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Comments on news posted 2008-01-22 09:56:11: Remember all of the talk about how when the phone company got into the TV business, you'd see lower prices? Apparently they were just kidding. The Boston Globe notes that RCN, Comcast and Verizon are all raising prices in the region. ..
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WiseOldNerd
De gustibus non est disputandum
Premium
join:2001-11-25
Phoenix, AZ | Greed Simply greed.  | |
| | | | | SyNiSt3r
join:2007-04-26
Morristown, TN | Re: Greed Nah, He got it right. Its just greed. | |
| | | | moonpuppy
join:2000-08-21
Glen Burnie, MD
 ·Verizon Online DSL
| Re: Greed said by SyNiSt3r  :Nah, He got it right. Its just greed. Greed of the content providers.  | |
| | | | | bjack
join:2006-01-30
Reading, MA
| Re: Greed Uh, last time I check most people pay $33 bucks a month for all 3 services, and FiOS TV is only $99 as well for 2 years. Seems to me those deals would be around if there wasn't competition, so all you blow hards who say competition doesn't do jack are idiots.
A friend of mine got a $300 rebate to stay with Comcast when he said he was going to a competitor, and they still gave him the $33/month rate for 3 years. Sounds like they are losing more money than trying to raise basic prices...
Yes, competition doesn't help prices. Complete morons on these threads.... | |
| | | | | | moonpuppy
join:2000-08-21
Glen Burnie, MD
·Verizon Online DSL
| Re: Greed said by bjack :Uh, last time I check most people pay $33 bucks a month for all 3 services, and FiOS TV is only $99 as well for 2 years. Seems to me those deals would be around if there wasn't competition, so all you blow hards who say competition doesn't do jack are idiots. A friend of mine got a $300 rebate to stay with Comcast when he said he was going to a competitor, and they still gave him the $33/month rate for 3 years. Sounds like they are losing more money than trying to raise basic prices... Yes, competition doesn't help prices. Complete morons on these threads.... Really? So what happens if you only have one provider as do many places in this country?  | |
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Matt
Take me down to the paradise city
Premium
join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC
·North State Commun..
| Re: Greed said by moonpuppy :said by bjack :Uh, last time I check most people pay $33 bucks a month for all 3 services, and FiOS TV is only $99 as well for 2 years. Seems to me those deals would be around if there wasn't competition, so all you blow hards who say competition doesn't do jack are idiots. A friend of mine got a $300 rebate to stay with Comcast when he said he was going to a competitor, and they still gave him the $33/month rate for 3 years. Sounds like they are losing more money than trying to raise basic prices... Yes, competition doesn't help prices. Complete morons on these threads.... Really? So what happens if you only have one provider as do many places in this country? Satellite? That's what I did when I got sick of paying high prices for no HD channels. | |
| | | | | | | | moonpuppy
join:2000-08-21
Glen Burnie, MD
·Verizon Online DSL
| Re: Greed said by Matt :Satellite? That's what I did when I got sick of paying high prices for no HD channels. Unfortunately, DBS services are not available everywhere. Line of sight, trees, etc. | |
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ughhhhhh
@sbc.com
| Re: Greed I'm so sick of this argument. There are pros and cons for everywhere you decide to live.
Like the country? There's less traffic, wildlife, lots of nature, no wailing sirens, etc. What is bad about it is sometimes you trade these positives for negatives, like limited broadband/TV choices.
Pick what is your priority. | |
| | | | | | | | | | Lazlow
join:2006-08-07
Saint Louis, MO | Re: Greed I assume that you are taking about people who live out in the proverbial sticks. But what about those of us who are living in the city and still have no real choice. St. Louis is not exactly out in the sticks and yet I really have only one choice. | |
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Just Leave
@execulink.com
| Re: Greed Move.
As he said, pick your priorities. If Pay-TV is a big part of your life, then move someplace that has more than one provider and better pricing. St. Louis has to have some redeeming qualities as a city. It might be a TV wasteland, but there's got to be something keeping you there. | |
| | | | | | | | | | roadrat
join:2005-12-07
Ballwin, MO
 ·AT&T U-Verse
| Re: Greed said by Just Leave :
Move.
St. Louis has to have some redeeming qualities as a city. Ha HA! I'm still searching for an answer to THAT one!
But St. Louis has choices. They have Charter, Dish, and some areas have UVERSE. Charter seems pretty proud of their product. The key is to sign up for new packages every three months. Otherwise they will eventually own your 401K. | |
| | | | | | | | john262
join:2003-09-26
Elko, NV | I'm a Directv subscriber, and my bill went up last year too. So they are not immune from this. | |
| | | | | | | | | UncleDirtNap
join:2006-08-26
Pittsburgh, PA
·Verizon FIOS
| Re: Greed Satellite providers are buying content from the same media companies and subject to the same effects of forced bundling.
Until that unethical practise is stopped there's no true competition and no end in sight for increases in service cost to the consumer. | |
| | | | | | joker5656
join:2006-06-23
Dallas, GA
 ·Charter Pipeline
| 99$ if your in a competition area or a new customer maybe. I'm not i currently pay150 for TV and Internet. i get rapped every month pass me the butter  . there making money and its greed. just look at Comcast, how many price rates did they need to raise. there loosing money so the raise rates. Want customers, LOWER rates and people will flock to you. When will these idiots learn. bet they loose alot of customers, except Verizon cause who wouldn't mind 20/20 symmetrical at 55$ or what ever. hell i pay around $60 for 10/1. | |
| | | | | | hottboiinnc
ME
join:2003-10-15
Cleveland, OH
·Time Warner Cable
·buckeye cable
| i get the same deal with TWC Triple Play Internet is $35 per month for 15/768 and i get 14.8 of down and 700 roughly for upload its reg. $50 per month. Phone is roughly the same. Had it before DSL was even deployed here. Rate is even a year- after the year call back in and get the same deal. | |
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SRFireside
join:2001-01-19
Houston, TX
| Only because they have no competition. Very few areas have a choice between cable providers. At best a customer can pick between technologies (cable or satellite), which is not true competition. If consumers had true choice over their television provider you wouldn't be seeing annual rate hikes. | |
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JeepMatt
Delaware Fios
Premium
join:2001-12-28
Wilmington, DE
·Verizon FIOS
1 edit | Re: Greed said by SRFireside :Only because they have no competition. Very few areas have a choice between cable providers. At best a customer can pick between technologies (cable or satellite), which is not true competition. If consumers had true choice over their television provider you wouldn't be seeing annual rate hikes. That's complete nonsense. In the Philly area - you could choose RCN, Comcast, FIOS TV, DISH or DirecTV - and all are increasing rates.
So - competition doesn't mean jack shit. | |
| | | | | itguy05
join:2005-06-17
Camp Hill, PA
| Re: Greed quote:
So - competition doesn't mean jack shit.
BINGO!!!! Competition only makes us feel better. It rarely ever results in lower prices. Why would I open a company and sell Widget X for $50 less than Company B when people are buying them at the original price at Company B? I'm going to charge roughly the same as Company B as that's what the market will pay.... | |
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Chiyo
Save Me Konata-Chan
Premium
join:2003-02-20
Minneapolis, MN
clubs:
·Comcast
| Re: Greed Who told you of my expensive widgets!! Someone's head is going to roll and stop browsing my awesome Company B website! you might not like the capped widget I'm producing only slight amount of use and then she stops for the month.
That is unless your willing to pay! | |
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sbrook
Premium,Mod
join:2001-12-14
H0H 0H0
·Rogers Hi-Speed
Host:
Rogers
Bell Canada
| Re: Greed Collusion is unfortunately hard to prove, but oligopolies certainly play the game of watching for hints and rumours that one is going to raise prices, so they prepare their own price increase package to match the rumours, so hey presto, as soon as one company pushes the price up (because they've been watching the others rumours of price increases too), they all move up in near lock step.
Gasoline was famous for that ... so much so in some markets to avoid charges of collusion and price fixing, they actually try hard to avoid the appearance of lock step pricing, but in reality, they follow suit eventually.
It's all about pushing up prices because they can ... and they'll push it up to what the market will bear without pushing customer loss rates over the monthly "churn" numbers. When you've got over 1 million customers with a normal monthly churn of about 1 to 2%, you can afford to lose a lot of customers complaining about price hikes without significant impact on the bottom line! | |
| | | | | | | | fiberguy
My views are my own.
Premium
join:2005-05-20
| Re: Greed I bet Monopolies and Duo-opolies are breathing a sigh of relief.. the new target, these days, are now oligopolies.
Ever wonder why they move up in lock step? Maybe your target isn't really the carriers.. maybe its the studious, or better yet, maybe it's the actors and actresses causing the rise in cost "in lock step"..
As for gas, in MN, I can assure you it's not the stations. They are all pushing their .08 cents above cost; the legal minimum, and yet they are still all moving at the same price.
While your post looks to be well formed and uses some good terms, it's still off target, and panders to those that love to hate cable & phone - just because. I mean, remember, Cable companies is where it all starts, flows, and ends, right? ... think. | |
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sbrook
Premium,Mod
join:2001-12-14
H0H 0H0
·Rogers Hi-Speed
Host:
Rogers
Bell Canada
| Re: Greed said by fiberguy :Ever wonder why they move up in lock step? Maybe your target isn't really the carriers.. maybe its the studious, or better yet, maybe it's the actors and actresses causing the rise in cost "in lock step".. As for gas, in MN, I can assure you it's not the stations. They are all pushing their .08 cents above cost; the legal minimum, and yet they are still all moving at the same price. While your post looks to be well formed and uses some good terms, it's still off target, and panders to those that love to hate cable & phone - just because. I mean, remember, Cable companies is where it all starts, flows, and ends, right? ... think. You have a different gas marketing system there in MN! Here prices are set by the distributor, except for a very few "non-distributor controlled" stations, and they get squeezed very hard if they lower prices!
I DO think that the cable operators and telcos take advantage of their customers because they are a nearly captive audience, and a rather apathetic one at that! The people willing to bail rather than pay the increases is astonishingly low.
I DO think that the distributors take advantage of their customers, and so on up the chain. At the same time, instead of making fair and reasonable profits, they all charge what they think the market will bear.
In the case of internet, the buck stops with the cable or telco operator. | |
| | | | | | | | | | fiberguy
My views are my own.
Premium
join:2005-05-20
| Re: Greed As far as gas goes.. we're now talking the difference of Canada and the US. Many states in the US have controls on Gas and how it's prices. MN isn't the only state that has a legal minimum and it doens't matter WHO sets the price.. it has to be a certain amount above the wholesale price because too many small guys were being priced out of the market.
Cable and telco operators are not necessarily taking advantage of their customers. In fact, many content providers are taking advantage of the cable and phone providers because they know they can.
As I said in another post here,.. try this out. Try Comcast wants to put ESPN in a tier of it's own or into a sports tier and reduce basic cable. What will happen? Will they get it? Maybe.. or maybe not. What will ESPN do? Either 1) not re-sign the contract knowing that subscribers will flock to the bird carriers as they have in the case of the Lifetime/Oxygen case, Big 10, and even SINClair's local stunt they pulled. They even go as far to partner up with the other carrier by offering sign up rebates for those switching over the dispute (which SHOULD be illegal)
The consumer doesn't care.. plain and simple and this is pure, hard core evidence. The consumer won't stick out and fight, actually, let me say this.. the American public doesn't care to stand up for what is right and make a sacrifice anymore ... they're whipped! The US public has become a "ME" society... "what's in it for me?" .. and is ALWAYS quick to point the finger, come to conclusions, and react and tell their stories of "I know what's going on.." as they embarrass themselves with false facts. It's for this reason I do not really jump on the bandwagon with the daily bitchers... because as much as people think they care about what's going on around them, the fact is they don't.
The distributors DO take advantage of their customers and you hit the nail on the head.. BUT, there is NOTHING wrong with charging what the market can bear. However, this too is in genuine as well.
The consumer will sit here and bitch over cable, tv, and internet.. three services they claim to be important. BUT, you NEVER hear them complain that the cost of a good meal, eating out, is a travisty either. For this reason, I also do not care to support these people in their fights. People need to be fair across the board so they don't look like fools in the process, AND start making choices as to what is important to them.
The fact is that EVERYTHING goes up.. EVERYONE is out to get what the market can bear.. it's only what people are willing to recognize as important to them is to what they will stand up and notice. The fact remains, just about EVERYTHING is priced at what the market will pay.. What I have a problem with is listening to people say on one hand that they can't live with out TV and internet.. even phone, but aren't willing to pay for it. On the other hand, they will justify their argument of not wanting to pay because they now can't take that vacation, simple trip, or eat out like they used to... boo hoo. Prioritize.. because not everyone can have it all. THAT is a fact. | |
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sbrook
Premium,Mod
join:2001-12-14
H0H 0H0
·Rogers Hi-Speed
Host:
Rogers
Bell Canada
| Re: Greed So, you're saying it's OK to charge what the market will bear because the market is too apathetic to care, even though they're going into huge debt and ending up taking sub-prime loans to pay for this debt, which in turn causes industry collapse which hurts them twice.
I think the consumer DOES care, otherwise she wouldn't come into forums like these and complain. BUT what she's found is that complaining to the people setting the prices is totally ineffectual, to the point where for many companies, taking business elsewhere doesn't mean a darned thing ... take the responses many cancellation departments give "OK Thanks for your business Is there anything else I can help you with?" When cancellations are below the rate for consumer churn, businesses don't care enough to realize what at least some of the consumers are trying to tell them. | |
| | | | | | | | | | fiberguy
My views are my own.
Premium
join:2005-05-20
| Re: Greed said by sbrook :So, you're saying it's OK to charge what the market will bear because the market is too apathetic to care, even though they're going into huge debt and ending up taking sub-prime loans to pay for this debt, which in turn causes industry collapse which hurts them twice. In a nut.. yes. I am... that's called supply and demand and is part of our economy in the U.S. ....
People are going into HUGE debt because of bad PERSONAL choices and not because of ANY OTHER reason.
Seriously, you can sit there with a straight face and blame sub-prime loans as the cause? .. blame cable rates as the cause?
You think that if people can't afford a home the normal way (and not betting) that they should have gone ahead with the loan? (Even know what sub-prime means in the first place? or are you just going off talking points?) You think that people HAVE to have it all? You think they can't pass up expensive cable and buy only what they can afford? Any of those people in debt have expensive cell phones? (And they ALL are expensive - it's STILL the most expensive way to make a phone call today) How about how many times they eat out? How much of that debt is Christmas?
People come into forums like this and complain not because of high prices.. they come here to complain about their own personal greed; the "I want to have it all and at a price *I* want to pay." You do realize that people come here saying that even $9.99 is too much for internet for a 6/384 line. You DO realize that people have often said they want the government to provide internet as well, right? Any idea WHO exactly that government is? and where it gets its money?
People come here with mis-placed expectations all the time. People here also believe that pay television service is still a 'right'.. the ONLY right to television comes over the air and to some it's still not good enough for them.
You want to know why cancellation departments have the "OK, Thanks for your business, Is there anything else I can help you with?!" line? (and really, now you're pissing me off) For one, you're sitting there blindly trying to make a point that doesn't exist. People DAILY report they call up the so-called cancellation line, or as I like to call it, the I'm going to bluff them line, and get reduced rates. You don't think for one minute that some companies or reps 'get it' and realize when someone is calling and isn't seriously leaving? .. rather just looking for a deal? Some people get deals.. some people get the shrug off. Yet, you sit here, living in the land of make believe, and say that people are just getting the shrug off when you know that's not true.
According to people like you, a company should not be able to make a profit. According to you, share holders should never get a dividend in return for putting their money up as part of our capitol system. According to you, the government should hand everything out to everyone probably "because it would make more sense".. You don't think that companies don't get it? you think that companies aren't in a fight for their own existence as well?
There are attacks on many levels, in case you can't see past your own ilk. Everyday one company is under attack from the others. Providers are jacking carriers. Customers are finding ways to get something for nothing. There is PLENTY of not caring out there and it doesn't always sit at the company level.
Finally, business doesn't have to "care"... they aren't your mommy and daddies.. they provider a service at a price. You take it or leave it. You do not have a 'right' to have everything.
It seems to me that people like you need to take off the rose colored glasses.
One of the most common mistakes made by consumers, is that if they are not happy with their choices, they can absolutely go with out. This would be an option that many people chose not to use. There is ONE thing in life that IS true and that is you will NEVER make everyone happy all the time. Maybe this is why you don't see companies, governments, et all, jumping through hoops every time some group gets bent out of shape.
Sorry - I just don't agree with your thinking. And for the records, I also do not agree with the impending U.S. Government's attempt to try and bail out these ARM loans. People knew that the rates would jump in a few years and did NOTHING to prepare for it.. including not taking the loan to begin with.
It's all about personal choice. So, since other people make bad choices, what DOES happen is everyone else gets to pay for them. No thank you! | |
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sbrook
Premium,Mod
join:2001-12-14
H0H 0H0
1 edit | Re: Greed Well, fibreguy, I'm not taking your bait any further. I think my positions have merit. Clearly you don't view the world as others ... and I know I'm not the first to fall afoul of your particular brand of rhetoric. | |
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sbrook
Premium,Mod
join:2001-12-14
H0H 0H0
·Rogers Hi-Speed
Host:
Rogers
Bell Canada
| Re: Greed Grumpy, absolutely. But remember that people are baited on by government rhetoric "to help every American own their own home" and "the American dream" (and no I'm not saying it's unique to Americans ... pick a country, nearly any country).
At the same time, in spite of the words others are putting in my mouth, I too don't believe in governments bailing out bad choices, but at the same time, consumers need protection from predatory marketing of things like loans that are beyond their means. Note I said predatory. Just look at the TV ads for all those lenders that suddenly vapourised this autumn! There was some sense in those 20% interest rates for loans and 30+ % for credit cards back around 1980 to limit people's use of credit! But with low rates, the lenders need to lend even more to earn those millions! | |
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jsz0
join:2008-01-23
Jewett City, CT
·Comcast
| I couldn't agree more Fiberguy. I'm amazed at the sense of entitlement people have these days especially when it comes to entertainment services. As much as people whine about high prices they cannot live without their American Idol, football, baseball, cartoons for the kids, etc, etc. These companies actually have an obligation to their share holders to make money. If the price increase is too high then you know what? Cancel. Read a book. Watch a DVD. Listen to a CD. There's plenty of competition it just happens consumers have overwhelmingly chosen subscription based TV. I'm just sick of hearing about how companies are "screwing the consumer" when the consumer is clearly willing to pay more for the service. That's not screwing you, it's capitalism. | |
| | | | | | B
Premium,MVM
join:2000-10-28
|
I wouldn't have believed you a few years ago, but have you noticed that even GENERIC over the counter drugs are priced really, really high lately? Generic acetaminophen used to be around 1/5 the price of Tylenol; these days you're lucky if it's a dollar cheaper.
-- B (or Andy Rooney, take your pick)
--
In a realm outside causality and function | |
| | | | | nasadude
join:2001-10-05
Rockville, MD
·Comcast
| said by JeepMatt :[That's complete nonsense. In the Philly area - you could choose RCN, Comcast, FIOS TV, DISH or DirecTV - and all are increasing rates. So - competition doesn't mean jack shit. where you live do you have the choice between all of those companies? I'm guessing you don't. In the DC metro area, all those companies are present also, but I can only get comcast for wireline broadband and tv.
therefore, although you mention 5 companies, in reality someone may only have a choice between one wireline company and one or both of the sat companies. 3 businesses in one market is not necessarily competitive.
heck, I will say it directly: the tv business in the U.S. is not a competitive market, period. | |
| | | | | | fiberguy
My views are my own.
Premium
join:2005-05-20
| Re: Greed Three isn't competition? Then when exactly WILL it be competition?
From what I gather, Rockville, MD, isn't one of the TV hot spots in the country. (JT makes that pretty clear.. daily)... But still, three choices for a major service like TV or internet is still pretty competitive to me.
In the Twin Cities, it's 2 Sat and 1 cable and yet it's very aggressive here. As for telephone and internet, same thing.. 2 major carriers.. I believe it also has to do with the need of these services and the desire of the consumer to kick up some dust. Maybe that's not happening in your neck of the woods. | |
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roc5955
Premium
join:2005-11-26
Rosendale, NY
·RoadRunner Cable
| said by JeepMatt :That's complete nonsense. In the Philly area - you could choose RCN, Comcast, FIOS TV, DISH or DirecTV - and all are increasing rates. So - competition doesn't mean jack shit. JeepMatt, can you say COLLUSION?! This is the likely reason why they are all raising rates. But then again, they may not be getting enough welfare from the government.
--
"Understanding is a three-edged sword." | |
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KrK
Heavy Artillery For The Little Guy
Premium
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK | Well except Dish isn't.... but maybe next year they will.
Anyways, point taken. | |
| | | | | axus
join:2001-06-18
Washington, DC
·Verizon Online DSL
| Competition does mean something. It's not perfect, we don't operate in a perfect market, free of contracts, but over time it keeps costs down. It helps at the start, when companies drop their prices to no profit to increase their market share. It helps when the business is stagnating and the only way to grow is take someone else's customers.
Companies change, the old alliances and truces will break down. New technology and practices will come to lower costs, then the rebates and deals will come out heralding competitive war. The biggest dangers are when companies merge or go bankrupt, and less competitors are remaining. | |
| | | | | grumpy3b
join:2001-12-11
Lompoc, CA | right it's not competition...it's called collusion...but try and prove it. | |
| | | | | | patcat88
join:2002-04-05
Jamaica, NY | Re: Greed Take middle management, hand cuff them, put them in dark room with 1 dim incadescent light above on a cord, and a few men in suits in the dark corners of the room, nail pullers and revolver are optional. Other choice is lie detector or nail pullers. | |
| | | emptywig
Huh? What?
Premium
join:2002-08-05
Pasadena, TX
| BS. If the cable companies would show us, in print, the higher content prices that they are compensating for, then I would accept that. They don't.
The guy said it right there in print "Price adjustments reflect the increased value of our services." That means "we know that people will pay more." That's what those words mean.
That was their FIRST explanation. That's THE reason.
wig
--
"There is nothing- absolutely nothing- half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats." | |
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See 6 replies to this post | |
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sbrook
Premium,Mod
join:2001-12-14
H0H 0H0
·Rogers Hi-Speed
Host:
Rogers
Bell Canada
| Let's remember who the content provider's customers are here ... the distributors ... i.e. the cable cos etc. So the distributors are willing to pay the content providers increases and then pass it on to the consumer. Do you see them telling the content providers "No!"??? | |
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TKJunkMail
Enjoy the sun
Premium
join:2002-03-03
Avalon, NJ
 ·Sprint Mobile Broa..
·Comcast
1 edit | Re: Greed said by sbrook :Let's remember who the content provider's customers are here ... the distributors ... i.e. the cable cos etc. So the distributors are willing to pay the content providers increases and then pass it on to the consumer. Do you see them telling the content providers "No!"??? They often say NO. And then the customers run to their congresscritters and Governors whining about the big bad cable companies not carrying their favorite channel in the basic tier. See the NFLNetwork brouhaha over this very issue.
--
Internet News
My BLOG
My Web Page | |
| | | | | moonpuppy
join:2000-08-21
Glen Burnie, MD
·Verizon Online DSL
| Re: Greed said by TKJunkMail :They often say NO. And then the customers run to their congresscritters and Governors whining about the big bad cable companies not carrying their favorite channel in the basic tier. See the NFLNetwork brouhaha over this very issue. Only difference between NFL Network and ESPN is because it is one channel instead of ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Classic, Disney, Disney Family, ABC, etc, | |
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Richard B
Fur It Up
join:2007-06-22
Portland, OR
·Comcast
| Or worst the content providers go over the head and appeal to the customer. A few years ago Comcast had a distribute with (i believe) Viacom, Turner or NBC universal over fees. The content provide simply started spitting out press releases and running marquees during populars shows telling customers to call their cable company less the channel will no long be carried. | |
| | | | | | moonpuppy
join:2000-08-21
Glen Burnie, MD
·Verizon Online DSL
| Re: Greed said by Richard B :Or worst the content providers go over the head and appeal to the customer. A few years ago Comcast had a distribute with (i believe) Viacom, Turner or NBC universal over fees. The content provide simply started spitting out press releases and running marquees during populars shows telling customers to call their cable company less the channel will no long be carried. Then the cable and DBS companies need to go on the offensive and show that the increased cost of the channels and bundling will be passed on to them.
If a cable company told me I was going to have my rates raised $5/month because NBC told them they not only had to charge more per channel but I also had to pay for channels I may not want to see, then you will see how angry people would get at the content providers and not the cable companies. Right now, the networks are struggling to show anything written and produced before the writer's strike. Even the Oscars are in big danger of becoming a 1 hour press conference. Don't know about you but I can't stand another minute of American Idol. | |
| | | | UncleDirtNap
join:2006-08-26
Pittsburgh, PA
·Verizon FIOS
| They can't say no. The practice of forced bundling allows the content producers to tack on any crap they want and require the cable cos to pay for the just to get the material they and their customers want.
That's why Verizon, AT&T and the industry associations of small cable cos who have no financial link to the content producers have been behind FCC Chairman's Martin's efforts to end the practice and why Comcast and Timewarner have been opposed to it and have their paid shills in Congress named Pelosi and Ried trying to stop him an legislation to address the problem.
If you ever hope to see rates come down, call your representative and tell them to quit licking Comcast and TimeWarner's boots and end the practice of forced bundling.
Nothing will ever change on price until that happens.
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| | | nasadude
join:2001-10-05
Rockville, MD
·Comcast
| I don't usually agree with TK (or TCH or HCT), but in this case he is right - the incumbents are doing what they are supposed to do, maximize revenue. Companies are in business to make money and have a legal duty to their shareholders.
that being said, it doesn't mean that some companies aren't controlled by greedy bastards. If you want to blame someone for the screwed up state of telecommunications in the U.S., blame congress and the government (FCC). They have totally abdicated their responsibilities to consumers thru their own greed (campaign bribes) and ideology (big business rocks!).
some companies actually give a sh1t about their customers, but that's not the natural state of things. until we have a government that takes it's duties to the public seriously, we will continue to have higher prices, slower speeds and less availability than in countries where they consider broadband important. | |
| | | elister
join:2006-07-17
Seattle, WA
| Correct!
Who owns these TV channels? Well ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX own a good chunk of them. Cable/Dish/IPTV operators sign 1 year contracts to aquire the channels customers want (typically channels 2-99). Each year companies re-sign the contract, each year the Channel Operators raise rates knowing full well theres no bargining process, no way to haggle the price down. If Cable/Dish/IPTV operators lose something as boring as Home Shopping Network, or Praise the Lord, customers will cancel and switch to someone who has it. Thats why you get rate increased for TV services each and every year.
Greed is raising rates on services that these companies control. Things like Internet, DVR and Phone. | |
| | | | fiberguy
My views are my own.
Premium
join:2005-05-20 | Re: Greed They sign each year, huh? Wow! You must have some good insider information!
They don't sign yearly.. they sign for multi-year terms. | |
| | | | | elister
join:2006-07-17
Seattle, WA | Re: Greed I work for a cable company. | |
| | | | | | fiberguy
My views are my own.
Premium
join:2005-05-20
| Re: Greed So...?! I guess you know the price of each converter, the annual loss on them, the amount of consumers that don't pay per month, the churn rate, cost of actually powering the plant, the cost of re-trans, the monthly cost of the company attorneys, cost of monthly plant repairs, total RGU's for your system, and I can go on if you'd like.
If you want to match resume to resume, I'd take that off line with you.. and I wish you luck!
I'm guessing Seattle, WA = Comcast. I'm also guessing that since it's Tuesday at 10am in your area, you're not at work posting this either which would also tell us that you are not an admin office employee because they tend to work Mon - Fri, 8am to 5pm. (Not to mention, I could tell you they don't really appreciate BBR surfing from company machines.)
Answering phones or installing the stuff doesn't mean you know contracts which aren't even handled in Seattle, WA or anywhere NEAR that area.
They don't sign annually. | |
| | | UncleDirtNap
join:2006-08-26
Pittsburgh, PA
·Verizon FIOS
| Yup and in the case of Comcast and TimeWarner they are both content producer and deliverer so they can keep sticking to their fledgling competion.
Write or call your representative in Congress and tell them to quit licking the boots of Comcast and TimeWarner executives by persuring bogus investgation of FCC Chairman Martin and get behind his efforts to bring true competition to the cable market with an end to forced bundling. | |
| | UncleDirtNap
join:2006-08-26
Pittsburgh, PA
·Verizon FIOS
2 edits | Greed yes, but not all on the part of the providers. True competition is never going to be realized until content producers are barred from the practice of forced bundling.
As long a media companies can continue to come up with BS programming and absurd channel themes and force the "cable" companies to accept and pay for them in order to get channels that people really want... prices will keep rising.
Comcast and TimeWarner have a particularly nefarious role in this in that they are stake holders in both content and delivery process and can force companies like Verizon and AT&T to keep taking on more and more of their crap and profit from it.
There will be no reduction in cost or real competition until an ala carte level of service is requires of all "cable" companies. | |
| 
gaforces
United We Stand, Divided We Fall
join:2002-04-07
Santa Cruz, CA | Price of OTA stays the same My over the air tuner works great, the past month I added 4 HD channels 
And I really like how DVD prices went down from the HD wars. | |
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See 24 replies to this post | |
jjoshua
Premium
join:2001-06-01
Scotch Plains, NJ | Lower prices are available I have Comcast but Fios is now available in my area. I called Comcast and asked for a better rate. I receved a $17/month discount on my internet service for 12 months. | |
| | jammmin
join:2000-12-14
Upper Marlboro, MD
| Re: Lower prices are available said by jjoshua :I have Comcast but Fios is now available in my area. I called Comcast and asked for a better rate. I receved a $17/month discount on my internet service for 12 months. I did the same thing with Comcawt also saving about $15 a month off the internet. They used to charge me $60 a month for being a non-cable tv subscriber. I now only pay $45 a month.(no contract) | |
|
sdfsefseg
@keybank.com | sounds to me........ ....like they will spew propaganda and promises to get there way and not follow through. | |
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jammmin
join:2000-12-14
Upper Marlboro, MD
| FIOS Verizon has said from day one (in a press release many moons ago) that they will NOT compete on price and that is why there prices are constantly inching upwards to what satellite and cable tv charge. FIOS TV is about the same price as satellite but still lower than cable. None of the TV providers will lower price. All they will do is offer special deals(such as the $99 triple play packages) to keep its customers. The triple play is a good deal since you save a lot of money versus if you subscribe to all 3 services separately.
What Verizon FIOS will do however eventually is to offer its customers the most channels, the most HD, the fastest internet, the best picture quality, the most VOD content so you will get more value for your money compared to the other services.
A few years from now, I guarantee you there will be very little difference in the price structure between the incumbent cable tv providers, Verizon FIOS and satellite | |
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| nanoflower
join:2002-07-14
30876 | Not Just in Boston I just received mail yesterday that spelled out a similar increase in the Atlanta area. So I suspect it may be nationwide. I guess the customers get to pay as Comcast tries to improve their handling of their customers. | |
| 
hopeflicker
Capitalism breeds greed
Premium
join:2003-04-03
Long Beach, CA
| Wasn't Competition Supposed To Bring Lower TV Prices? Wasn't Competition Supposed To Bring Lower TV Prices?
no, all it brought was longer term contracts that locked you in.
competition = long term contracts
plain and simple
--
Man created God in his image : intolerant, sexist, homophobic and violent. | |
| 
Noah Vail
Premium
join:2004-12-10
Lorton, VA
·RoadRunner Cable
| A chorus of complaining non-voters. This is no different
than hearing people complain
how they were negatively impacted
by local politics;
while they were uneducated and/or non-voting.
Everyone here has a voice and almost none will use it.
The entertainment providers know that the proletariat are too deep in tv addiction to give it up. That's why everyone here who continues to indulge will continue to pay just what they are told to pay.
I don't like being manipulated; by advertisers, by agendized content or by providers. I don't NEED television. I've never paid for it and haven't owned one in 15 years.
If you truly thought your provider was unethical in their offerings, you'd stop enabling them with your dollars.
However, the providers know their subscribers will ultimately do what they are told; and so they will.
But feel free to vent here if it makes you feel good.
NV | |
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hopeflicker
Capitalism breeds greed
Premium
join:2003-04-03
Long Beach, CA
| Re: A chorus of complaining non-voters. Voting doesn't always work, unfortunately. 
Im sure it goes to the level where politicians are paid off so these companies get their way.
--
Man created God in his image : intolerant, sexist, homophobic and violent. | |
| | |
Noah Vail
Premium
join:2004-12-10
Lorton, VA
·RoadRunner Cable
| Re: A chorus of complaining non-voters. said by hopeflicker :Voting doesn't always work, unfortunately. Im sure it goes to the level where politicians are paid off so these companies get their way. Well, my allegory focused on voters not the elected.
With TV providers, corruption wouldn't be the same problem.
If enough consumers vote against the media providers,
by withholding their dollars,
the media providers must give in or else die.
But that won't happen and the providers know it.
Therefore consumers will continue pay an larger amount for a larger product. And what they are buying is mostly made up of stuff they don't even want.
Nice deal huh?
So here, consumers are voluntarily getting screwed. Enjoying it actually. I suppose complaining about it adds to the experience for them.
So the masses are paying more than they know is fair,
for a product they largely don't want,
so that in the end they can be molded by marketers and agenda driven content,
into the types of consumers that will best serve Big Media.
Cool. I'll take two.
NV | |
| | | patcat88
join:2002-04-05
Jamaica, NY
| said by hopeflicker :Voting doesn't always work, unfortunately. Im sure it goes to the level where politicians are paid off so these companies get their way. As Kang and Kodos said "Its a 2 party system [either way we win]". Plus you have continuous bribing cough cough lobbying. Bloody revolution, Military Coup (guess who has all the weapons), or Hitler/Mussolini/Stalin/Lenin preacher type politicians with a personality cult can change government. | |
| b10010011
Whats a Posting tag?
join:2004-09-07
Bellingham, WA | increased value? If anything they should lower the prices. Since all their content providers writers are on strike the vast majority of programs are reruns. | |
| 
King P
Don't blame me. I voted for Ron Paul
Premium
join:2004-11-17
Inman, SC | My price stays low all the time... Terrestrial HDTV signals are all I need. Anything else, I'll go get off the net (legally) and watch on my computer.
--
Forget 'em, Support the Indies.
»www.ind-music.com | |
| | | fiberguy
My views are my own.
Premium
join:2005-05-20
1 edit | Re: Why did anyone think there'd be lower prices? Ok then.. lets be fair.. how does ANYONE know that the prices aren't lower? They could be MUCH higher by now with-out competition.
Will prices go down? No... Thinking that things like Cable TV are going to go down is along the same lines as people thinking we'll ever see gas around $1.00 per gallon again.
Can their be some governing of prices and hold them back from rising as much? Sure... will prices make a u-turn and go the other way? I'd say, don't hold your breath. Little things like $8.00 per hour minimum wage jobs don't help that situation any.. that's for sure. (Too bad there wasn't something called FastFoodReports.com so people can be angry when their Whopper goes to $3.00 each) | |
| | | 
JTRockville
Data Ho
Premium,MVM
join:2002-01-28
Rockville, MD
clubs: | Re: Why did anyone think there'd be lower prices? Well ok then. Bookmark this one. We agree!
Though your raised a good point - it never occured to me that prices might be MUCH higher here by now if Verizon hadn't deployed. | |
| 
karlmarx
join:2006-09-18
iraq
·Fairpoint Communic..
| The soluttion is very simple.. A-La-Carte. Period. Don't let the content providers OR the distributors FORCE you to get any channel you don't want to pay for. If ESPN wants to CHARGE $20.00 a month, then they won't have many viewers.
Look at it this way. Your local Broadcast station would be MORE than happy to sell you a HD feed for >$1.00 a month. Assuming you get the 'big 5', thats about $5.00 a month. Then let the customer choose whatever channels they are willing to pay for.
Comcast provides the 'pipe' for $10.00 a month, and that's ALL they provide. If comcast WANTS to bundle 100 channels for $50.00 a month, that's their right. But don't let the content providers try and sell those same channels 'a-la-carte' for $200.00 a month. Make the pricing of the 'bundle' reflective of the cost of all the channels.
The end effect would be a LOT less channels, but for most people, a much lower bill. Want to save $25.00 a month, just cancel those extra 20 channels. 99% of the people don't CARE about the golf channel, but if you want the discovery channel, you are forced to subsidize the golf channel by purchasing a $60.00 a month upgrade.
A-La-Carte pricing works well for Big Dish and the likes. That's the only way to force both the provider AND the distributor from 'colluding' to rip you off even more.
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Relgion and Politics don't mix! I have firsthand knowledge of what happens when ANY religion mixes with ANY politics. | |
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cbrain
join:2000-05-21
Silver Spring, MD | Free market? Free market in the day of the lobbyist, media politician and media raised consumer. | |
|
Agent 86
@comcast.net | Good for content providers The competition is good for content providers. They can charge higher prices now. | |
|
roc5955
Premium
join:2005-11-26
Rosendale, NY
·RoadRunner Cable
| RE: Wasn't Competition Supposed To Bring Lower TV Prices? Competition?!?! What competition? AFAIC, where I live, it's either satellite, cable, or two religious channels over the air. Oh, and I live in a place where the satellite is too low in the horizon to get, so if I want to watch TV, I have ONE, count 'em, ONE choice. That's Slime Warner!
There's no competition. It's just a rouse to make us feel better that corporations are getting welfare from the government.
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"Understanding is a three-edged sword." | |
| tmc8080
join:2004-04-24
Floral Park, NY
| Principals Supply and demand.. just because more companies supply a product does not follow that the price goes down. The market gets (theoretically) sliced into more potential pieces.
If you refuse to buy the product, well.. that's where demand goes down, the total potential for profit goes down and maybe, just maybe companies will fight harder for that smaller pie by lowering prices... and not even necessarily then does that have to happen. Gasoline prices are a prime example! Even if millions of consumers refused to buy gasoline (if that were even possible) the price of gasoline might stay the same or even go up in price. All the rules we have been accustomed to should be thrown out as the rule book is obsolete.
With that said, cable tv is NOT gasoline. You CAN live without it, but what will consumers do? Download/Stream off the internet for free? Stick with broadcast tv/dvd rentals? There are more choices that were not previously available. So, it will be interesting to see as all providers raise rates if they are able to keep subscribers. | |
| neufuse
join:2006-12-06
Indiana, PA
·Comcast
| I wish I could just buy the channels I want... I know someone is going to scream that will cost more! but if it only cost $17 for basic cable... heck all I watch besides the networks is the discovery network and the news channels... so say that cost $30 more for just those... in the end I am still coming out ontop paying less... I think right now digital cable is costing us about $70 a month! I'd rather pay $47 then $70+ when I never watch 90% of the channels.... | |
| axus
join:2001-06-18
Washington, DC | Remember when music CDs kept their prices high? We all know how that worked out for them. Expect more piracy of premium television shows as the internet distribution costs come down. | |
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