jmargel
join:2001-03-07
Northumberland, PA
| Monopolies galore in PA
Doesnt surpise me. I live in PA. They seem to fck up everything that could be good. I think it's a personal goal of theirs.
Central PA has only ONE broadband supplier. Prolog which is a monopoly. Their rates have risen every freakin' year! 500/128 for $40 a month, plus you are required to purchase a cable package at $35 a month. This is against anti-trust policies, but hell it's PA. Apparently laws are only to be followed by the common folk.
This crap will never end until broadband, internet & such have so many laws regarding their use, etc.. that it'll be unusable. |
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Surfinusa
Premium
join:2001-02-08 | Bad Deal
Government should compete hopefully a lower price floods the market, then others will be forced to lower there prices. HB 298 does not sound good to me.
Happy Surfin  |
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jtudor
Xm 60's On 6 Freak
Premium,MVM
join:2002-12-07
Morganton, NC
| NC Law
North Carolina has such a law already on the books, and that law keeps all schools, including community colleges and universities from offering dial up access to students, even for free. Why, because it would take money out of an ISP's pocket
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"Do, or Do not, there is no try!" Yoda |
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tschmidt
Premium,MVM
join:2000-11-12
Milford, NH
 ·Hollis Hosting
 ·Verizon Online DSL
·Fairpoint Communic..
| What About the Will of the People?
If I understand PA HB 298 correctly citizens of Pennsylvania are no longer able to determine what services: municipal, county, or state government provides - it is up to private enterprise? I can't see how it can possibly withstand State or Federal Constitution muster. Private Enterprise operates at the pleasure of the people - not the other way around. If taxpayers want a government entity to provide a service what right does private enterprise have to exercise veto power over the will of the people?
I’m sure old Ben Franklin is turning over in his grave over this. |
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Tom Zachman
join:2002-12-01
Dodge City, KS | RIGHT ON TOM! |
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ross
join:2000-08-16 | They'd have hung these "Toadies" in 1776!
Who the hell owns PA, anyway? It sure ain't the people. Talk about your blatant corporate state. What's next? Indentured servitude? Debtor prisons?
PA gets more reactionary every day! |
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bistro777
Donuts-Is There Anything They Can't Do?
Premium
join:2002-02-07
Englewood, CO
| Well, not all corporations love PA - - For example, Adelphia just moved its HQ west to my neck of the woods...and John Rigas and his ties to Coundersport are just one reason why the new CEO and COO moved the HQ.
Here’s their Top 10 list - -
1. We live in the south Denver suburbs and simply didn’t want to move.
2. Skiing is much better in the Rockies than the Alleganies, plus our condos are in Vail, not Olean.
3. We wanted to hire all our friends that Comcast didn’t pick-up (just like us) from AT&T Broadband.
4. They don’t want to move, either.
5. Brook’s Steak House beats anything they have in Coundersport – and it’s right in Greenwood Village, to boot, close to our new HQ. (N.B. Rhythms’ CEO liked it there, too.)
6. Neiman Marcus is right down the road – Coudersport only has a general store, a Sheetz and a 7-11, and our wives wouldn’t like that at all. People there think Louis Vuitton is the goalie for Rigas’ former hockey team, the Buffalo Sabres.
7. Coundersport doesn’t have pro sports - Denver has the Broncos, Avalanche, Rockies and Nuggets. (Okay, okay, scratch the Nuggets as a pro team and go with 3 out of 4.)
8. We don’t want to meet any of John Rigas’ friends (he must have a couple left), as we would if we had to walk down Main Street in Coundersport.
9. We don’t like Iron City beer. Or Rolling Rock for that matter.
10. If they’re dumb enough to pay us up to $41 million - much of it front-loaded - then why should they squawk at a paltry $2.2 million to move the HQ to where WE live?
I really didn't foresee the Internet. But then, neither did the computer industry. Not that that tells us very much of course - the computer industry didn't even foresee that the century was going to end. - - Douglas Adams |
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vic102482
Premium
join:2002-04-30
Upper Marlboro, MD
| Thats not right
If the government wants to start up a serice through the will of the people it should have every right to do so. If this passes then Community Bills should also be allowed to pass, and thats where they can fine companies for poor service. Something has to be there to protect the people.
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I tie a rope around my penis and jump from a tree, don't you wanna grow up to be just like me!!!! |
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sbhusted
join:2000-05-14
Bethlehem, PA | reply to jmargel
Re: Monopolies galore in PA
I pity anyone who has to use ProLag as their broadband provider.
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Scott B. Hustedhttp://www.Husted.cc |
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c24h23n2o
join:2003-05-14
Pittsburgh, PA
| Violation of Anti-Trust...
This is along the same lines of what Comcast is doing. They were supposed to come into PA and make a competitive market vs. AT&T, but bought them out instead. Now, if you want their cable internet, you have to purchase their digital cable package too or face some ridiculous "charges". |
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zabes63
join:2003-04-05
Batavia, IL
| Illinois is next
SBC is feeling pretty cocky now that they know that they can buy anything they want from the state legislature.
Besides, they don't want to have to prop up the Iraqi Information Minister again to tell us why the Tri-Cities Broadband is doomed to cost each household a bazillion dollars.
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Click here to visit Tri-City Broadband |
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c24h23n2o
join:2003-05-14
Pittsburgh, PA | Yinzer Beer
Bistro...we do not like Iron City Beer Either. |
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Cheetah9
join:2001-01-07
Bethel Park, PA
|  reply to jmargel
Re: Monopolies galore in PA
said by jmargel  :
Doesnt surpise me. I live in PA. They seem to fck up everything that could be good. I think it's a personal goal of theirs. ........
Sure seems like that most times, doesn't it!
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KrK
Heavy Artillery For The Little Guy
Premium
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK
·AT&T Yahoo
·AT&T DSL Service
 ·Cox HSI
| Crazy.... Nuts!
Think about the application of this law in the real world.
Let's say you're a local PC Vendor/Network solutions reseller.
Can you now go down to the local school and file a lawsuit alleging they aren't allowed to run their own network, and instead should have to pay you to maintain it for them?
Or what about the city services that go around patching potholes, sweeping streets, etc.... Will all of them have to be farmed out to the local "Good Ole Boy" private company?
The opportunities for abuse of the taxpayer are ASTOUDING
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"Standing by a president (Bush) when right or wrong "is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public." --- President Theodore Roosevelt 1918 |
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zabes63
join:2003-04-05
Batavia, IL | What are the odds that....
The Baby bells would try to push something very much like this on the Federal level?
Justa rumor that I had heard
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Click here to visit Tri-City Broadband |
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macyh
Ex-Isp
Premium,MVM
join:2001-04-24
Medina, OH
·Armstrong Zoom In..
| Ohio has a similar law pending...
Ohio has a very similar provision pending, but it's not a standalone bill, they knew that would get too much attention. It was quietly slipped by a semi-clueless House member into the new budget bill while noone was paying attention. I'm told the bill language was provided by the lobbyists for the Ohio Cable TV Association.
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Macy Hallock APK Net, Inc. Cleveland, Ohio
"640K ought to be enough for anybody." - Bill Gates (1955-Present) in 1981 |
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dsless
join:2001-05-16
Pittsburgh, PA
|  reply to c24h23n2o
Re: Yinzer Beer
said by c24h23n2o :
Bistro...we do not like Iron City Beer Either.
It is hard the tell the difference between Iron City Beer and a urine specimen. |
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mrs213
join:2002-05-25
Pittsburgh, PA | reply to KrK
Re: Crazy.... Nuts!
Well, bad example on the patatching potholes/street-sweeping thing. PennDOT is the single most worthless entity on Earth, and the potholes here can bend a frame, and routinely destroy standard and alloy wheels alike.
No, I'm not kidding. |
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kieselbach
Premium
join:2001-05-23
BRAZIL |  CORPORATE AMERICA vs. CITIZENS
or better.... big corporations against citizens and technological development. First monopolies interests and if something is left the customer can take. No wonder it`s the same everywhere, specially here in Brazil. |
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sherpaboy
join:2001-07-06
Seattle, WA
| NCT
We should just give all of our money to the government and have them provide all of our services for us. To hell with private enterprise. Our altruistic government officials are loving caring people who want nothing more than to deliver us a utopian society with OC3's for everybody. |
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