TK Junk Mail
Golf season has returned - hurrah
Premium
join:2002-03-03
Margate City, NJ
clubs:
 ·Comcast
edit:
November 29th, @10:00AM
|  Martin doing a good thing by capping Comcast's growth ?
The question then becomes, is Martin still doing a good thing by capping Comcast's growth, even if his intentions are not particularly noble? The very easy answer is no. Let the market decide who gets bigger in the TV marketplace - cable or telco or satellite. Customers and investors are more capable of efficiently allocating scarce financial resources to the best methods of delivering TV content. Martin should keep his hands off. Regulations never accomplish anything but a distortion of the natural marketplace.
And aside from any issues about the appropriateness of a cable limit or not, the court already struck down in 2001 an attempt by the FCC to limit cable penetration.
National Cable and Telecommunications Association said that since the 2001 court decision to strike down the cable ownership limits --
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DotMac
Shill H8r
Premium
join:2007-10-26
Huntington Beach, CA
| The market doesn't decide who gets the bigger.
They simply buy their way into other markets through M&A with the money reaped from their endless price increases.
They aren't EARNING their growth through excellent service at a fair price as companies in other industries have to do. |
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openbox9
join:2004-01-26
Navarre, FL | But yet consumers still blindly throw their money at Comcast. Until the sheeple speak with $$, Comcast will continue to grow. |
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DotMac
Shill H8r
Premium
join:2007-10-26
Huntington Beach, CA | Sometimes their only choice is take it or leave it...no competition. |
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MysticGogeta
The Robot Devil
Premium
join:2005-03-14
League City, TX
clubs: | reply to TK Junk Mail
I don't like Comcast but this is a very one sided arguement and it seems quite obvious that Martin is getting paid by Telecos and needs to be removed.
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swintec
Premium
join:2003-12-19
Alfred, ME
 ·surpasshosting
 ·VoicePulse
·RoadRunner Cable
| reply to DotMac
said by DotMac  :Sometimes their only choice is take it or leave it...no competition. This whole argument is depending upon the fact that what the cable companies offer is a NEED in order to live, and NOT an entertainment service like it is.
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DotMac
Shill H8r
Premium
join:2007-10-26
Huntington Beach, CA | No it's that cable companies are granted access by gov't franchise and should be subject to basic rules designed to protect customers in exchange for this sanctioned monopoly. |
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swintec
Premium
join:2003-12-19
Alfred, ME
·surpasshosting
·VoicePulse
·RoadRunner Cable
| said by DotMac :No it's that cable companies are granted access by gov't franchise and should be subject to basic rules designed to protect customers in exchange for this sanctioned monopoly. Any other cable company is free to enter towns and cities as they want, provided they follow the proper permit paperwork and such. They must build there own cable network and such, however. Just because other companies won't enter and build there network, the current cable company there is the bad guy?
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viperlmw
join:2005-01-25
 ·Qwest.net
| reply to TK Junk Mail
said by TK Junk Mail :Regulations never accomplish anything but a distortion of the natural marketplace. Never? Even regs involving safety and health? |
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MysticGogeta
The Robot Devil
Premium
join:2005-03-14
League City, TX
clubs: | They sure seem to be doing a good job monitoring imported goods from china.
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DotMac
Shill H8r
Premium
join:2007-10-26
Huntington Beach, CA
edit:
November 29th, @12:16PM
| reply to swintec
Sure, someone could fight the telco and cable video services if they want to spend millions in court fighting lawsuits »Qwest Sues 14 City Utah Fiber Project , push polls »Playing Twenty Questions , scare tactics »Muni Misinformation? , predatory pricing »'Discounted' Competition and propaganda.
Meanwhile in exchange for their money tree, cable and telcos can follow very simple rules designed to protect consumers. If not, they can sell their services in a way that doesn't require public ROW or in the case of telcos, billions in taxpayer money »Picture Perfect Deal
If companies like Comcast didn't throttle customers with massive price increases twice a year or like Cox, THREE times in a single year all while customer service goes into the toilet...there would be no problem. The FCC would ignore the cable industry.
But so long as companies like Comcast continue their anticonsumer policies, engage is predatory pricing and endlessly raise prices at 3X the rate of inflation, they're going to have the gov't spotlight on them. |
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CarterStClai
X-Out The W
join:2002-04-17
Sugar Land, TX | reply to swintec
Unless you NEED Internet access to live, like I do, then it is not exactly entertainment anymore, is it!?! |
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swintec
Premium
join:2003-12-19
Alfred, ME
·surpasshosting
·VoicePulse
·RoadRunner Cable
| said by CarterStClai :Unless you NEED Internet access to live, like I do, then it is not exactly entertainment anymore, is it!?! Have business internet account prices been raised at the same level? T-1's and such tend to come with contracts to, so you have a fixed price. If you are using a residential account, then you have little to complain about, you are getting it for a steal. 
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CarterStClai
X-Out The W
join:2002-04-17
Sugar Land, TX | Doesn't change the fact that there isn't any competition, and therefore, business rates are still very high. |
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openbox9
join:2004-01-26
Navarre, FL
·Mediacom
| reply to DotMac
Competition from a government entity, isn't a fair competition. You won't see cable or telco companies fighting/suing entry into their markets from private/public companies playing on an equal field.said by DotMac :If companies like Comcast didn't throttle customers with massive price increases twice a year or like Cox, THREE times in a single year all while customer service goes into the toilet...there would be no problem. The FCC would ignore the cable industry. Boohoo. Inflation. Things cost more all of the time. People want infrastructure improvements and 100 Mbps to their residences, but they don't want to pay for the privilege. I have no sympathy for those whining about their cable TV price going up. It's entertainment, not potable water or other another life necessity. |
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DotMac
Shill H8r
Premium
join:2007-10-26
Huntington Beach, CA
edit:
November 29th, @02:18PM
| Funny, UPS and Fedex seem to compete with USPS overnight services just fine. Private schools seem to compete with public schools just fine. Our local privately owned toll roads seem to complete too well with our 'freeways'.
Private hospitals compete with public hospitals.
Private industries compete with public every day.
And boo hoo inflation...that is all well and good except companies like Comcast are raising rates at 3X inflation year after year after year and some like Cox, do it up to 3 times in a single year. All the while customer service goes into the tank.
If cable or telcos don't like it, let them surrender their gov't granted franchises and presence in public ROWs, return the billions in taxpayer money they got and make room for a replacement otherwise they can follow some simple rules that protect customers from crap service, channel extortion, lies, push polls, lawsuits, predatory pricing and endless price increases. |
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openbox9
join:2004-01-26
Navarre, FL
·Mediacom
| Most of your private/public examples began with government and introduced the private side. So, private industry began competing with the government, not the other way around.
»20% of Comcast Users To See DOCSIS 3.0 in 2008
Comcast is now on the front page committing to infrastructure upgrades and yet people complain that they continue to pay more money. Once again, I have no sympathy for those paying price increases for entertainment. |
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DotMac
Shill H8r
Premium
join:2007-10-26
Huntington Beach, CA
edit:
November 29th, @02:51PM
| So will only 20% of users see the annual 3X inflation price increase on video services in 2008?
My guess would be no. |
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fiberguy
My views are my own.
Premium
join:2005-05-20
| reply to CarterStClai
If you "need" it, then get a "business class service"... in which those prices have fallen drastically.
No one NEEDS the internet.. but, it DOES make their life easier.
And before you throw out "my job requires it..." then your employer should be paying for it too. If you are self employed, and you "need" it that way, then purchase a business class service and pay the price like every other business who makes their money off it.
But, don't come here crying a river over a residential service.
Even at Comcast's un-bundled $54 price tag, that's still a bargain compared to just 7 years ago when the average user paid $45 for a 256mb DSL service OR were still paying about $55 for dial up. (Many people used a second phone line AND $25 dial up account to get on line and could only use ONE computer at a time)...
Seriously, the whining needs to come down to a dull roar. Many of you guys don't know what feeling pain at the wallet is - yet. Many of you who think life today is so bad, even with $3 gas, and $119 cable/inet/phone bills... YOU DON'T KNOW stretching.
The internet, for most people at home, is still for entertainment. |
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openbox9
join:2004-01-26
Navarre, FL | reply to DotMac
I doubt it, but how is that relevant anyway? Do you seriously think any company would wait until after a new or upgraded technology is deployed before increasing revenue to cover the necessary capital expenditures? |
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