not being a customer of an ILEC. It just doesn't make financial sense to do what you're asking. | |
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Hayward
K A R - 1 2 0 C
Premium
join:2000-07-13
Key West, FL
| Re: The growth of a monopoly Yeah that's exactly how we ended up with inferior VHS VCrs, and exploding Pinto's, and fall apart Vega(matic)s 
--
»haywardm.com (Hayward's Key West) | |
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Karl Bode
News Guy
join:2000-03-02 | Doesn't make financial sense to recycle either.....that doesn't mean there isn't a solid point to be made there... | |
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footballdude
Premium
join:2002-08-13
Imperial, MO
| Re: The growth of a monopoly Actually it doesn't make any sense to recycle anything other than aluminum. There's no real market for recycled paper, plastic, glass, etc. The recycling centers throw most of what they get away. If you want to be 'environmentally sensitive', start buying recycled products and create a market for the recycled goods.
Caveat - this is second hand information given to me by someone that works in the materials industry. | |
| | nasadude
join:2001-10-05
Rockville, MD
 ·Comcast
| The problem with asking people to support CLECs without regard to price has two inherent problems.
First, not all customers with ILECs and MSOs have crappy connections and crappy service. I have comcast and I hate them, but since I went head to head with them to get a problem fixed several months ago, I haven't had any problems and my connection has been pretty good. However, I pray I don't have any more problems because their technical expertise is still poor in terms of solving connection issues. It doesn't matter in my case anyway, my only other option is dialup.
The other problem is a large majority of people will have no idea if their connection is marginal: "speed test, what's that?", "packet loss????????". If their connection works, it's good enough for their web surfing and email.
The only way the current sorry (non-existent, in most cases) state of competition will ever get better is if the government steps in to ensure competition, either by re-regulation or by the FCC getting their head out of their @ss (are you listening Michael?). | |
| | | PeterBBshp
Premium
join:2002-08-16
Mountain View, CA
| We need better ISP Competition The whole question of how can ISPs compete with one another is a very important question. It is all very well to complain that many users do not know how to compare different ISPs with regard to critical performance criteria, but I have to say that the industry as a whole is not helping users be more knowledgeable about this. DSL Reports helps, but I think there is more that can be done.
ISPs who are really good competitors with regard to DSL performance, reliability, and other key criteria have an opportunity to steal customers from poorer ISPs. So far, I have not seen ISPs thinking that they can beat each other on these criteria.
I would love to find an ISP that can deliver the greater than 144KB DSL service that used to work fine on my line. I don't know how to find one.
[text was edited by author 2002-12-23 15:34:11] | |
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dnewman
join:2000-07-22
Houston, TX
| Cable monopolies are no better I might add. Both the Telco and Cable monopolies raise rates on their base services to provide below wholesale cost Internet access. This is killing the independent ISP's who are the ones that innovated and brought us the Internet in the first place. Pretty soon, ISP's will be gone and Internet charges will be totally obscured and raised arbitrarily as part of a total package.
If you want better service, in terms of less ads, better phone support, more web space and static IP's, etc., etc., it's more than worth it to go with an independent ISP. Avoid SBC's cheap DSL like the plague (which isn't a bad analogy). | |
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Spicolli
join:2002-08-03
Saint Paul, MN | I switched without switching All I have to say is I am glad amidst all my problems trying to get DSL again after dumping Qwest. I was going to get directv, but ended up with Earthlink and it looks like I would of ended up there anyways. | |
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cdk
@telocity.com | Re: I switched without switching Earthlink was a great DSL provider (I loved them!) UNTIL verizon stepped in and cancelled their contract with them in my area.
200 customers were affected.
Thanks verizon! [/sarcasm] | |
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