SamsungSucks
Infinita Tristeza
Premium
join:2004-12-31
Japan Inc. | ...
Capitalism at its best! |
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jazzy_
join:2004-01-27
Charleston, SC | perfect example of why these huge mergers shouldn't be allowed to go through. |
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BIGMIKE
Premium
join:2002-06-07
Westminster, CA | reply to SamsungSucks
FIOS is still so much faster. |
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rradina
join:2000-08-08
Chesterfield, MO
2 edits | reply to SamsungSucks
Just like we get net neutrality...
Just like we get net neutrality...if there's competition?
I'm not convinced that this is capitalism at its best. The laws in the US have been refined to recognize capitalism in a competitive environment and unchecked capitalism due to a monopoly/oligopoly. TW's actions are driven by its HSI monopoly status rather than an honest plan to continually improve its service.
I've often wondered what would happen if the last mile fiber was owned by local governments and ISPs competed at concentrators for each household's services.
Since I know the last sentence will never happen, I can only hope that coming and future wireless technologies will hold enough promise to provide multiple competitors to fiber and cable deployments. |
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chemaupr
join:2005-06-06
Alexandria, VA | reply to SamsungSucks
No Market Options - No Competition- No Upgrades
We can brag about having a FREE and OPEN Market. However, what good is a market with a single option. Comcast and other cable providers give you the idea. No competition, no service upgrade unless we said so. |
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SamsungSucks
Infinita Tristeza
Premium
join:2004-12-31
Japan Inc.
| reply to rradina
Re: Just like we get net neutrality...
said by rradina  : TW's actions are driven by its HSI monopoly status rather than an honest plan to continually improve its service. My point exactly! |
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MarkyD
Premium
join:2002-08-20
Oklahoma City, OK
clubs:
 ·Cox HSI
| =\
Even 10/1 is pathetic compared to what Verizon is offering. Not really surprising for Road Runner, though. I have never experienced such horrible service from ANY company until moving to El Paso, where TWC is the incumbent cable provider.
--
-Put this in your profile if you know someone who is fighting, has survived, or died from ninja attacks. |
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radougherty
join:1999-07-23
Austin, TX | Guess they're not worried about AT&T Lightspeed
So upgraded only happen in FIOS area, I think that speaks volumns about AT&T's offering being a so what as far as cable companies are concerned. Very limited HD offerings and nothing special on the internet speed front. |
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Rob A
Same Old Jets
Premium
join:2005-01-17
Pompton Plains, NJ | Not surprising
All companies are doing this. |
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older dog
Premium
join:2005-06-09
Norwich, NY
| reply to SamsungSucks
Re: Just like we get net neutrality...
said by SamsungSucks :said by rradina : TW's actions are driven by its HSI monopoly status rather than an honest plan to continually improve its service. My point exactly! Seems to be the common theme among providers.
»FrontierNet Internet Access
A link to the frontier forums since it was mentioned in the article. |
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snipper_cr
join:2002-01-22
Wheaton, IL
clubs:
| reply to Rob A
Re: Not surprising
I thought that was the norm too. You get faster speeds only if there is competition in the area. Comcast did it, and now TW is doing it. It only makes sense. Why would a company want to offer services that cost THEM more when you have no other real alternative?
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Serenity Day - June 23rd 2006. You Can't Stop the Signal |
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Hall
Premium,MVM
join:2000-04-28
Dayton, OH
 ·EarthLink
·AT&T Midwest
·Earthlink Cable Mo..
| reply to Rob A
said by Rob A :All companies are doing this. It's completely normal but when it comes to internet speeds and service, it seems NO ONE will ever be happy.
I mean, when a gas station lowers their price, the neighboring gas station does too... It's called competition and when it exists, it normally benefits the consumer. When it doesn't exist, you live with it. You can't blame ANY cable company that they're the only provider in town. They didn't do anything to create this. Other cablecos are free to come into a city and build an infrastructure but they choose not to, just like most of us buy gas at the station that's $.05/gallon cheaper.
Ask people in smaller towns how much a DVD rental at Blockbuster costs when BB is the *only* rental place in town. Then ask how much BB charges in a town where there's many options. Similarities will be noted... |
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SquareSlinky
Premium
join:2004-05-25
Tampa, FL | reply to BIGMIKE
Re: ...
BrightHouse in Tampa was a perfect example of this. Even with competition in town the company get see beyond its own arrogance.
FIOS/FIOS TV in my house.  |
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NyQuil Kid
8f The Nyquil Kid
join:2001-01-06
Brick, NJ
·Comcast
·Verizon Online DSL
| Stunning hyprocrisy and ignorance
It's amazing how people will, from one corner of their mouth, bemoan the lack of municipal-operated internet service and from the other corner complain about the bureaucracy under which such municipal entities operate. Are people that completely obtuse as to believe muni-operated internet service will be any different from other muni oriented services (pot-holes in roads, getting paperwork completed, taxes....)?
The conclusion that should be drawn from this is that most people haven't the slightest concept of what competition means, don't think beyond their immediate needs and demonstrate such immense ignorance of reality one wonders how they manage to survive from day to day. (My guess is they have signs on their wall stating "First Pants, Then Shoes" - that way, they know how to dress in the morning).
The equation is simple - free markets, _OVER TIME_, produce superior results. State enterprises, on the whole, do not. It is not an overnight process, and it is not a simple matter of "add water and mix" - brace yourselves, but change _TAKES TIME_ - learn to suck it up and deal with it.
[8F] The NyQuil Kid
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[8F] The NyQuil Kid comes into town not looking for trouble...n00bz gang up, but he ain't seein' double,...pulls and draws, his deagles two...n00bz litter the ground you know it's true. |
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viperpa33s
Why Me?
Premium
join:2002-12-20
Bradenton, FL
·Bright House
| Progress at it's best
What ever happened to to, we will offer it if the people are willing to pay for it? Now it's we will offer it only if there is competition. So that means if a Telco or cable company is the only game in town, those people will be stuck in the slow lane. Of course the people are stuck with what they have cause they have no alternatives. Wow, progress at it's best. Is this what they mean by giving the customer a good user experience? |
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tmc8080
join:2004-04-24
Floral Park, NY
| add them up
they compete AT each other, not against each other...
cable cos still attack satellite for video customers, and dsl for their main comparisons on triple play packages.. not FIOS.
much like sticking the roadrunner's head in the shifting sand of fios deployment. to acknowledge the REAL potential competition, is to ADMIT that they are on the losing side of the last mile quality battle, but have MORE CUSTOMERS and a larger MARKETSHARE for the time being..
packages are 10/2, 15/5, 20/5, 30/5 50/5 and claims of business packages upto 100mbits already in press releases.. but I've yet to see anything published other than possible 50/10, 50/15, 50/50.
... and lets not let this be a one sided comment: telcos, including verizon have yet to PUSH voip as a competitive product to cableco voip because its in their best interest no to at this point. still, cablevision is racking up some high numbers in voip lines, and it makes you wonder when verizon will wake up to see an achilles heel in the FIOS triple play with "fios ported>POTS". for example: POTS fcc line charge $6.39 a month!! total ny metro taxes ~$14.50 a month |
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dadkins
Can you do Blu?
Premium,MVM
join:2003-09-26
Hercules, CA
·Comcast
| reply to Hall
Re: Not surprising
I'd be happy, if a company like Paxio would hit my town... buy whatever SYMMETRICAL speed you wish. Upto 1gbps(both ways).
Someone with some big bucks needs to get behind these smaller kickass ISPs and start deploying some reality!
Sure makes Verizon look like a pile of dog doo doo...
SureWest at 10/10 or 20/20 would do, ya know?
--
Think outside the Fox... Opera |
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nasadude
join:2001-10-05
Rockville, MD
·Comcast
| reply to NyQuil Kid
Re: Stunning hyprocrisy and ignorance
said by NyQuil Kid :... The equation is simple - free markets, _OVER TIME_, produce superior results. State enterprises, on the whole, do not. It is not an overnight process, and it is not a simple matter of "add water and mix" - brace yourselves, but change _TAKES TIME_ - learn to suck it up and deal with it. [8F] The NyQuil Kid How much _TIME_ are you willing to give this market? Competition was supposed to occur when the 1996 telecom act was passed. There was some effort at competition, but it was easily beaten back by the incumbents and aided and abetted by inadequate enforcement of the 1996 act provisions.
So it's been 10 years since that was supposed to bring competition; again, I ask, how much _TIME_ should we allow for competition to develop? Back in 1996 the U.S. was ranked #1 for broadband; now we are ranked anywhere from 12th to 16th.
How much _TIME_ should pass and how far will the U.S. fall behind the rest of the industrialized world, before our "free market" in broadband is judged to have failed the U.S. consumer? |
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older dog
Premium
join:2005-06-09
Norwich, NY
| reply to NyQuil Kid
I posted this some time back, it is still appropriate and fits here.
The problem is that Monopolies have a poor history of providing a fair price; with out competition there prices skyrocket.
Example
about 30 years ago municipal electric was touted as a fix for high electric prices. the monopolies ran fake adverts on how these people were doomed to blackouts and high prices.
A small number of towns around here took the challenge.
The first 10 years were a bit rough as they learned, and paid off start up costs
Ever single one is now profitable returning money to the town coffers and providing rates that are 1/3 to 1/2 of the Monopoly.
With out competition free enterprise lets down the end user, and only benefits the investor
Muni and coops are what seem to work where competition is not present. |
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Vonage User5
join:2004-05-15
Hillsborough, NC
| reply to SamsungSucks
Re: ...
Ive just tried the RR lite. Ive had it now for about a month.
The speeds are 700k/170k up, i use Viatalk 1 line at home,(dumped vonage), and play cs online.
I can not tell a differance in the lite and when i had the regular 5meg/500k other than the price going from 45 to 25 a month. I cant get DSL so thats out of the question.
My phone call quality is the same as it was and i cannot tell a deifference when im using firefox. A friend of mine who has DSL with a 3meg/500k connection has a higher ping than me on the counterstrike servers we get on, go figure.
Hands down im completely satisfied with it.
Considering i use voice over ip as well as being on the net alot i figured i would pass it along to some who thinks its just not enough bandwidth. If you rarely download anything like myself, please give it a shot.
Its a shame twc cant just lower there prices, but considering that theyre a monopoly (in my area) i dont expect them to.
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