Dirty Tricks in FIOS-TV Land? > So funny it seems unreal.

So funny it seems unreal.

FIOS is alien technology that was the M.I.B:D

reply to Varlik
When satellite first came out, cable was VERY reserved in it's approach, at least comcast was, in attacking cable. The official comcast policy, IN WRITING as passed around, was NOT to speak badly about satellite. Their official policy was to speak of the positive aspects of cable. Areas like PPV was ordered on the account and viewed in all rooms for one price, no fee to have additional outlets, and HSI was just around the corner. Stuff like that. They didn't come out and talk about the ugly dish, rain fade, the HUGE box that was required, the fact that three parteis were involved with service calls (the provider, the installer where applicable, and the box manufacturer, the fact that cable would fix your service at no charge.. etc. (Insert immature comments here if you feel the need)

However, on the flip side, Satellite came out from the shoot on the attack and with negative slams against competition. Way to go sat! I guess cable finally had enough and played the game. You can thank satellite for a few things. They laid the ground for cable to follow. I guess cable figured that if people were filling to pay $5.00 "per room" and have to buy a PPV PER BOX, that it was ok for cable to do the same. Hmmm.... LOVE competition!

Oh my F'ing god!

Don't you think your time spent posting the obvious was now wasted?

Cable = box was mostly OPTIONAL and *rented* for use. (service level required and certainly wasn't $5.00 back in the day of dish. Most boxes were about $2.00 on average and was set by the government at the time dish came out)

Dish = box is MANDATORY and has always been $5.00 to active a box that you had to purchase.

There is a HUGE difference.

Our cable boxes were not optional, nor were they cheap. Maybe you were lucky enough to be in such a situation.

I guess we need to be repetative and redundant for the small exceptions that did exist out there so here goes:

1) More systems, than none, were trapped systems and didn't use addressable service for basic cable. Most US systems were a no box required with CBL ready set.

2) Premuims required a box and therefor was optional.

3) During the time DISH came out (as stated) box fees were regulated and I can't think of a system out there that had a box out there that was worth a $5 rental per month.

4) The box was still rented, not an owned box where you paid for the priveledge of having it activated.

5) Those with non CATV ready sets HAD to rent a box no matter what and again, that was a choice on the sub.

6) Many systems trapped, and didn't scramble BASIC services.

7) SOME SYSTEMS WERE EXCEPTIONS to these statements. Yes, some people had no choice but to rent a box, however, the fee for box rental wasn't as much as DISH (at the stated time) and you were renting equipment you didn't have to purchase.

Since box rental fees were based on depreciation over the purchase cost of a box, I can tell you there were no analog boxes in production that justified a box rental fee that was equal to the charge of an outlet fee for sat. A brand new S/A 8300 analog box with advanced features and the best on the market at the time - brand new - calculated out to $2.83 per month.

Again, there are very few exceptions that do exist to the over all rule, but I don't remember my post being specific and all inclusive.