T1 Rocky
join:2002-11-15
Dallas, TX
 ·Time Warner Cable
| Good for CT!
Although everyone is viewing this like its a single incident, this is just 20 years of pent up frusteration loose and Conneticut is just the one who is standing up to AT&T. This should be happening in every state! Apparently Conneticut either has ethical law makers or the AT&T lobbyists somehow missed lining their pockets as they have done in every other state. We are 20th in the world in terms of broadband penetration despite being a distant #1 in terms of wealth. Over the last 20 years AT&T has accomplished everything from
-astro turf campaigns (how the media overlooked this I will never understand...maybe because AT&T is a mojor client for every media outlet?)
-forced bundling
-halting fiber expansion in favor of existing dsl and copper
-suing Baton Rouge when they tried to implement their own fiber when AT&T refused to build it
-crushing all competition (SDSL and the entire ISP industry)
-Restoring the monopoly
-Negating EVERYTHING the Telecom Act of 1996 accomplished.
-Outsourcing American jobs over seas.
All of these things negatively affect us as consumers. And who is the big winner in all of this? The stock has barely moved since 1998. The only winner I can identify is former CEO Ed Whitcare who took his $120 million plus perks retirement package.
The actions of this company are stunting American infastructure growth. How do they do it? Lobbying where the government looks the other way. How much have they spent in lobbying over the last 10 years: »www.opensecrets.org/lobby/client···ear=2005 80 million.
Sorry to get off topic, but here's a list of who has spent the most on lobbying over the last 10 years: »www.opensecrets.org/lobby/top.ph···exType=s
Look at the names of the company's on that list and draw your own conclusions. Until lobbying is curtailed, we will continut to be a country by the corporation and for the corporation.
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smokarz
join:2006-07-24
West Hartford, CT | Bring in FIOS
Great. Let's force ATT outta here. I want FIOS in my area.
Is that possible? |
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phatness
join:2002-07-02
Old Greenwich, CT
clubs: | FIOS sounds good! The faster we get them in here, the faster those sixty people can get jobs at Verizon customer care. |
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Rob
In Deo speramus, God Bless the USA
Premium
join:2001-08-25
Kendall, FL
·Comcast
1 edit | reply to smokarz
said by smokarz  :Great. Let's force ATT outta here. I want FIOS in my area. Is that possible? Verizon would roll out FiOS in a heart beat in CT if that would means kicking AT&T out. |
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jaytb
@rpi.edu | reply to smokarz
Verizon does service the Greenwich area, but the rest of the state is at&t, I think. |
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Kommie
join:2003-05-13
East Haven, CT | They are also moving into the Stamford Area where the $$$ is. |
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LamePeople
@sbc.com | If I am reading the link to opensecrets correctly, Verizon has spent more than ATT on lobbying. Is that OK since they are deploying fiber, we can turn the other cheek? Makes sense to me??? |
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BSD24
Tier 4
Premium
join:2008-04-30
Middleboro, MA
clubs:
·Comcast
 ·Verizon FIOS
 ·Verizon Online DSL
| reply to Rob
said by Rob :said by smokarz :Great. Let's force ATT outta here. I want FIOS in my area. Is that possible? Verizon would roll out FiOS in a heart beat in CT if that would means kicking AT&T out. Verizon doesn't want to obide by a law that Cable Companies have to obide by though.. They think they are different, hence why we call them Telcos in the first place. They think they should be able to bypass local franchises and not obide by a market cap. Comcast is in many sections of CT. |
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Rob
In Deo speramus, God Bless the USA
Premium
join:2001-08-25
Kendall, FL
·Comcast
| said by BSD24 :said by Rob :said by smokarz :Great. Let's force ATT outta here. I want FIOS in my area. Is that possible? Verizon would roll out FiOS in a heart beat in CT if that would means kicking AT&T out. Verizon doesn't want to obide by a law that Cable Companies have to obide by though.. They think they are different, hence why we call them Telcos in the first place. They think they should be able to bypass local franchises and not obide by a market cap. Comcast is in many sections of CT. I suspect residents of CT would side with Verizon if they rolled FiOS though  |
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ninjatutle
Premium
join:2006-01-02
San Ramon, CA | reply to smokarz
Didn't Verizon sell off their North East territories? |
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Pathfinder
Dazed Confused
Premium
join:2000-03-26
Mount Vernon, NY
·Verizon Online DSL
| said by ninjatutle :Didn't Verizon sell off their North East territories? Verizon sold Maine New Hampshire and Vermon. Structurally, Connecticut is part of Westchester. |
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MTU
Premium
join:2005-02-15
San Luis Obispo, CA | reply to T1 Rocky
Re: Good for CT!
Nice to see the Verizon's paying out more lobbying $ than SBC/ATT. Immunity Forever - Yeah! |
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hottboiinnc
ME
join:2003-10-15
Cleveland, OH
·Time Warner Cable
·buckeye cable
| reply to phatness
Re: Bring in FIOS
if those 60 people were part of a cell center that ATT shut down changes are would still be down under VZ. One of their main call centers is in Marion, Ohio. The home of the former GTE call center. They answer phones there until the office closes for the VZ East area- formally GTE and Bell. And then at close the call center changes to handle callers from the Western area. Don't believe me call their call center and ask if they're in Marion, Ohio. |
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Kearnstd
Elf Wizard
Premium
join:2002-01-22
Mullica Hill, NJ
| reply to T1 Rocky
Re: Good for CT!
Comcast is the big player in CT.
AT&T only has CT because SBC assimilated the original telco SNET(who by the way was far better and service went in the shitter when SBC bought them). there is zero logic in CT not being Verizon as it does not border any other AT&T exchanges like the other ATT areas. my theory is SBC bought SNET to give verizon the finger.
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[65 Arcanist]Filan(High Elf) Zone: Broadband Reports |
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