@Home customers left in limbo (blackout not likely)

CNet ^ | 11/30/01 | Rachel Konrad

[Black Cat]

They're SAYING that, but they aren't stupid -- cut the customers off and they'll NEVER come back. Everybody's posturing but they know how badly they all need each other through the shakeout.

[Black Cat]

...we are talking with AOL Broadband and Road Runner, and believe we can expedite a transition."

Unfortunately, according to the head cable internet honcho at our local company, who I talked to this afternoon after the ruling came out, that "expedited" transition would still take 45-60 days here... So let's all hope it doesn't come to that...

[janus]

I'm a Comcast customer, but I haven't tried it tonight. At present I am using a dial up connection on my wife's computer. I'll check out Comcast's cable connection tomorrow.

[Black Cat]

my e mail at comcast@home.com here in NJ has not been working for a couple of hours now.

You can have my spam -- and all the copies of badtrans I've been getting -- if you want it... :) My @home mail is doing just fine.

[US_MilitaryRules]

DIRECT TV DSL. SATELITE LINK. GET IT FOR BEING OUT IN THE WOODS OR BOONIES!

[HairOfTheDog]

I have a couple of nosy questions about that... starting with this one... if you have access to cable on your own machine, why are you subjecting your wife (and yourself at the moment) to dial-up?

[spycatcher]

That's why I think it won't last but a day or two if at all. But we customers need to insert ourselves into the picture with threats of DSL, DirecTV/PC/Duo, asking Congress to remove monopoly protection, class-action lawsuits, etc.

What's funny is how they're recommending free dial-up as a replacement. Of course if they really cared about the customer getting comparable service they would also recommend DSL or DirecPC for the people who critically need fast service. But that means the customer would be happy and not return to them.

They waited til the last minute in order to use us as hostages, when they could have warned people who have critical needs to switch to DSL long ago when people had a chance to get it set up. They gambled with our lives and lost, now they want us to barely get by without them if *they* decide to hardball @Home.

[janus]

My wife's burkha precludes her from using cable. Besides she doesn't want to give-up her right to a dial up access.

[spycatcher]

It was "intentionally negligent" of them to wait until this week to warn us of this possibility. Now people have no time to switch to a *real* competitor like DSL. Half a million people in a city can't call for and get DSL installed at the same time. And even still, they aren't telling anyone DSL or satellite exists.

That's why I think the cable companies (who could simply pay @Home a better rate to maintain service) are liable for damages.

[HairOfTheDog]

They (AT&T at least) did warn us, this is not exactly news to me... I have been getting email newsletters from AT&T regularly updating me on the progress of their negotiations with Excite for MONTHS...

The news did not exactly help me, as I have no other high speed option where I live, but they have been up-front and reassuring all along that they were doing everything they can to avoid a shutdown, but that there was a risk.... So I ride for as long as I can stay on, and eagerly wait for the clock to roll past midnight....

[HairOfTheDog]

LOL I figured as much... And I bet you have sewn her pockets shut so she cant carry money!!

Well the meek shall inherit the earth.... it will just take a really long time to download now......

[spycatcher]

Not with Cox. AT&T has been up-front because they have an actual backup plan with their own network and have nothing to fear.

[lady reaper]

Net Zero is Cox Communications back up service too. What a shame!

[HairOfTheDog]

I have gathered that from the other Cox customers that are posting... Hope we are all still here in the morning....

[George from New England]

"My @home connection has been acting a bit odd tonight with periodic disconnects."
How can you have disconnects if you are "on all the time"
I have experienced periods of time where I cannot get a "look-up". But any streaming connection seems unaffected.
LONG LIVE BROADBAND.

[HairOfTheDog]

My Internet Explorer unexpectedly shuts down on me from time to time, but I believe that to be an IE problem, not the connection....

Long live broadband!

[meyer]

Not with Cox. AT&T has been up-front because they have an actual backup plan with their own network and have nothing to fear.

Hmmmmn! Interesting. Yes, AT&T does have their own network, which I was once a subscriber to. If they have it set up to deal with the cable connection, they are home free. And I doubt if it would take much to make their network compatible. (I was previously a dialup subscriber to worldnet.att.net)

This could be another strategy; get the other cable companies to hook up with AT&T's network. AT&T was in the process of getting out of cable, but were not planning to get out of the internet business as far as I know. A little different picture than I had first thought, based on what I've read here. In essence, delete @home, replace with worldnet.

[spycatcher]

Eventually it will all be bought and run by AT&T and they will have to be broken up again!

[spycatcher]

I'm still online with Cox and the Internet just became blazing fast as of midnight. Maybe it's my imagination but then again a bunch of people could have just lost access.

[meyer]

Now, that's a possibility. I wonder if AT&T can handle Microsoft? I wonder if they want to.

Hey, I just noticed that it is 12:05 AM and I still have internet service. That's a good sign, unless they are talking about Pacific time.