Broadband Bill of RightsFirst cable broadband standards proposed ( old news - 10:28AM Wednesday Jul 07 2004) tags: cableTipped by Karl Bode  Montgomery County in Maryland is the first place in the country to suggest a "cable broadband bill of rights", allowing the county to fine local cable providers for shoddy service. In response to citizen complaints about local providers Comcast and Starpower, community leaders decided to take action and form a commission that would hear - and deal with - poor service. Cable broadband service is largely unregulated on the federal state or local level, leaving consumers and many regions often frustrated by poor service. Such problems are amplified in areas with limited competition, where providers operate geographical monopolies and have very few reasons to give a damn. Guidelines for what determines quality service have been proposed and reworked by Montgomery locals (see this draft) for some time. Among the limits for acceptable service as of last fall were "1 megabits per second in download bandwidth for at least 18 hours", and "mail servers that can actively accept inbound e-mail messages 95% of one full week". Failure to achieve those standards would result in fines to any local provider. Some area residents met via several different threads in our forums to explain the effort and document the concept's progress. According to users, the newly formed commission did field some complaints and in at least one documented case led to a problem resolution. While the commission was formed, the bill of rights itself has been a heated source of debate. The last we reported, the effort had slightly stalled and some of the tougher guidelines faced being watered down. More than half a year later, according to today's Washington Post, those guidelines are still being debated. A vote to move forward on the plan was scheduled to take place in late June, but was delayed after some council members tried to push amendments that would weaken the effort. A new vote will take place in late July. Obviously the county's efforts at creating a broadband bill of rights are being applauded by consumer advocates, while the source of many of the local complaints - Comcast - claims the effort is "a solution in search of a problem." If passed, Montgomery county would be the first in the country to establish minimum standards for acceptable cable broadband service.
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tyspeed29
Premium
join:2001-01-04
Simi Valley, CA
clubs:
1 edit | Lets Vote on this...... We need this standard in every county, and state for that matter. It would eliminate our headache broadband cable slowing issues when the ISP over subcribes customers, that do not get the bandwith that they pay for. | |
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Dewi
Premium
join:2001-09-28
united kingd | Re: Lets Vote on this...... I would welcome such a measure in my county. The last repair I had, took Charter 4 Days to fix my cable service (everything was out, cable and internet). I might have to print this article out, and mail it to the county commissioner. | |
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TraumaJunkie
Premium
join:2004-03-05
Knoxville, TN
| said by tyspeed29 :
We need this standard in every county, and state for that matter. It would eliminate our headache broadband cable slowing issues when the ISP over subcribes customers, that do not get the bandwith that they pay for.
So providers stop trying to push the envelope, have 3+Mb available at the pole and advertise 1Mb... and let you get what you get. Stop adding newer services. Stop trying tp upgrade. Who wins here? No one.
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Air goes in and out, blood goes 'round and 'round. Any deviation from this can indicate a problem. | |
| | | | | | vic102482
Premium
join:2002-04-30
Upper Marlboro, MD
| Re: A Solution in Search of a Problem? said by JTRockville :
Anyone who's ever tried to get a cable modem issue resolved in Montgomery County Maryland knows exactly what the problem is. No searching is necessary.
And it sucks because Montgomery county is a huge money maker for Comcast.
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Dragasoni
We're All Mad Here
Premium
join:2001-12-14
Rotonda West, FL
| Excellent Idea! I'm all for this, and I think it's very reasonable to both the user and the ISP. 1 Megabit down and 95% up-time of mail servers is not too much to ask. This could be easily achieved in my opinion.
-Dragasoni-
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»www.dragasoni.com | |
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Smoka
@ptd.net | Re: Excellent Idea! If they want guarantees, get a T1. Cable service cannot be guaranteed. | |
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JTRockville
Data Ho
Premium,MVM
join:2002-01-28
Rockville, MD
clubs: | Re: Excellent Idea! No one expects T1-style guarantees. That's not what this legislation is about. | |
| | | hottboiinnc
ME
join:2003-10-15
Cleveland, OH | For what cable modem service price is a T1 should not be required to keep a set speed you pay for. | |
| 
Voyager2K2
join:2001-10-04
Wayne, PA
 ·Verizon FIOS
| It Won't Work It won't work.
I recall the attempts at forcing Adelphia to get it's act together during the Regis' days in the Philadelphia, PA area. Try to force a cable giant to do anything and it's off to court.
None of these cable companies are going to let a precedent happen that could cost them millions.
I hope your legal coffers are full Montgomery County, MD.
Your little plan is going to put a strain on them. | |
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jap
Premium
join:2003-08-10
038xx
 ·RoadRunner Cable
| Re: It Won't Work Voyager, me thinks your stance on this is too cynical and out of context: BB reality has changed tremendously since John Regis' flouting of govt efforts & pub perception.
With rapidly increasingly overlapped coverage areas the established providers gotta clean-up their act just to retain market share. The additional bad blood with & bad press from local governments alone now prompts providers to change their practices. These companies won't, of course, change overnight - but in much of the country they'll have to change just to survive. Montgomery County's effort may not have to result in functional legislation to effectively get providers to shape-up. | |
| davebenham
join:2002-01-31
Round Lake, IL
4 edits | Oh goodie, uncle Sam to the rescue We're not talking about some inalienable right, we're talking about broadband service for crying out loud. But it seems when ever whiny people don't get what they want, especially a lot of people in these forums, they expect uncle Sam to come in and fix everything. I can't download my porn and mp3s 24/7, my ISP won't let me download 50GB+ per month, my email account isn't up 100% of the time, tech support stinks, I had to wait a week to resolve a problem, yada yada yada.
I've got a solution, you don't like your ISP's service, then drop them. If it turns out a lot of people really don't like your ISP, start your own company, do a better job, and make lots of money. I've got news for you all, life goes on without broadband access. | |
| | dave
Premium,MVM
join:2000-05-04
not in ohio
 ·Verizon Online DSL
·Verizon FIOS
| Re: Oh goodie, uncle Sam to the rescue said by davebenham :
I've got a solution, you don't like your ISP's service, then drop them. If it turns out a lot of people really don't like your ISP, start your own company, do a better job, and make lots of money.
This would be all well and good, except that cable companies typically have a monopoly in any one location, granted to that company for a period of time. Thus if you don't like the service you get from your cable co., you can't do much except wait for contract renewal and then campaign to vote them out.
So I think it pretty reasonable that the granting of a monopoly right should require reciprocal service guarantees. One can debate whether the service guarantees should be mandated a the federal level rather than local, but I prefer standardization from the point of view of consistency and predictability, so I see nothing wrong with federal rules - particularly since cable companies tend to be large national businesses, these days. | |
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JTRockville
Data Ho
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3 edits | Re: Oh goodie, uncle Sam to the rescue said by dave :
Thus if you don't like the service you get from your cable co., you can't do much except wait for contract renewal and then campaign to vote them out.
Even that's not as easy do to as it may seem! It's illegal to deny renewal of a franchise, unless one of these circumstances apply. I'm not aware of any franchise agreement that was denied renewal under this process, and I think it might even be impossible without a vehicle in place to measure performance. Montgomery County MD's legislation would provide such a vehicle.
said by Barry Orton, Professor of Telecommunications at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the Home News Tribune article "Edison hasn't enough grounds to quit Cablevision":
Refusing to renew a contract, however, can take place under four sets of circumstances, he said.
Under federal law, the cable company must have "substantial noncompliance" with the existing contract; unreasonably bad service, such as fraud or unresponsiveness to consumer complaints; not be able to meet a municipality's needs; or make an unreasonable contract proposal.
Why should Uncle Sam only come to the rescue of gigantic cable companies? | |
| | | | dave
Premium,MVM
join:2000-05-04
not in ohio | Re: Oh goodie, uncle Sam to the rescue said by law:
unreasonably bad service
As compared to the bad service we may 'reasonably' expect to get, no doubt. | |
| | SOCOR
join:2004-07-07
Shawmut, MT
| "If we don't like our ISP's drop them"... hmm that's great advice for the many people who only have 1 choice for broadband provider. Drop them and go back to dial-up? Or, start our own company? Ok, tell me how much money it costs to start up that kind of company. How many people do you think can pony up that kind of cash?
Why is it a crime to expect reliable service?
Having some sort of guideline for the cable companies to follow insures that we can all expect the services we pay for. Without some regulatory body, these companies can offer shoddy service and still charge us full price. I don't know about you, but when I pay for something, I expect to get what I paid for. | |
| | | davebenham
join:2002-01-31
Round Lake, IL
| Re: Oh goodie, uncle Sam to the rescue 'I expect to get what I paid for.' I don't think you expect to get what you pay for, otherwise why would you continue to pay for unreliable service from your current ISP? I know, I know, they're the only provider in town, but we're not talking about gas or electricity, broadband internet is hardly a necessity. So, apparently, they have a product, which is deemed by many to be of poor quality, but they are still the only ones providing it. If you are willing to take it and keep handing over your hard earned cash for it, then apparently this ISP is offering something that actually is pretty valuable.
We both want reliable and fast broadband access. You want the government to step in and create laws to guarantee service quality, I would prefer that economic forces and competition be the driving force.
I'd trust a a private company and economic forces to solve this problem any day over the government regulations. Government has no incentive to do anything correctly or efficiently, a corporation has a unavoidable and built-in responsibility to the consumer. If a government does something wrong, citizens are often too ignorant and have too short an attention span to wait to the next election and and fix the problem. When a corporation does something wrong, people take their money and go elsewhere, then the corporation goes out of business. | |
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JTRockville
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| Re: Oh goodie, uncle Sam to the rescue said by davebenham :
I know, I know, they're the only provider in town, but we're not talking about gas or electricity, broadband internet is hardly a necessity.
Many citizens in Montgomery County Maryland consider broadband to be an essential tool. I certainly do. Our council agrees with that assessment, since reliable broadband service encourages telecommuting, and promotes education, commerce, and employment. | |
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bistro777
Donuts-Is There Anything They Can't Do?
Premium
join:2002-02-07
Englewood, CO
| Re: Oh goodie, uncle Sam to the rescue I think I may have seen this somewhere on Comcast’s Terms of Service - -
Comcast High-Speed Internet Acceptable Use Exploitation Policy
It is Comcast's intent to provide our customers ourselves with the best cable Internet service greatest operating margins possible. In order to accomplish this task, we have adopted this Acceptable Use Usury Policy (the "AUP" or "Policy").
...Accordingly, customers and users of the Comcast High-Speed Internet Service should regularly visit our web site and review this Policy to ensure that their activities conform to the most recent version service has not improved. In the event of a conflict between any subscriber or customer agreement and this Policy, the terms of this Policy greatest profit margins to Comcast will govern. Questions regarding this Policy and complaints of violations of it by Comcast customers and users can be directed to comcast.we_could_really_care_what_you_think.
No man made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little. - - Edmund Burke | |
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garagerock
Premium
join:2002-06-14
Louisville, KY
| said by davebenham :
We're not talking about some inalienable right, we're talking about broadband service for crying out loud. But it seems when ever whiny people don't get what they want, especially a lot of people in these forums, they expect uncle Sam to come in and fix everything. I can't download my porn and mp3s 24/7, my ISP won't let me download 50GB+ per month, my email account isn't up 100% of the time, tech support stinks, I had to wait a week to resolve a problem, yada yada yada.
I've got a solution, you don't like your ISP's service, then drop them. If it turns out a lot of people really don't like your ISP, start your own company, do a better job, and make lots of money. I've got news for you all, life goes on without broadband access.
Wow, great logic.
Next time you're in a hospital or clinic, be glad that someone gives a shit enough to regulate their activities in regards to medical waste, antiseptic conditions, doctor ethics, prescription guidelines...the list goes on. What's that? There's only one hospital in your area? Too bad! Go find another one, four counties over! Wait, start your OWN hosptial! I've got news for you-life goes on without good hospitals!
If it were up to the almighty company at the head of any hospital, they'd cut corners to the bare minimum-leaving patients in filthy, barely lit cesspools staffed by junior high dropouts.
Without regulations, cable co.'s can do the same thing-cut it to the bare minimum.
It isn't unreasonable to demand good service, especially with cable co's. that get monopoly status. Anyone read any Economics 101? | |
| | | davebenham
join:2002-01-31
Round Lake, IL
1 edit | Re: Oh goodie, uncle Sam to the rescue So, if all government regulations went away, the entire health care industry would instantly start killing patients in order to maximize profit?
Honestly, how long do you think a hospital like the one you describe could stay in business? Even without any government regulations of any kind in health care, I bet hospitals like the horror house you describe could never exist, they'd end up killing so many patients that paramedics would end up driving to a better hospital, even one far away, just to give their patients a better chance to survive. I doubt your theoretical worst case scenario could even exist in a third world country. | |
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Ya Gump
@verizon.net
| Re: Oh goodie, uncle Sam to the rescue Are you TRYING to look retarded??? Because you're doing a damn good job of acting the imbecile. Let's get a couple things straight. ANY company that is not a non-profit organization is in it for the money. Sure they will say "We offer quality service because we care about our customers blah *insert more bullshit here* blah blah" It doesn't matter what field this company is in... It's all about the money. Let's say that there are no guidelines or regulations set forth. The company will do things only well enough to beat out the competition. Take the competition away and what's the incentive for better services? Why would they spend more money for customer satisfaction when they already have a monopoly? They can adhere to your own slogan and "drop them and go somewhere else. Or they can start their own company"
Let's take your example of a hospital. Say Bill was involved in a construction accident and unless he is operated on in under 20 minutes he will die. Too bad for Bill that the only hospital within 500 miles is DaveBenham Memorial Hospital. The doctors here will not take any patient who cannot pay, and even the ones who pay will usually get treatment from partially trained med students. Also, in the operating room, where nobody but the med students and nurses can see, they are using unsterilized scalpels that were just used to cut up somebody's lunch. Needless to say, Bill dies. But since there were no guidelines or regulations set, Bill's family cannot sue the hospital. Sure, the paramedics could have called for a medevac, but Bill still would not have made it to the next nearest hospital in time. The only choice that Bill had for survival was DaveBenham Memorial Hospital.
How about government? What is the basis for a democracy? To serve the interests of the people. How do you do this when everyone cannot be president? You install checks and balances... one branch is always held accountable by another. Without this, you have a dictatorship run by the strongest branch. You don't like the way the dictatorship is run? Fine. Go to another country or start your own.
In the case of cable providers, no, it is not a matter of life and death. But the same principle still holds true. The cable companies have no incentive to offer better service unless there is competition and/or regulations. For the many people who rely on the internet just to get their jobs done, having intermittent service is not acceptable. "Don't like it? Go find some other provider 500 miles away" says Dave, CEO of DaveBenham Cable Company. Meanwhile Joe Average gets fired from his job because important emails never arrive and it appears that he is ignoring his written orders. Now Bill cannot support his family because DaveBenham Cable Company would not fix any of the frequent problems. A spokesman for DaveBenham Cable replied with "Who cares about Joe. Go cry to someone who cares. " Too bad that without a regulatory body, nobody does...  | |
| | | | | davebenham
join:2002-01-31
Round Lake, IL
| Re: Oh goodie, uncle Sam to the rescue Retarded? Now that's pretty insulting. I haven't stooped to that level anywhere in my discussion, I would prefer if you would extend me the same courtesy.
It's all about the money.
You are absolutely correct. But you have some blind and unfounded belief that every business, in the absence of government regulations, will just go out and exploit society to make a buck. On what grounds do you base this argument? Companies make their money from consumers, if the company engages in unfair business practices or exploitation, you take your business elsewhere. Sure, this argument is simplified, and cases like monopolies and essential services do add interesting twists, but the basic premise remains unchanged.
I don't blindly embrace the corporation as a saint, but I do have a basic faith in society as a whole. Sure, without regulations you will get the occasional corporation or individual who will try something stupid, but even with all the regulations we have now, we still have corruption. I think most people will do an honest job. And any corporation or individual who makes a regular habit of cheating people and engaging in unethical practices will be quickly put out of business by the consumers.
You use an extreme case of a some ghoulish horror house hospital. Nice touch by naming it DaveBenhamMemorial. Again, like many others, your argument assumes that without government regulations, hospitals would try to employ incompetent doctors who are so stupid they would actually use the same scalpel to cut both their patient and their ham on rye? If a hospital had a track record of killing patients and substandard care, how long do you think that hospital could stay in business. How would a hospital like that even establish itself? You, sir, are insulting countless health care professionals by implying the health care industry would go down the tubes without it's government babysitter. Besides, DaveBenhamMemorial hospital would be run by myself (I am assuming), and I would provide the highest level of care possible.  If you ran a hospital, wouldn't you provide a good service at a fair price?
I know this argument is probably falling on deaf ears and that's fine. People like you have no idea of what life would be without a government protecting them and coddling them like a little child their entire life. And that is no fault of your own. Our society has been raised to expect government regulations to fix every problem we encounter. People just can't think for themselves any more, they just expect their politicians to come up with more and more laws to protect them and keep them safe. Personally, I would be excited to see how much more society could accomplish if many government encumbrances were removed.
I don't support the abolishment of the entire government and all regulations on a society. Government is essential to the smooth operation of any people. What I do advocate is people with the freedom to make their own choices, and a society that is not a slave to it's government.
Back to the original argument. Broadband is not an essential service, at least IMHO. The residents of the affected area are paying for a poor quality product. That is their choice, and by continuing to pay for what they insist is an inferior product, they are not doing themselves any favors. However, I would propose, that since people are still willing to pay for the product, that many are actually willing to put up with the problems in exchange for high speed internet access. After all, the alternative is a slow 56k modem. Arguments of monopoly don't apply well, because you are still talking about a non essential product. Also, monopolies generally involve a company that has used it's market dominance to unfairly crush competition. I am not aware of this happening in this case. Again, I think if somebody comes into that community with an alternative, they would flourish and have no trouble making money. And I would prefer this route to some silly cable customer's bill of rights. | |
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Ya Gump
@verizon.net
| Re: Oh goodie, uncle Sam to the rescue said by davebenham:
...even with all the regulations we have now, we still have corruption
If we have so much corruption even with these measures in place, what do you think would be happening if nothing was there in the first place? At least by having someone watching, these unfair practices are caught and stopped, even if belatedly.
You seem to have some utopian view of mankind. I'm sorry to break it to you, but this world is not filled with saints. I am not saying that there aren't good people out there, but the majority of the people running these businesses don't care much about the consumer unless it is hurting their bottom line.
If there is nobody to catch them, and no guidelines of what is and is not acceptable, what would make these companies stop their practices of shafting their customers?
The goodness of their hearts would one day win them over and they would see how wrong their practices are? PLEASE! | |
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garagerock
Premium
join:2002-06-14
Louisville, KY
| quote:
I doubt your theoretical worst case scenario could even exist in a third world country
wow, haven't been off the continent, have you? 
regulations are mostly there for a reason: because some jackass greedy bastard thought, "hey, we can get 7 year old kids to dig coal...they're really small, they can get into small spaces that big men can't!" regulations are what keep this kind of shit in the past-or in the future if we keep deregulating every industry that whines about bottom lines while making billions. | |
| | | | | davebenham
join:2002-01-31
Round Lake, IL
| Re: Oh goodie, uncle Sam to the rescue You know, you are probably right. Most likely you will find crappy hospitals in other parts of the world. But I'd be willing to bet those conditions are the result of a lack of education and money, not a malicous attempt of some hospital administrator to maximize profit by not cleaning off his doctors scalpels after each surgury. | |
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garagerock
Premium
join:2002-06-14
Louisville, KY
| Re: Oh goodie, uncle Sam to the rescue Right. That's why aid to 3rd world nations goes everywhere except where it's supposed to-to help people. Lack of funding caused by sticky hands on the way create hospitals like I described, not due to greed.
We of course, don't have that problem, as no one is sending us aid...but greed continues to be a problem in this and other areas.
Not to mention...
quote:
But you have some blind and unfounded belief that every business, in the absence of government regulations, will just go out and exploit society to make a buck. On what grounds do you base this argument?
Well, if you want to go back to 80 hour work weeks in unsafe conditions, by all means proceed. Go crack an American history book and read about the labor movement, specifically in the coal and steel industries. I'm quite certain what you'd find is exactly the "grounds" this argument is based upon.
quote:
And any corporation or individual who makes a regular habit of cheating people and engaging in unethical practices will be quickly put out of business by the consumers
Tyco, Enron, Global Crossing, Qwest...do these names mean something?
quote:
People like you have no idea of what life would be without a government protecting them and coddling them like a little child their entire life. And that is no fault of your own. Our society has been raised to expect government regulations to fix every problem we encounter. People just can't think for themselves any more, they just expect their politicians to come up with more and more laws to protect them and keep them safe. Personally, I would be excited to see how much more society could accomplish if many government encumbrances were removed.
Well then-start forwarding me your FICA witholdings. You won't need that, since you don't want to be "coddled". While you're at it, why not just forward your property taxes to me as well. Don't need anyone to pick up your garbage, or respond with police or fire dept. personnel-that might be "coddling". Horseshit.
Folks, government has been around here for 228 years. It has worked in the past, and it will work in the future. It's role has changed dramatically as history has dictated. We will always need national defense, fire protection, police protection, sanitation services...and protections from evil, greedy bastards who want to turn back the clock to pad their bottom lines. Also horseshit.
The government protects us from foreign invaders. It protects us from unscrupulous business practices. And, it protects us from ourselves, its most important function. Left to our own devices, we'd be charging $100 per gallon for milk (don't need those "coddling" price controls), eating Red #5 like it was candy, and various other dangers out there. Hey, I've got four tons of NYC raw sewage in barrels...can I ship it to you for burial in the property next door to you? My hog rendering plant needs a new location...got some available real estate in your area? Nuclear waste? PCB's in your water supply? I think I'll host a Metallica concert in your neighborhood...any objections to those conditions? Or are you too "coddled"? | |
| | | | | | | davebenham
join:2002-01-31
Round Lake, IL
| Re: Oh goodie, uncle Sam to the rescue People like you are completely incapable of even comprehending a life without a government babysitter protecting you from everything that could possibly hurt you.
Why, when I propose that maybe government isn't the solution to all our problems, do you assume I advocate the complete abolishment of all government? I have never advocated getting rid of all governemnt, it is essential to our society. So, I am not sure why you categorize me as some sort of anarchist who would support the dumping of hazardous waste in my neighbor's yard.
Oh, I have a better idea. Rather than giving you my FICA and property taxes, why don't you let me keep most of it and invest it. I don't support giving up all of it, but I think keeping 75% of the taxes I currently pay should still allow essential services of our government to continue operating. With all that extra money, I could retire in 20 years. | |
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garagerock
Premium
join:2002-06-14
Louisville, KY
| Re: Oh goodie, uncle Sam to the rescue There is a problem...a monopoly is charging money for shitty service. People got fed up with their answers or nonanswers, and look to government for help. This is somehow bad or wrong to you. Uh, yeah.
I guess if your elderly grandmother got swindled into giving away her life savings to some con artist, and the government could help, you'd tell her not to do it as "government isn't the answer to all our problems". Whatever.
What's your "solution" to these problems? Rant uselessly on message boards about how the government is everyone's nanny? Do you even live in the county in question? I don't either, but I support their RIGHT to take their grievances to the powers that be that CREATED this mess in the first place-by signing exclusive contracts with these thugs. If you somehow think a few hundred million dollar investment in infrastructure is easily walked away from, you are mistaken. They paid for good service, got shitty service, and it is their right to take it up with government, whether you like it or not.
quote:
but I think keeping 75% of the taxes I currently pay
Christ, even Canadians don't pay that much. Talk about "fuzzy math". | |
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JTRockville
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1 edit |  Extra Extra! This Just in!
said by Montgomery County Council Press Release:
From the Office of Councilmember Marilyn Praisner
For Immediate Release July 7, 2004
Contact: Joy Nurmi 240-777-7953 or Bobbi Walton 240-777-7983
COUNCIL COMMITTEE REJECTS BID TO WEAKEN PROTECTIONS FOR CABLE MODEM CUSTOMERS
The County Council’s Management & Fiscal Policy Committee on Tuesday afternoon soundly rejected amendments favored by Comcast that would undermine proposed customer service protections for cable modem customers in the County.
“Montgomery County is about to be the first local jurisdiction to put in place customer service standards for companies that provide cable modem service,” said Councilmember Marilyn Praisner, who chairs the committee. “These standards will protect cable modem customers by requiring companies to address problems in a timely fashion – or face penalties. The standards are modest and reasonable, but apparently aren’t lenient enough for Comcast. That’s just too bad. If it’s a choice between serving consumers or big business, I’ll choose cable consumers any day of the week.”
“Cable modem customers aren’t organized,” added Councilmember Phil Andrews. “They depend on us to stand up for them – and not to ‘jump’ when Comcast lobbyists say ‘jump.’ If the County Council and the County Executive betray their trust to County consumers – many of whom depend on cable modem service to telework or work from home -- then shame on us. The County Executive’s flip-flop on this issue is just awful.”
The proposed Executive Regulation was first approved by the Committee some weeks ago, with the support of the County Executive, the County Cable Office, and the County Attorney. On Tuesday, June 29, just as the full Council prepared to vote on the measure, amendments favored by Comcast that had already been rejected by the Committee were put forward and the vote delayed. The County Executive’s office now says they are in favor of the Comcast-supported amendments they had earlier rejected.
“This 11th-hour attempt to put Comcast’s interests over those of County cable modem customers should be rejected,” said Councilmember Praisner. “Let’s move ahead to be the first local jurisdiction to give cable modem customers some assurances that they’ll get what they pay for.”
The regulation will come before the full Council again on July 13.
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kraughl
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Woodburn, OR
clubs:
| Step in right direction This is a step in the right direction. I live in a city where it is either Qwest or Comcast. I have opted for Qwest because ever since the 3mb upgrade i have had nothing but problems. I would have liked there to have been something like this in place when I was having issues. I might still have cable, because this would have forced Comcast to fix the problem or get fined. I agree that we should get what we pay for. Comcast cannot provide the service they are charging for reliably. So DSL is what I have. The cable companies need to be regulated just like the telcos. Comcast needs to start getting fined for their shoddy service and horrific tech support and customer service. | |
| 
Yowzaaah
Ours Go To Eleven
join:2000-12-14
DamnFlat, OH
clubs:
| I know I'm a conspiracy nut, but.... am I the only one who smells the evil hand of Verizon in here somewhere?
»www.montgomerycountymd.gov/conte···tion.pdf
On page 16 you will find that in 2001 Verizon, with 4,400 employees is the fourth largest private employer in the county behind Chevy Chase Bank, Giant Foods and Adventist Healthcare. They've since stopped listing individual employers in the annual report.
The Montgomery County Council has a history of being protectionist at the behest of large local employers, look at their recent actions at the behest of Giant Foods to "zone out" the Wegman's grocery chain on the laughable grounds of "environmental impact": »www.gazette.net/200424/montgomer···9-1.html
As I've said previously regarding MC politics there is almost ALWAYS a "backbeat" to their actions....if they declared this fuzzy puppy month I'd be immediately inclined to look into their plans regarding kittens. | |
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kraughl
join:2002-08-18
Woodburn, OR
clubs:
| Re: I know I'm a conspiracy nut, but.... Verizon may be behind this and maybe not. The point here is that the cable companies need to start being held responsible for their actions. Telcos are regulated and have been fined in the past for poor service and other issues. Cable needs to be regulated. It is a utility, just like power and phone. Maybe then Comcast, or whatever cable company serves your area, would actually start providing better cable service. Someone needs to start holding these companies responsible for what they are doing. | |
| shapiro44
join:2004-03-01
Highland, NY
| firstly-broadband for all homes.TWC want $25,000 the nerve of all you people, demanding a higher quality of
broadband service while 10 percent of the USA have no
broadband options at all and are stuck on dialup.
Amazingly, my neighbors all seem to blindly accept
their plight as they blithely recite to me
"we cant get cable here".
Time Warner Cable wants to gouge me for $25,000
just to install cable TV (or internet).
I live in upstate NY in the USA where most folks
can make 1 phone call and get hooked up to cable.
For me its $25,000 even though 2 cable companies are nearby, Time Warner Cable and Cablevision
All of my neighbors (except for 20 homes including me)
have have broadband (options).
Time Warner Cable wants to gouge me for over $25,000
just for installation of cable TV!
We are between 2 towns and 2 cable companies, both nearby.
For more details read my posting and post something
to the thread:
»[TWC] [TWC] wants wants to charge me $25,000 for RR
www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,9512648~mode=flat
Please post something to my thread above, keep my link
alive, and the hope of the dream to be like everybody else
able to get some broadband - get me off of dialup please.
DSL by Verizon is not available for us either.
We are too far from CO. | |
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A Solution in Search of a Problem?