| reply to CableTool
Re: [Cable] That time again! Comcast to raise rate Quote by CableTools:
"But try to be more enlightened as to what drives business, what costs business and dont fall into the "EVIL BIG CABLE" mentality that is such a fun bandwagon to jump on."
There's a reason why so many people jump on this band wagon. It's because for the most part it's TRUE. No one is denying it costs money to run a cable co. or any business for that matter. After all you can't make money unless you spend it. But the interesting thing about it, is that even with all the spending Comcast does to provide new services, to do rebuilds, retrofits, or whatever, they STILL post HUGE PROFITS not LOSSES. And because of this FACT, its hard for me any many other people to see the justification in raising rates at the pace that Comcast does.
I'm sure as an employee of "Evil Big Cable" you probably can't see beyond your own paycheck and really that's ok. That's your right. However, don't provide lame excuses for your company raising rates as there is plenty of evidence to support that such a rate hike is NOT justified.
As a side note, here are some articles to show how great of a company Comcast really is:
»www.muniwireless.com/archives/watch/640
»www.lightreading.com/document.as···id=81200
»www.motherjones.com/news/dispatc···and.html
»www.theind.com/letters2.asp?CID=-1989801407
Many of these articles can be found by Googling: Comcast Dirty
More info can be found at »www.tricitybroadband.com/
All are good reads. |
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| Well I checked out your articles. I would say that they pretty slanted against Comcast and SBC. I would say that as a general rule I would be opposed to any municipality going into business against a private business. Municipalities should be incouraging business instead of competing with it. In the case of the town/area where there was no service that would be different, although when a private business is availible they should stay away. |
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 CableToolPoorly Representing MYSELF.Premium
join:2004-11-12 | reply to thinkaboutit
said by thinkaboutit :
I'm sure as an employee of "Evil Big Cable" you probably can't see beyond your own paycheck and really that's ok. That's your right. However, don't provide lame excuses for your company raising rates as there is plenty of evidence to support that such a rate hike is NOT justified.
Lame excuse? Its a report based solely on facts. It shows rising costs, rising prices and that the costs are actually outweighing the prices. Regardless of the increase.
I dont see how thats a lame excuse. It didnt come from Comcast, no one was looking to prove Cable companies right or prove them wrong. They were just trying to get to the bottom of it.
Whats lame is the handful of people that just like to pop in and say " Thats lame, you know Comcasts makes trillions of dollars and doesnt loose a cent!" but do not support anything.
I agree a price increase sucks. If there was a survey that said "we can AVOID a price increase if you will forgoe your annual raise this year check HERE"
I would actually do it. I would check it without thinking.
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Im aware of the tri-city debacle. It has nothing to do with the subject at hand.
Go into any business class in the country and pose that exact same scenario to them.
You run a company that serves a city or two. Some residents or local officials decide they want to provide your service themselves. You stand to loose thousands of subscribers not to mention the millions already invested in the communities in plant and infrastructure. All operational departments will be laid off, a lucky few relocated.
How do you handle it?
A- Do nothing, it is what it is.
B- Campaign on behalf of your business and try to prevent it from happening.
What would you have them do? They did what any other business in the world would do.
BAD BAD SELF PRESERVEING COMCAST!! How DARE you protect your investment and revenue! The nerve....
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CableFaq/Forum
CableFaq/WiKi
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rody_44Premium
join:2004-02-20
Quakertown, PA | reply to inciter
Re: [Cable] That time again! Comcast to raise rates 7% Jan. 1 its pretty clear they are probably the highest priced cable company. why not widen the gap. |
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 en102Canadian, eh?
join:2001-01-26
Valencia, CA | Re: [Cable] That time again! Comcast to raise rate I agree - Fios and muni-cable (such as Tacoma, Wa) have been able to sell TV services for less than that of cable. While I do think that Fios will have to increase its rates once its fully deployed (share holders want $$$), muni-service will pretty much only get hit if/when TV programming services start to get expensive. Since muni-Tv is not profit, its service will cost less for a few reasons:
1) small area
2) not tied to CEO/stock
3) don't need to lobby industry run PAC have big lawyers $$$
»www.click-network.com/Consumer/C···cing.htm
While I typically don't advocate muni over industry, esp. tech related, some times its required when rates and quality issues arise.
Companies back home in Canada (Shaw/Cogeco) offer Cable and Internet for less, and even in Canadian $$
Internet
Shaw High-Speed Internet Without Modem Purchase $43.95
With Modem Purchase $38.95
Shaw High-Speed Xtreme-I Add on to Shaw High-Speed Internet $10
»www.cogeco.ca/en/high-speed-internet-_o.html
Cogeco offers 10Mbps/1Mbps for $69.99 CDN = ~$60 USD a la carte
down to $55.20 USD bundled
and 5Mbps/640kbps for $44.95 (38.85 USD) a la carte or $39.95 ( $33.95) bundled |
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| reply to JeepMatt
quote:
Good for them - they're executives of a nation-wide billion dollar company - the should earn those paychecks.
Hardly. They should make the least as they are nothing more than figureheads. It's the guys "in the trenches" that make or break the company.
All the execs could cease to exist and the company would still keep running...... |
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| reply to inciter
Re: [Cable] That time again! Comcast to raise rates 7% Jan. 1 Merry Cashmas and a Happy Bend Over from your friends at Comcrashed (again).
Just as soon as Dish or Direct has made their converstion to Mpeg 4, I am GONE! They will then offer the local channels on HD. Probably going with Dish, due to their whole house DVR and VOOM HD channels.
Until then, it's Comcrashtic! |
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| reply to inciter
Yes, it's that amazing time of the year again when the American consumer cries injustice at the rising rates of cable and how it continues to surpass the rate of inflation so cable operators can upgrade their current technology to install hidden cameras in customer's bathrooms and add a private runway to their 34-bedroom mansions.
Is cable expensive? Of course it is. Are companies making a significant profit from the dollars of hard-working citizens just for the simple pleasure of watching television? Of course they are. Welcome to corporate America. (I think there was a similar pattern with gas prices a while back. Hmmmm.)
Does this mean that satellite is the savior that will part the Red Sea and allow the economically-challenged get better service and put the cable industry out of business for good?
Keep dreaming.
Sure, the journalists out there love to pick on cable. It's an easy target that readers will drool over repeatedly because it gives the average consumer one more thing to complain about in their daily routine. Considering that television was never a default item in your household (thereby it is choice) what you pay and why comes down to "you."
Oh, that favorite "cable prices have surpassed the rate of inflation" yadda, yadda, yadda, is actually from a study done by the FCC in 2003 on the rising costs of cable. True, overall, the increase did surpass the inflation rate. However (funny how this never shows up in a news article) if anyone actually bothered to read the "entire" study, the conclusion was that on a per channel basis (that being increased channels) and taking into consideration the upgrades in tecnology made available to customers during the time studied, the increased cost was "below" the rate of inflation.
So now the consumer has joined the Sam's Club bandwagon of "more for less means better." The truth is, the appealing "less" money for "more" service with satellite will not last. Frankly, the price wars are ending and the product wars between DBS and cable television have begun.
In the beginning, satellite had the upper hand in terms of operating costs due to the fact that satellite is digital signal by definition. Without having to fork over an 85 billion dollar upgrade cost to move to fiber optics as cable operators did so in order to compete, DBS was leading the digital race with no problem. Overhead costs for DBS companies are also limited considering there are no service centers with on-call and full-time personnel to respond to trouble situations. Considering they primarily operate with private contractors for installation and service, they are not as affected by rising fuel costs as would be evident with cable operating vehicles for a full-time staff of anywhere to 20-40 technicians.
Though DBS has gleefully thumbed their noses at cable operators for their lower costs for more service, research analysts and industry experts agree that the satellite honchos are starting to sweat under the collar. Rising programming costs are going to eventually pinch the "lesser cost" theory. ESPN alone charges an average of $2 per customer for providers.
Cable operators responded to the satellite competition by agressively investing in technology and products such as Video on Demand, VOIP and High Speed Internet: none of which are readily availble to DBS because they have not figured out a feasible way of providing two-way communication. DBS CEO's admit that installing a two-way system for such services would be "8 times the cost of cable." To compete, DBS is agressively investing in technology as well. Anyone who thinks that this won't kick up their satellite bill is living in fantasyland.
So brings us to the product war. Eventually it will become the product over the price, because costs for DBS vs Cable will eventually be neck and neck. |
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 inciterNoobiePremium
join:2000-08-30
Rohnert Park, CA | Your post was long so I won't quote you, the others can read it if they wish.
Cable digging roads and screwing up traffic! Point one!
Use of low paid even possibly Jail inmates doing the work for nothing! Point two.
I don't know if your young enough to remember the cartoon strip of a guy holding up a stop sign saying he was the best at his job. You mite remember the cartoon strip saying Dip in road ahead, and a screwed up guy sitting in the road.
Listen sending a satellite into space Dish or DTV is not an easy task. But they DO NOT screw up my visit to Star Bucks! Like Cable chumps do working on the road.
Satellites are a 50/50 shot! It gets up or blows up and millions go down the drain. Lost to time getting a Star Bucks Coffee nothing. Fantastic light show! You bet! Cable guys on the road holding slow and stop signs? They laugh.
This is why cable pays taxes and this is why cable rapes the customer base. Cable spreads it out over the USA one company on the east coast get to raise the rates for the stop sign holders on the west coast.
DO NOT say Satellite companies have it easy! They don't.
Do they raise the rates on Customers for the risks they take no. Not any were like cable.
Cable is evil and thats the end. They should be taxed but they should not pass it on to the customers!..
Thumbs up votes are welcome!
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Playing Table Tennisis not a matter of life or Death, It's much more important than that. |
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 imrfPremium
join:2002-06-06
Utica, MI | Re: [Cable] That time again! Comcast to raise rate said by inciter:Cable digging roads and screwing up traffic! Point one! Telcos, electrical, sewer, water and gas all do this. Why aren't you crying about them doing and just the cable companies? Around here the cable companies haven't stopped traffic ever for doing work, unlike all the other utilities.
Use of low paid even possibly Jail inmates doing the work for nothing! Point two. As if the other above mentioned utilities don't or your precious sat installers who are all contractors. 
This is why cable pays taxes and this is why cable rapes the customer base. huh? That makes absolutely no sense.
Cable spreads it out over the USA one company on the east coast get to raise the rates for the stop sign holders on the west coast. Again, huh?
DO NOT say Satellite companies have it easy! They don't. While that is true, they have a lot less to deal with that any of the cable companies.
Do they raise the rates on Customers for the risks they take no. Sure they do, they done it at least twice in the past and there will more to come. Don't fool yourself.
Cable is evil and thats the end. They should be taxed but they should not pass it on to the customers!..
And this is where your fanboyism jumps out. You have no real argument on why cable is bad except all that you can think about is them being evil. |
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inciterNoobiePremium
join:2000-08-30
Rohnert Park, CA
3 edits | Twice with Satellite oops sorry! Once in the four years I went to DTV have they raised the rates. ONCE! Before I left for DTV the Cable companies did it three (3) times to us in one frickin year! Then every year after. Fan boy of DTV? I could go Dish or DTV! Dtv was my choice for the customer service at the time, and to date no complaints.
Don't pull the sewer and crap line and gas! We need that and it's a problem but not as much as Cable.
Cable comes out with the digital boxes! I go down to get mine at the higher rate of course, I ask to make sure they have S-video outs on the box? They tell me no just RCA for now we don't have the SVID boxes. How long will it take I ask? We don't know you don't have to upgrade if you don't want too. This face to face with the Cable company and yes it was Comcast.
I could pull article after article of them screwing over us in Northern Ca, The city council almost dumped the city contract with them. Search Press Democrat.com .
Yes I am a PROUD FAN BOY now with DTV. I got out of the bend over and touch me feel me inside comcast lube jobs they were giving the customers base. Some like to bend over and take it I guess? Not saying your one of them  cause differences of views are just that different. But? Seems to me when talk of goto Sat comes about the first thing Cable bend Me's can do is Say the rain will wash your signal out? That is not the case in full yet it is tossed about by cable FAN BOYS and I have never been without for more than 1 min after a heavy down pour. Yet cable I have been without for days.
STOP ME! STOP I fell into the Cable SAT Wars! Err I hate that..... Sorry it is just so easy to do one way or the other./
Forgive me please! eye mean it...
PS Thanks for the link on the Camcorder in the other forum. Appreciate it.
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Playing Table Tennis
is not a matter of life or
Death, It's much more
important than that.
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imrfPremium
join:2002-06-06
Utica, MI | said by inciter:Twice with Satellite oops sorry! Once in the four years I went to DTV have they raised the rates. You are so full of it. You are completely wrong, but you just won't admit it. Here are link for two DVT rate increases within the last couple years,
»sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f···business
»www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthre···t=499295
Don't pull the sewer and crap line and gas! We need that and it's a problem but not as much as Cable. No you don't. You can live perfectly fine with fuel oil. It's just as much of a nuisance as is the next problem.
Cable comes out with the digital boxes! I go down to get mine at the higher rate of course, I ask to make sure they have S-video outs on the box? They tell me no just analog for now we don't have the SVID boxes. How long will it take I ask? We don't know you don't have to upgrade if you don't want too. This face to face with the Cable company and yes it was Comcast. Yeah? So?
The city council almost dumped the city contract with them. No they didn't. A city can't just arbitrarily pull the franchise away from a cable company, there are laws from the FCC stopping this. It has to go to court first.
Yes I am a PROUD FAN BOY now with DTV. I got out of the bend over and touch me feel me inside comcast lube jobs they were giving the customers base. Some like to bend over and take it I guess? Not saying your one of them cause differences of views are just that different. But? Seems to me when talk of goto Sat comes about the first thing Cable bend Me's can do is Say the rain will wash your signal out? That is not the case in full yet it is tossed about by cable FAN BOYS and I have never been without for more than 1 min after a heavy down pour. Yet cable I have been without for days. |
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imrfPremium
join:2002-06-06
Utica, MI | reply to inciter
said by inciter:PS Thanks for the link on the Camcorder in the other forum. Appreciate it. No problem.  |
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riekl
join:2000-06-01
Macomb, MI | reply to imrf
imrf,
I must be missing something .. I just converted from DirecTV to Comcast 1.5 weeks ago. I have 2 of the phase 3 dvrs now .. the picture quality is definately worse then with DTV on both the analog and the digital channels. The HD channels are noticeably better. But the digital channels are even more pixalated then dtv.
I would be very interested to see how much bandwidth comcast alocates for SD channels .. on an average some reports from DTV say they allocate around 2Mb/channel which isnt much at all. |
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