Cox Chats Up DOCSIS 3.0 PlansWill be enabled in just a 'couple of markets' to remain competitive 03:18PM Friday May 02 2008 by Karl Bodetags: competition · business · cable · Cox HSIThere's an interesting chat over at CED Magazine with the CTOs of Cox, Charter and Comcast, who discuss everything from whether customers need 100Mbps connectivity, to cable's reputation for poor customer service. Cox CTO Chris Bowick has this to say about whether consumers need 100Mbps, and the company's DOCSIS 3.0 plans: At Cox, we plan to deploy DOCSIS 3.0 in several of our markets later this year, after the modems are certified. The technology will certainly provide the capability of going to those types of speeds, but the real question we have to ask ourselves is when we should make it available to our customers as an optional tier. You might, for example, see us deploy DOCSIS 3.0 capability in several markets, and begin to trial it in a few – and actually flip the switch and turn it on in just a couple of markets where we think we need those speeds in order to remain competitive. That's industry code for wherever they run into Verizon FiOS or community fiber. Entertainingly, Bowick goes on to call the cable industry's reputation for poor customer service "a legacy stigma." He gets points for verbal style, but to be clear -- cable video customer satisfaction scores are among the lowest across all industries, though their scores for providing phone service are ironically better than some phone carriers.
Related:- Cox Breaks Out $10 'Broadband'
- Kevin Martin Doesn't Hate Cable, He Just Loves Ma Bell
- Cox: 3.7 Million Broadband Customers
- Cox Pays Qwest $2 Million For VoIP Skullduggery
- Comcast Gets Investigated While Cox Gets Free Pass
- Cox: DOCSIS 3.0 Upgrades By Third Quarter
- Cox Offers Upstream Powerboost
- Comcast Unveils Fancast Video Store
|
 
jchambers28
join:2007-05-12
Alma, AR | high priced I bet you that will be higher than hell | |
|  | axus
join:2001-06-18
Washington, DC | Re: high priced When I had Cox internet service, it was very reasonably priced... especially coming from Comcast territory. Also I could buy it unbundled at the low price. | |
| | | Austinloop
join:2001-08-19
Austin, TX | In a couple of markets?? "and actually flip the switch and turn it on in just a couple of markets where we think we need those speeds in order to remain competitive."
Would this be markets where FIOS is kicking their butt??? | |
| | benc
Premium
join:2007-06-17
Glen Carbon, IL
 ·Charter Pipeline
 ·Future Nine Corpor..
·Callcentric
 ·AT&T Midwest
| Re: In a couple of markets?? said by Austinloop  :"and actually flip the switch and turn it on in just a couple of markets where we think we need those speeds in order to remain competitive." Would this be markets where FIOS is kicking their butt??? Quite possibly.
Now, if they wanted to do better, they'd roll it out even when there is no FIOS.
If they did that, I'm sure that many would sign up with them in droves. | |
| | | openbox9
join:2004-01-26
Navarre, FL
·AT&T Southeast
·Mediacom
| Re: In a couple of markets?? said by benc :If they did that, I'm sure that many would sign up with them in droves. Debatable since a large portion of consumers tend to value money more than bandwidth. I have no doubt that droves of BBR goers and the like would sign up given the opportunity, but we aren't a good representation of the average consumer. | |
| | | amungus
Premium
join:2004-11-26
America
clubs: | You beat me to a great point.
Take it to the next level in places where nobody else is, or ever will, and there will be people waiting in line for it... | |
| | | | 
KrK
Heavy Artillery For The Little Guy
Premium
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK | Re: In a couple of markets?? People want it. They just refuse to get ripped for it.
They want to roll it out then charge you $100 a month--- just won't sell.
It shouldn't be any more expensive. | |
| | 
dvd536
as Mr. Pink as they come
Premium
join:2001-04-27
Phoenix, AZ
| said by Austinloop :"and actually flip the switch and turn it on in just a couple of markets where we think we need those speeds in order to remain competitive." Would this be markets where FIOS is kicking their butt??? that would be it and the "havenots" will be subsidizing the "haves"
--
When I gez aju zavateh na nalechoo more new yonooz tonigh molinigh - Ken Lee | |
| | | | | LeftOfSanity
join:2005-11-06
Felton, DE
| said by Austinloop :"and actually flip the switch and turn it on in just a couple of markets where we think we need those speeds in order to remain competitive." Would this be markets where FIOS is kicking their butt??? Obviously? | |
| Ulmo
join:2005-09-22
San Jose, CA
·Comcast
·SONIC.NET
| Stigma. quote:
Frankly, I’ve always thought that “cable,” as an industry, has historically had a bad rap with its reputation because of its poor history of customer service. I think that’s changed tremendously through the years, but the legacy stigma continues.
I agree with that guy about that point. (My quote was from the first reading, but by the time I hit "response" button, that text disappeared). A lot of people I talk to about cable tend to look at its customer service level as of before their recent improvement, and I'm specifically referring to Comcast here. Comcast used to suck horribly, like AT&T does today. Now, Comcast is more like what PacBell was in its better years, if not better. Their customer service has been very responsive lately, I'd say the last half decade or so.
I often mention that I think Comcast's quality peaked about September-November of 2007, and is on its downhill slide now, but who knows. Anyway, a lot of people I've talked to remember it from its horrible lows of before, which it really did have. Those people don't forgive, and don't forget.
Horizontally and vertically stacked channel-tuned antennas, perhaps on tall masts, perhaps with farms of them individually pointed properly with appropriate lightning grounding, aggregators and necessary amplifiers, anyone? (Hint: ATSC.) | |
| | Corydon
Cultivant son jardin
Premium
join:2008-02-18
Denver, CO
clubs:
·Comcast
| Re: Stigma. I think there are a number of factors at play when it comes to the image cable customer service has.
1) There's an element of truth in what he has to say. People think cable has bad customer service because everyone knows cable has bad customer service. As a meme, it's been floating around for years or decades. It's even become a joke that everyone instantly gets (Larry the Cable Guy, Jim Carrey, etc.)
That's a massive hurdle to overcome, not to mention an object lesson that your customer service mistakes from 20 years ago will continue to bite you in the behind.
2) Consumers have a LOT more of a megaphone these days. Combine that with human nature (people complain about bad service a lot more than they talk about good service) and that just reinforces the stereotype discussed above.
Fifteen years ago, Mona Shaw would only have made the news in her home town. Now the whole country has heard of her.
3) All of that being said, if you monitor the Comcast forums around here, there are still a number of people having problems with things that shouldn't take more than a single call to resolve.
I don't mind if it takes several tries to track down a water leak in a tap halfway down the block—I've done troubleshooting on computers before and I understand that your first, second or even third attempts to fix a problem may not work.
On the other hand, it's more than a little worrying when the cable company can't get a simple one-time credit to the bill right, or consistently has problems getting techs to show up in the right place and on time.
--
My opinions are my own. No-one else would want them! | |
| | |
dvd536
as Mr. Pink as they come
Premium
join:2001-04-27
Phoenix, AZ
| Re: Hey Cox... said by amungus :True, there is no FiOS where I am right now Then cox isn't interested in you right now.
--
When I gez aju zavateh na nalechoo more new yonooz tonigh molinigh - Ken Lee | |
| | | robertfl
Premium
join:2005-10-10
Mary Esther, FL
·Cox VOIP
·Cox HSI
| Re: Hey Cox... this is old and boring news.
when they launch it nationwide then let us know.
i think we ALL know where they plan on launching this service.
-Rob
--
»www.cband.info - unique radio you won't find elsewhere. join the chat and join our growing family. | |
| | | | 
Plasticman
Will Work For Bandwidth
Premium
join:2002-09-06
Harrisville, RI
clubs:
·Cox HSI
·Vonage
| Re: Hey Cox... said by robertfl :i think we ALL know where they plan on launching this service. -Rob In areas where fios is..... And if they are smart they will roll it out in areas where fios already has plans to roll out. Like where I live...... Verizon got a franchise agreement to deploy and provide fios service in my town....
--
Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I cannot accept, and the wisdom to hide the bodies of those people I had to kill today because they pissed me off | |
| 
LordFlux
join:2005-04-20
Warner Robins, GA
·Cox HSI
 ·Alltel Axess
edit:
May 2nd, @07:32PM
| So far, so good... I've had Cox video, HSI, and telephone for almost a year now and it's been great. They've answered all of my questions regarding our service and installation went smoothly, although the install tech got here a couple hours late (didn't effect us, though... we were here all day getting our stuff moved into the house).
I've got basic video (around 60 analog, 4 local digital HD), 768k/256k HSI, and basic phone (local only). It's all we need and runs us around $75 a month after tax.
I am curious to see if the Docsis 3.0 upgrade will up the speed of the lowest tier. I'd love to get 1.5mbit down for what I'm paying for 768k. | |
|
KrK
Heavy Artillery For The Little Guy
Premium
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK | "Let them eat Cake" In other words, "We're not going to give people what they want unless we're forced too by competitors..." (Read, WoW, Optimum Online, Utopia, and FIOS.... etc)
The rest of you peasants can FORGET IT. | |
| | 
Rogue Wolf
Came To Bury Caesar, Not To Praise Him
join:2003-08-12
Saratoga Springs, NY
| Re: "Let them eat Cake" This is exactly how pure capitalism works. If they could get away with charging you $500 a month for 28.8kbps speeds, they would. This is why competition is not only necessary, but vital for a healthy marketplace- competition is what drives down costs and brings up quality and service.
Of course, there's some who believe that having exactly two forms of connectivity available is "competition", even if they are woefully mismatched (DSL/dial-up, cable/satellite, etc.).
--
I have learned to ignore such naysayers, when... quelling... them... hm?... was out of the question. | |
| | |
KrK
Heavy Artillery For The Little Guy
Premium
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK | Re: "Let them eat Cake" Yes, because the barriers to entry, not to mention the actions of the 800 lb gorillas working very hard, ensures the status quo remains and competition stays out. | |
| | | |
|
|
