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Comcast Targets FiOS Frontier Customers
Comcast Ads Accuse ISP of 'Pulling the Plug'
Frontier Communications has been rather ungracefully trying to offload or otherwise scare away the 100,000 FiOS TV customers it acquired in its deal with Verizon, first with a huge 50% price hike and botched DirecTV offer, and then with a massive $500 installation fee to frighten off new customers. While insisting they aren't leaving the TV business, Frontier has been backing out of video franchise agreements with towns and cities, and migrating all of these customers to DirecTV as quickly as possible. Comcast's now taking aim at these Frontier FiOS customers, running ads arguing that Frontier's "pulling the plug" on FiOS. That has apparently annoyed Frontier:
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Billboards sprinkled across Ft. Wayne, Ind., tell residents, "Frontier is pulling the plug on FiOS — Switch to Xfinity," has infuriated Frontier Communications, who says it will continue to provide FiOS service in the area, at least for broadband, indefinitely. Now the independent phone company has sent a "cease and desist" letter to Comcast officials demanding the billboards come down. Frontier spokesman Matt Kelley accused Comcast of spreading false rumors in an effort to drum up business.
Technically it's FiOS TV, not FiOS, that Frontier's planning to pull the plug on -- even if Frontier has absolutely no intention of ever offering FTTH to a single additional home anywhere in their footprint. Comcast is sticking to their guns:
quote:
"Comcast continues to invest in these markets, while Frontier has taken a number of steps to discourage new customers from signing up for its service and encourage current customers to seek alternative services from satellite. We are using these ads to make consumers aware of our Xfinity TV service as a better choice for consumers."
Oregon regulators went so far as to help Comcast sign up users, informing locals that since Frontier clearly didn't want the TV customers they had, users should sign up with Comcast to avoid egregious fees intended to drive them to satellite TV.