[dba-Tech] Comcast usage with no internet

Jim Lawrence accessd at shaw.ca
Thu Aug 4 11:14:40 CDT 2016 

Like a lot of things, Cable TV will not disappear but it will no longer be the cash cow it once was.

Fortune Magazine posts the dropping rates: http://for.tn/2aD2WwE

According to the latest stats, cable companies have lost 350K subscribers and that is just in the last three months. When we dropped our TV cable it was costing us $90 per month and we were watching the cable maybe three times a month...just too busy. The provider called back in a few days and offered us the same deal for $11 per month...that speaks of desperation...we appreciated the offer but were unmoved.

We here have had a duopoly for years...originally two cable companies and one phone company, in entire Canada...all competition is long gone. They all now provide the same service so other than their names there is little difference. They have sucessfully blocked all competition and charge exactly the same rates. The current rates for cable service, in Canada are some of the highest in the world. For all extents and purposes they are one company. 

At this point there is no further deployment of fiber-optic cables...why should there be? The government, via the CRTC, is threatening to force the cable companies to adopt new technology, block any rate increases and open the doors to competition through legislation. Sad state of affairs really but what can anyone expect when there is no competition?

Jim

----- Original Message -----
From: "Gary Kjos" <garykjos at gmail.com>
To: "Discussion of Hardware and Software issues" <dba-tech at databaseadvisors.com>
Sent: Thursday, August 4, 2016 8:09:31 AM
Subject: Re: [dba-Tech] Comcast usage with no internet

A lot of Lawyers will make a lot of money anyway.   Supposedly cable
TV is on it's last breath anyway.  We've been hearing that for a while
now though.

And the days of cable TV providers having a lock on anything are past
for most places.  Pretty much all the phone companies will sell you TV
service now.  Satellite is everywhere.

GK

On Thu, Aug 4, 2016 at 12:47 AM, Jim Lawrence <accessd at shaw.ca> wrote:
> I find that an odd statement.
>
> In most cases the free-enterprise systems keeps companies fair and competitive but in the situations where a company establishes a monopoly or near monopoly then there exists no other alternatives other than class action law suits and government regulations, to restrict unfair business practices. These alternatives are not necessarily anything to do with size of a business...centuries of experience have proven that a check and balance system must exist or any company (or any absolute power) will take advantage of the favoured position to the detriment of all citizens or clients. That is just human nature.
>
> Some people may hate Comcast just because its big but I think most people are justifiably cautious of a company monopoly, unfettered from any market restraints, as such an entity, is historically dangerous.
>
> The law suit brought against Comcast, in Washington state, may represent a one-off incident or it may represent a warning of events to come.(?)
>
> Jim
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Gary Kjos" <garykjos at gmail.com>
> To: "Discussion of Hardware and Software issues" <dba-tech at databaseadvisors.com>
> Sent: Wednesday, August 3, 2016 7:54:27 PM
> Subject: Re: [dba-Tech] Comcast usage with no internet
>
> They are big so people will naturally hate them.  They own NBC, The
> Golf Channel, Universal Pictures, Universal Theme parks. Everybody
> naturally hates their cable company.  It's the nature of the beast.
> You don't pay your bill and it's the cable companies fault that they
> shut off your service. Sure it is. They got as big as they are by
> buying up other companies many of which probably sucked and so they
> inherited dissatisfied customers.
>
> On Wed, Aug 3, 2016 at 9:46 PM, Jim Lawrence <accessd at shaw.ca> wrote:
>> I can not say from first hand experience as I have never used Comcast. My understanding comes from people (and a business), in Washington state, that have been using their service. Their issues are varied; unreliable, monopolistic (with the associated attitude) and now a service scam (the last straw).
>>
>> I am glad to hear that your experiences are different. Maybe, having competition does attribute to a better service from the supplier. ;-)
>>
>> We here have the CRTC (Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission), a government regulating agency. It is not a perfect solution as it regulations can be adversely affected by the size of a political contribution and the particular political party in office but OTOH, it could be so much worse. An industry and a monopoly seem to always ends up negatively impacting the public.
>>
>> Jim
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Gary Kjos" <garykjos at gmail.com>
>> To: "Discussion of Hardware and Software issues" <dba-tech at databaseadvisors.com>
>> Sent: Wednesday, August 3, 2016 7:21:14 PM
>> Subject: Re: [dba-Tech] Comcast usage with no internet
>>
>> I am a Comcast customer and have no problem with them at all.  50 MB
>> down and 13 Mb up just now when I tested. Have had nothing but good
>> service and reliability.  We have DSL competition here for internet
>> and of course several Satalite carriers for TV.  Most of the USA has
>> multiple carriers to choose from for Internet and TV service now.
>>
>> GK
>>
>> On Wed, Aug 3, 2016 at 5:49 PM, Jim Lawrence <accessd at shaw.ca> wrote:
>>> Thank you, Byran...you are right of course...I knew that.
>>>
>>> Aside: If we think we have it bad with our three duopoly Cable companies, in Canada, the Comcast monopoly, south of the border, takes retched to a new level. Not only is their connection speed, reliability and no-competition agreements been terrible, it seems they have been scamming their customers as well. Finally, Washington state is invoking a class-action suit against Comcast: http://bit.ly/2aRohHm . What a scummy company.
>>>
>>> Jim
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Bryan Carbonnell" <carbonnb at gmail.com>
>>> To: "Discussion of Hardware and Software issues" <dba-tech at databaseadvisors.com>
>>> Sent: Wednesday, August 3, 2016 6:14:36 AM
>>> Subject: Re: [dba-Tech] Comcast usage with no internet
>>>
>>> You mean ChromeCast and not Comcast right?
>>>
>>> B
>>>
>>> On Wed, Aug 3, 2016 at 2:29 AM, Jim Lawrence <accessd at shaw.ca> wrote:
>>>> Hi All:
>>>>
>>>> Hot off the presses. If you have been using or are thinking of getting a comcast device for your TV (http://bit.ly/2atBa4Q), so you can stream video or music from any of your computers and hate going through or depending on the internet, the new app Localcast, is for you.
>>>>
>>>> http://scalableminds.github.io/localcast/#download
>>>>
>>>> Right now it is only available for the MAC, but it will be available for all platforms so. Linux users can download the source and compile the app themselves but Windows users are going to have to wait. The wait should not be long...a couple of months?
>>>>
>>>> Jim
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> dba-Tech mailing list
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>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Bryan Carbonnell - carbonnb at gmail.com
>>> Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a
>>> well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out,
>>> shouting "What a great ride!"
>>>
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>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Gary Kjos
>> garykjos at gmail.com
>>
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>
> --
> Gary Kjos
> garykjos at gmail.com
>
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-- 
Gary Kjos
garykjos at gmail.com

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