SBC!!!(with disgust!!!!)

Way back in the early days of cable modems, I was one of the first to get one from then TCI in CT. Worked well for about six months until there were some severe storms in the area, after that it was very intermittent. Having worked for a cable company myself previously, I did what I could to help the local techs resolve the problem, but unfortunately the cable modems were so new they really didn't have a clue.

This intermittent service went on for some time, and each call I kept a log of the date, time and summary of the call. Eventually I had enough and called and canceled service. As should be expected, they didn't even get that right and a little over a month later I was on the phone with them again to get them to cancel the service properly.

They started arguing with me about $17.77 worth of credit for their screw up. I simply told them that I had a two page log of every call I made about the service problems, and that if they did not give me my credit then, I would send a letter to my credit card company along with that two page log and would also CC it to the state DPUC. I had my credit in about 30 seconds.

I then noted that I was not going to inconvenience myself and bring the cable modem to them after I canceled service due to their inability to supply said service reliably. I told them that since they have techs in the area every day, I would wrap and label the modem and place it by the basement door where they could have a tech pick it up at their convenience. The modem sat there for about 10 weeks before I finally brought it back inside and put it in my misc. junk pile.

I'm in a pretty small town and I have a cable modem with CableOne. They have been surprisingly good for service the few times I've had issues. DSL hasn't quite reached this area yet, but it's close. Satellite is available as well, but doesn't work well with VPN.

Nope, franchise does not equate with monopoly. For voice in many areas you have a choice between the traditional telco, a cable company and the broadband providers. In many cases cell phones are now competitive with landlines for general voice service. For TV type entertainment, you have free broadcast TV (soon pay broadcast as well), cable TV, several satellite options and the local video rental options. For high speed internet you have cable, DSL, satellite and sometimes other wireless options.

Pete C.

Reply to
Pete C.
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The choice here is Time Warner, no alternative available.

And every one we have available here goes back to be owned by SBC. Others "might" be available, but I'd have to drive into Milwaukee to find one. Cell phone is something I don't want anyhow, if I'm not next to the phone, it means I don't want to be contacted. Benefit of retirement.

The only one I'm willing to part with cash for. Mine is on now, the weather is about to come on, when it's over, the TV gets turned off until tomorrrow afternoon. Fifteen minutes a day, maybe, if I remember it, assuming I don't have something more interesting. (Had to pay for an antenna, don't really care how good it is.)

Anyhow, to eliminate the frustration of dealing with a huge, unresponsive, uncaring corporation with trained monkeys at their end of the phone line, the obvious answer is dump it. In the time I was off, the only thing that bothered me was not having downloaded the Cahto stories from Four Directions Institute, which I now have, both in the Wailakan and English.

Rich (AKA Lennie)

Reply to
Richard

You're right - I had the #s reversed. It should have said 1.3meg down and

340k up.

BTW - I asked around at work today and found about a dozen of my peers who are also on SBC and every single one, without exception, has had the same kind of experience as I. On the other hand, I heard a number of complaints about cable users that outages were fairly common although users were generally satisfied. However, cable users pay at least $44.95 per month for the base RoadRunner compared to SBC's $16.95 base DSL So, at least in the Austin, TX area it is fairly clear from my quick poll that SBC seems to have a higher satisfaction that the local cable outfit, which is Time Warner's RoadRunner service, and a dramatically lower price too.

Robert

Reply to
Siggy

Even in the case of a "rubber stamp" commission, they don't like to be embarrassed by a disgruntled customer and will tell the SBC people to clear up this case.. They may not try to keep other cases from happening, but if you have records that means you are dangerous.

Bill K7NOM

Reply to
Bill Janssen

Satellite - StarBand. I researched it before I moved. Every indication is that it works fine for normal surfing, just not well for encrypted VPN due to latency. Full two way as well, not like the early version that used dialup for upstream. Available throughout North America, you could get it at a cabin in the middle of nowhere.

You don't have to always have it, that's not the point. The point is with some of the cell plans available now they are a viable alternative to a land line for typical low level voice use. They also have the benefit of going with you when you want, or you can turn them off anytime you don't want to be available.

I didn't have cable TV for years. Now I have it since the package price with the cable modem is good and work pays for the cable modem. I spend a lot more time in the shop than watching TV, but when I do feel like watching TV it's usually one of the various Discovery Networks channels when it isn't a rerun.

After I dumped TCI I did ok with dial for quite a while. Dial works just fine for newsgroups and a fair amount of surfing. Big downloads were ok if I started them before dinner and they completed while I was eating. I'd still never go back to dial if high speed was available. Much easier to host my feeble little web site that gets about 10 hits a month on high speed.

Pete C.

Reply to
Pete C.

In this day and administration, I'm not sure I want any government agency to consider me "dangerous."

Grumpy, grouchy, cantankerous, fine. But not dangerous.

Rich

Reply to
Richard

DSL? Whats that? The closest thing we have here, is RoadRunner (Time Warner) cable modem at $49 a month.

Which is why I have dialup.

Sigh..and until I can pay the phone bill in LA..not even dialup there..which is why Im off the newsgroup for 3-4 days at a time.

Accounts recievable , lately, has been only promises...damnit

Gunner

"Pax Americana is a philosophy. Hardly an empire. Making sure other people play nice and dont kill each other (and us) off in job lots is hardly empire building, particularly when you give them self determination under "play nice" rules.

Think of it as having your older brother knock the shit out of you for torturing the cat." Gunner

Reply to
Gunner Asch

Yeah, but what happens if you become dissatisfied with the service? How big a mess is it to move to another server/service? Does this service provide the domain name for you? If so, you need a new domain name, and everyone who looks at your server needs to be informed of the change. What if this service goes out of business without any warning?

$240/year? And, you still need to have your own internet service. I combine it all. At one time, the server and my personal surfing and all-other-uses computer were the same. Right now, my server is on an otherwise useless 133 MHz Pentium classic computer with a couple-GB disk drive. I do have to pay electricity for it, but it can't use a whole lot.

Jon

Reply to
Jon Elson

You have another : Dish network is bi-directional now - no phone wires. Martin Martin Eastburn @ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net NRA LOH, NRA Life NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder

Gunner Asch wrote:

Reply to
Martin H. Eastburn

The various unreliabilities of a decent server farm are far less than anything you could do yourself.

You do backups and move elsewhere if need be.

Domain name registration has no connection to the services hosted at that name. You can move the hosting around, or have multiple hosts if you like, with the same domain name. Maybe you're confused by outfits that bundle hosting and domain name registration together to hold you hostage. You should instead register the name yourself independently with Tucows or GoDaddy or the like.

If the rented host disappears without warning, you set up a new host and just point your DNS there.

What your server PC uses in AC power alone.

No, you get more with less IP service. You don't have to pay for static IP ($) or server TOS ($$). The server bandwidth is no longer spoiled by your surfing and vice versa. The virtual server is hooked to a gigabit connection, instead of a puny kilobit DSL line in your bedroom.

Huh? 10 cents/KWH = $1/watt-year. (What does your utility charge?) Your 24/7/365 homebrew host costs you $100s/year just in AC power. You can't compete with the economy of shared virtual servers on IP backbones. It's like running your own generator versus buying utility power. See

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For a few years like you I ran my own server off static IP DSL. It seemed kind of clever until I found it was cheaper and faster to let someone else care and feed for the thing. I don't regret the switch.

I won't name the outfit I've successfully used for 3 years now. Do a reverse IP lookup on my email domain if you want to know.

Reply to
Richard J Kinch

That is exactly what I have done. I had my registration with Network Solutions before those outfits even existed.

Oh, for gosh sakes. My old MicroVAX used that kind of power, but not this little PC. A 150 W PC power supply, at 100% rated load, will draw

1314 KWH over a full year, at my current electric rate that comes to $91. I still need a local network caching DNS and local router, so I'd still have a machine on, anyway.

Seven Cents, on average, over the year.

Well, I guess this means I'm a "Control freak". I like to be in "control", and see EXACTLY what is going on. I also get all the logs, and can find out how many times a particular page is used by who. For instance, there's some guy in eastern europe who apparently uses a

47 MB file on my web server as a daily check on network performance. At least, I can't come up with any other reason the SAME guy has downloaded that same one file thousands of times.

Jon

Reply to
Jon Elson

You might consider a monitor and all the wall warts.

Well, that's super cheap. That's really your marginal rate, with taxes and all? Where?

You fully control a Linux virtual server just like your own PC, root and all, and you can load your own hard drive images if you like. The only difference is you have a Web page with a reset button instead of a physical one, and a IP connection instead of a CRT and keyboard.

Reply to
Richard J Kinch

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