 
pnh102
Reptiles Are Cuddly And Pretty
Premium
join:2002-05-02
Mount Airy, MD
 ·Comcast
| Why Not Offer A Contract? These kinds of situations would be ideal for cable companies offering contracts. Presuming that this is a private home, a contract could be offered that stipulates that Charter be compensated should the owner sell the house before the term of the contract expires.
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Blagojevich / Madoff 2012! | |
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exCharter_sub
@hargray.net
| just have them run TWO RG11 cable drops from the tap (RG6 -- 350 feet is too far) I used to work as a contractor installing cable modems for Charter. I measured long drops with my handy measuring wheel many times. Charter pressured us to get these customers up and running when their own techs couldn't do it.
1 RG11 drop for the TV sets - Digital boxes
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1 RG11 drop for the Cable Modem and VOIP | |
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| | fiberguy
My views are my own.
Premium
join:2005-05-20
| Re: just have them run TWO RG11 cable drops from the tap Yea.. we're missing part of the story.. I've run RG11 drops farther than 350' before and hooked up interactive services just fine..
.. something stinks here. An honestly.. one drop could run that whole service.. amp it in the home and it's fine. | |
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| | Mordhem
Direct Tech
join:2003-07-10
Gaffney, SC
| This would be a day in the Park for Comcast, Just install some QR320 or RG11. I used to work for Comcast in Baltimore but now I live in SC, and I now work for direct tv. I am praying charter goes under and Comcast eats them. I would not mind dawning the black and red again but I know for sure I will never work for charter lol. | |
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| RadioDoc
58ef2c0
Premium,ExMod 2000-03
join:2000-05-11 | Re: Why Not Offer A Contract? Hmmm....distance-limited cable Internet. What a concept. So much for that tired old argument against distance-limited DSL.
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Toolmaster of La Grange. | |
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it_hurts
@charter.com
| Re: Why Not Offer A Contract? said by RadioDoc  : So much for that tired old argument against distance-limited DSL. What you mean the TRUTH? lol
Get real. | |
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| | | RadioDoc
58ef2c0
Premium,ExMod 2000-03
join:2000-05-11 | Yeah. The truth about cable is finally out.
lol indeed.
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Toolmaster of La Grange. | |
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marigolds
Gainfully employed, finally
Premium,MVM
join:2002-05-13
Saint Louis, MO
| A lot of regional franchises bar or limit cancellation fees and ETFs, and the fcc has made a lot of noise on limiting them. More importantly, FCC limits ETFs from being applied if the customer moves into a non-serviceable area. (That might create a very bizarre catch-22 in this case that could allow the customer to cancel at any time without the fee.)
Also, if the franchise is sold, customers get the option of terminating any existing contracts.
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ISCABBS - the oldest and largest BBS on the Internet
telnet://bbs.iscabbs.com
Professional Geographer
Geographic Information Science researcher | |
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maartena
Nice'n Round.
Premium
join:2002-05-10
Orange, CA
·RoadRunner Cable
| said by pnh102 :These kinds of situations would be ideal for cable companies offering contracts. Presuming that this is a private home, a contract could be offered that stipulates that Charter be compensated should the owner sell the house before the term of the contract expires. I think there is a legal loophole that prevents these kinds of contracts.... Although I am not sure, I believe that a contract can never have any penalties if the service cannot be offered.
It's the same with cell phone service, if you move to an address that is not serviced by a cell tower, you can legally and without penalty break the contract, even if it is 2 months old and you got the $300 phone for "free" with a 2 year signup.
Again, I am not entirely sure, but I think there is a law that prohibits companies from selling contracts for service that the enduser cannot get out of, IF the company cannot even supply the service.
In this case, if he would sell the house, move 50 miles into say TWC or Comcast territory, there is no legal way Charter can insist on a penalty. If he however would move into an area served by Charter, he could at least be kept to the contract - at least if there is a "so many years" contract.
Now I am sure there are many different types of contracts, but I am pretty positive the deciding factor is "can the service or product be offered". If yes, you can't get out. If no, you can cancel/get out without penalties. | |
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| DarkLogix
join:2008-10-23
Baytown, TX | Re: This is a sad story wow just wow
they're his only choice for "good" internet and they might be able to get away with charging an arm and a leg or more but they wouldn't even deal | |
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Nightfall
My Goal Is To Deny Yours
Premium,MVM
join:2001-08-03
Grand Rapids, MI
 ·AT&T Midwest
 ·Site5.com
·Comcast
| Re: This is a sad story said by DarkLogix :wow just wow they're his only choice for "good" internet and they might be able to get away with charging an arm and a leg or more but they wouldn't even deal We tried to bargain when it came to my grandmother and getting cable TV. They would budge if we paid $10,000. Eventually, the run came down the street, but the point is that it was a shame it worked out that way. | |
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| | | DarkLogix
join:2008-10-23
Baytown, TX | Re: This is a sad story I'd say if she paid the 10K that they should pay her a fee if anyone else uses that drop | |
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| | | | mousky
join:2004-02-12
Windsor, ON
| Re: This is a sad story Municipalities do that when a developer wants to extend services (sewer, water, etc) to a development in an area that will have services in the near-future. We call them "Oversizing charges" and whenever someone else connects to the service, the developer or owner gets a rebate or credit. | |
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LiamJunket
Premium
join:2002-03-03
Ocean City, NJ
·Comcast
2 edits | Re: Really...... NO. It was because the ongoing switch from analog channels to digital channels made that drop non-serviceable.
RTA:
While that sounds stupid, the customer is slightly too far for digital services to work without extending the network plant, and that costs Charter money with no guarantee the customer will remain with Charter. --
My BLOG .. .. Internet News .. .. My Web Page
Ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya punk? | |
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cdru
Go Colts
Premium,MVM
join:2003-05-14
Fort Wayne, IN
 ·Verizon FIOS
| Re: Really...... I thought something similar. However if you click the link to the original thread, the homeowner mentions that the previous homeowner had cable + HSI for 10+ years. While it's possible that Charter has done network upgrades that have since made the network incompatible, the fact that the previous home owner had HSI would imply that a decent digital signal was possible at some point in time. | |
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DavePR
join:2008-06-04
·DSL EXTREME
| said by LiamJunket :NO. It was because the ongoing switch from analog channels to digital channels made that drop non-serviceable. So digital is better how? | |
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LiamJunket
Premium
join:2002-03-03
Ocean City, NJ
·Comcast
| Re: Really...... said by DavePR :said by LiamJunket :NO. It was because the ongoing switch from analog channels to digital channels made that drop non-serviceable. So digital is better how? IF YOU GET the signal, it is better & clearer on digital. Digital is pretty much you get it or you don't. But if it is a weak signal, then analog will still work, even though the picture may not be very good.
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My BLOG .. .. Internet News .. .. My Web Page
Ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya punk? | |
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BF69
join:2004-07-28
Camden, TN
| No it has been serviceable for 10 years. That's why it's stupid. The previous owner had cable with Charter for a decade. | |
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Cheese
Premium
join:2003-10-26
Naples, FL
clubs:
| Re: Really...... said by BF69 :No it has been serviceable for 10 years. That's why it's stupid. The previous owner had cable with Charter for a decade. I know this.... | |
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pcme2000
join:2008-01-17
Bangor, ME | After 10 years... Get DirecTv With hughs net. | |
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djrobx
join:2000-05-31
Valencia, CA | Re: After 10 years... From the article:
Unfortunately for this particular customer, he's out of DSL range and trees prevent WISP or satellite access.
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AT&T U-Hearse
Your funeral. Delivered.
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en102
Canadian, eh?
join:2001-01-26
Valencia, CA | Re: After 10 years... Time to get the chainsaw out and start cutting some firewood... I found satellite (DirecTv) to be VERY reliable out here in SoCal.
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Canada = Hollywood North | |
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PolarBear
The bear formerly known as aaron8301
Premium
join:2005-01-03
Riverside, WA
·CableOne
| Re: After 10 years... said by en102 :Time to get the chainsaw out and start cutting some firewood. That's what I say. If it's your only option and you own the house, cut a tree or three. It's usually only one or two trees that block a signal anyway, not a whole forest. Cut down a couple of tall trees, then plant some short ones or shrubs to take their place so it still looks pretty and is good for the environment. | |
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insomniac84
join:2002-01-03
Schererville, IN
1 edit | Re: After 10 years... How does that provide low latency fast internet? | |
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PolarBear
The bear formerly known as aaron8301
Premium
join:2005-01-03
Riverside, WA | Re: After 10 years... It doesn't (well, considering one's definition of "fast"). But it DOES provide another option. It may SUCK, but sat internet is better than no internet at all. | |
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insomniac84
join:2002-01-03
Schererville, IN | Re: After 10 years... Latency wise, no it is not. Dial-up is better. | |
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| | wilburyan
join:2002-08-01
| lies... 900mhz gear should cut through it like butter... hell... 2.4 ghz shouldn't be too bad depending on the distance.
If there are no nearby wireless wisps... he has the option of an aircard (EV-DO or 3G) or perhaps soliciting the help of a neighbor who CAN get access... then getting 2 linksys wrt54GL routers running tomato and 2x yagi antennas.
Would get his internet problem solved... but he would still be hosed for TV. | |
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See 7 replies to this post |
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quetwo
That VoIP Guy
Premium
join:2004-09-04
East Lansing, MI | In the article, they said that sattelite was not possible because there was no clear view to the southern sky. | |
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| | jpboss
join:2003-09-13
Conyers, GA | Re: After 10 years... Sounds like he needs to invest in a good chain saw, then order satellite. | |
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PolarBear
The bear formerly known as aaron8301
Premium
join:2005-01-03
Riverside, WA | Re: After 10 years... Or a 12-gauge and a box of shells (actually heard of a customer doing this when a fellow installer told him a particular tree was in the way and there were no other options!). | |
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quetwo
That VoIP Guy
Premium
join:2004-09-04
East Lansing, MI | that assumes that those are her trees. Might not be  | |
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Simba7
join:2003-03-24
Billings, MT | HughesNet? You have *GOT* to be kidding me.
Look for any alternative before you go satellite. | |
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PolarBear
The bear formerly known as aaron8301
Premium
join:2005-01-03
Riverside, WA
·CableOne
| Re: After 10 years... said by Simba7 :HughesNet? You have *GOT* to be kidding me. Look for any alternative before you go satellite. Yes, we all know how much sat internet sucks, but if Charter doesn't work out, it may be their only option. | |
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See 10 replies to this post |
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DrStrange
Technically feasible
Premium
join:2001-07-23
West Hartford, CT | whiners Charter: Get a $25-50 bi-driectional booster amp [probably cost under $5 in large volume], stick it in the middle of that 350ft cable run, and stop bellyaching.
... or maybe the customer should go with Hughes etc. | |
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See 16 replies to this post |
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PastTense
@iowatelecom.net | Complain to the city Don't lots of cities require universal service of the entire community as a condition of their franchise? So one might complain to the city/governing unit. Or has this been over-ruled by current FCC rules? | |
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Hall
Premium,MVM
join:2000-04-28
Dayton, OH
·EarthLink
·AT&T Midwest
·Earthlink Cable Mo..
1 edit | Re: Complain to the city said by PastTense :
Don't lots of cities require universal service of the entire community as a condition of their franchise? So one might complain to the city/governing unit. Depends if a franchise agreement is in place and if there is one, how it's written. I know that the agreement between the city of Dayton and Time Warner says all residences inside the city limits will be given service at no add'l cost to the customer, i.e. no making the customer pay to extend a line. | |
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| | hottboiinnc
ME
join:2003-10-15
Toledo, OH | Re: Complain to the city Which chances are is not enforced right now if U-Verse has service in Dayton. That nice VSA Rule/Law takes that franchise away from the city once another provider moves in the old provider can tell the local government to kiss their ass. | |
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Hall
Premium,MVM
join:2000-04-28
Dayton, OH | Re: Complain to the city U-Verse in Dayton ? Where ? That's news to me... In the suburbs ? Yeap, it is (in some). | |
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Millenniumle
join:2007-11-11
Fredonia, NY | ... A chainsaw seems the obvious answer.
If you don't need internet for income, then I'd consider just how much it and the tv is worth. | |
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ex_cable_guy
@hargray.net | 2 RG11 drops from the tap to the house will do the trick 1 for TV
1 for HSI and VOIP
might need for the TV feed if you have lots of outlouts -- | |
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JoelC707
join:2002-07-09
Tucson, AZ
clubs:
| My Thoughts The whole reason he can't get service is he is above the 300' limit. Analog would work fine over this (to a point) which is why at 350' he was still able to get service. But if he tried to get HSI or something I'm sure if the install even took place, he would not be a happy camper afterward.
One thing people don't realize is that the actual labor and material cost for a plant extension is NOT the only cost. That's the only cost the consumer sees but the cable company (or any other company) still has the attachment fees for the poles they have to attach to in order to extend the plant to you. I don't know what they are now but many years ago I recall Bellsouth's attachment fees being in the neighborhood of $30-40 per pole.
After two poles, it's easy to see why they would deny it. Even if you foot the bill for the extension, your monthly bill would not make up for THEIR monthly bill for the pole attachment increase. Generally they will only extend the plant if it gets them lots of customers or they have to extend the plant to reach a new subdivision and you just happen to be "in the way" then count yourself lucky.
I do have another suggestion though. I doubt it will work but it would be cheaper than a plant extension. If you can find some RG-50 coax it should barely make it the distance without too much loss. It has a larger center conductor (0.109") compared to RG-11 (0.064") or RG-6 (0.040") meaning it has less signal loss over distance.
At 1000 MHz, RG-11 loses 4.35 dB every 100 feet. That's an average loss of 15.23 dB over that 350 feet which is easy to see why it's considered "unserviceable" since that's before ANY splitters. At the same frequency and distance, RG-50 has a loss of 2.59 dB every 100 feet for an average loss of 9.07 dB. For reference, RG-6 has a loss of 6.5 dB every 100 feet or 22.75 dB over this run.
CommScope sells the cable (which is where I got the specs from) so it's available but I would all but guarantee no cable tech has a spool. The other issue would be the connectors and crimp tool. But, even if you had to buy all that yourself you would still come out ahead compared to a plant extension that may or may not be granted. The other concern is convincing the tech to string up the cable (if you do try this route, be sure to get "messenger" cable or the tech won't be able to string it up or "flooded" cable if your area is underground. | |
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See 7 replies to this post |
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aparis99
join:2006-10-24
Owensboro, KY
| . ha! 350 ft? thats all?
Here, if an address has had service previously, even if the drop is 400ft, we "have" to service it. The only time we don't install over 350ft is it its a new house or there's never been cable ran.
If the customer throws a fit, our supervisors make sure there's a way to get them service. If we have to hot tap, install a line extender, run 2 RG-11 drops, WHATEVER it takes to get them service...
we even have a few people trench their own feeder from pole to house and we put in LE's...
If i were this customer, i'd be pissed too! | |
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| hottboiinnc
ME
join:2003-10-15
Toledo, OH | Re: . same here especially after the 2nd tech cut the line. I would have been out there kicking his ass. | |
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| | fiberguy
My views are my own.
Premium
join:2005-05-20
| Re: . said by PolarBear :Woah woah woah, aparis, you mean your company cares about the customer and goes the extra mile to provide service? And I bet your company isn't going down the drain like Charter, either. Pfft, do whatever it takes to make a customer happy, what kind of talk is that?!?  Believe it or not, even comcast does that too. My area was flooded with large homes, hundreds of feed from the ped. MANY times did I have to get tricky and find ways to get the service to the customer.. it was just our policy. To top it off, we're talking about large home with many outlets. I guess some systems just care more than others. | |
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PolarBear
The bear formerly known as aaron8301
Premium
join:2005-01-03
Riverside, WA | Re: . As I mentioned, it's no wonder Charter is going down the drain. | |
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amungus
Premium
join:2004-11-26
America
clubs:
| viva analog Seems like digitizing things through coax is just a mess...
Just stupid to cut it off completely like that. So what if a digitized signal couldn't quite work? At least the old analog signals were getting there in a mostly watchable form from what I gather.
If it were me, I'd be very upset that they cut it like that.
Call 'em back and kindly request analog service... then add internet back to the package a day or two later 
If they provided analog before, surely they will again.
As to why they up and cut a perfectly good piece of cable, that's just dumb.
Good luck, that is some pretty crappy news for you. | |
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patcat88
join:2002-04-05
Jamaica, NY | abandonment of service This is called abandonment of service. Requires public hearings and lots of paperwork on the cable companies side, other wise prepare for fines from the PUC. | |
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| hottboiinnc
ME
join:2003-10-15
Toledo, OH | Re: abandonment of service how can the PUC issue fines?
Cable companies are NOT a utility to regulate. No fines can be issued. | |
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| | fiberguy
My views are my own.
Premium
join:2005-05-20
| Re: abandonment of service said by hottboiinnc :how can the PUC issue fines? Cable companies are NOT a utility to regulate. No fines can be issued. Such a blanket statement doesn't color you good today.
Some areas, the PUC does have some authority over Cable Operators in some areas.. me thinks you need to expand your google researched talking points. | |
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Eat Me
join:2002-09-25
Sussex, NJ | Here in NJ we have "the office of Cable Television." Cable TV is also regulated under your local franchising authority (city or town) who grants access to public rights of way (utility easements) to run cable. | |
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JHBIZZLE
@charter.com
| FUN dude...just go bury a piece of 4 inch conduit from your house to the pole where the tap. Go to your local Charter office, ask to speak to either a supervisor or someone in construction. Show or tell them what you've done and how much money you've spent and TELL them that you need them to run a "superdrop" RG-50 I believe. If they balk tell them you are going to the local newspaper with the story. | |
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| hottboiinnc
ME
join:2003-10-15
Toledo, OH
·buckeye cable
1 edit | Re: FUN why not IM the person that and tell them or go post it on their board there. But i'm sure they just came here to bitch.
And Charter could careless what the local news paper has to say. Charter will tell them the same thing that they told the customer when they came out to the house: "We're sorry but this house is not serviceable due to it being at the edge of our service area. If the customer wants service they're more that happy to install it if the customer pays $XX,XXX and signs a XX year contract." | |
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| | | hottboiinnc
ME
join:2003-10-15
Toledo, OH
·buckeye cable
| Re: FUN LOL national news with DSLR? HAHAHAHA That made my day.
This is more of a blog for Karl that most just read to get a laugh at; especially after he puts in his comments (which are generally not funny) and turns the story to something that it wasn't to start off with.
If you want national news call the either of the Posts or the Times, hell even CNN. And this was the first time the person came to this site- yah he came here just to bitch. | |
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mdrejhon
join:2004-02-02
Ottawa, ON
2 edits | Plan B, Plan C: Use mobile phone as a highspeed modem Got *any* cellphone reception?
If so, you're in luck. Internet over cellphone reception is often superior to dialup and satellite Internet these days. You could try to get Verizon, T-Mobile, or AT&T Internet over EDGE/GPRS/3G. It's vastly superior to satellite, and even though you may only be limited to a few gigabytes download per month, it's still much better than satellite 'FAP' behaviour. (And it's almost not possible to download a gigabyte of data in the first place using dial-up, anyway)
3G highspeed coverage is expanding all the time. I now get approximately 1.5 megabits/sec in the deep "cottage country" forest using Internet over my cellphone being used as a modem for laptop or PC. There are also called 'Internet sticks' (typically Novatel USB modems). These sticks can be used in a regular PC's USB port too, and via certain models of routers. | |
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Maggs
Premium
join:2002-11-29
Woodside, NY
·RCN CABLE
| Force them to service it Sue them, if they provided service for 10 years previous, sue them for redlining! The drop probably paid for itself after 10 years of service. Or have them put a digital to analog converter in a box on the pole and you could pay the electric bill for it.
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NIL ILLEGITIMUS CARBORUNDUM! | |
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mmainprize
join:2001-12-06
Houghton Lake, MI
1 edit | Plan B What you should do is build a small play house about half way between you home and the road, Put a TV and couch in it. Then order service to it.
Then setup a router either wireless or wired. Setup a wireless TV tranmitter with 300 feet range to your main TV in your house. The kind that sends the remote control signal to the box and let you change channels from the remote location.
After you get it all setup you can then turn the play house into your tool shed. | |
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wispalord
join:2007-09-20
House Springs, MO
·Charter Pipeline
| hmmm we had to get a petion going in our subdivision for them to come into it, but they did like 6 months or so after getting 90 percent of the area to sign saying they wanted it like 130+ ppl at 100.00 a month sounded interesting after that, they was all ready in the sub with analog tv only said was to far for digital till then. | |
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runnoft
Premium
join:2003-10-14
Deerfield, IL
·Comcast
4 edits | Not a new situation I remember another situation with a Comcast customer who was willing to foot the bill to run the cable 10,000 feet to his home and Comcast still said "no" because they didn't want to be responsible for servicing it in the event a storm knocked it out or a squirrel chewed it through or it just didn't perform up to spec. It didn't matter that he was willing to waive all claims on this. Comcast just didn't want the headache of dealing with it, with him, or whoever might own the place after him.
The user agreements often give the cable company the right to make this decision as well, making a threat of a lawsuit empty. Building a play house isn't going to fool them. People have tried to pull that one before, and so now there are often standards within the user agreement about what kind of structure the cable can be run to and where it can be relayed after that (commonly only within the first structure) that would specifically exclude this workaround.
Cable companies used to be much more accomodating just to get customers here and there. Now if they see a downside in you to their bottom line, you're out. See the 250Gb cap discussion>soon to be 200Gb>150Gb etc., I'm guessing, for further evidence of this. | |
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After 10 Years Of Service, Charter Declares Home 'Unserviceable'
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Re: Plan B