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  1. #1
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    Internet Service News (US ISPs are bad and should feel bad)

    Reuters Article.

    Comcast Corp's proposed $45.2 billion takeover of Time Warner Cable Inc could face close scrutiny from U.S. antitrust regulators because of the deal's potential to reshape the country's pay TV and broadband markets.

    The company resulting from the merger of the top two U.S. cable service providers would boast a footprint spanning from New York to Los Angeles, with a near 30 percent share of the pay TV market as well as a strong position in providing broadband Internet services.

    The all-stock deal, announced on Thursday, would put Comcast in 19 of the 20 largest U.S. TV markets, and could give it unprecedented leverage in negotiations with content providers and advertisers.
    This had better not be allowed to go through.

  2. #2
    Like a boss yo
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    Has a better chance to than the ATT-Tmobile deal... mainly due to their major areas not overlapping. Still a chance to be blocked for sure.

  3. #3

    Gonna start posting about this specific topic about this instead of the Net Neutrality.

    http://news.yahoo.com/massive-cable-...0--sector.html
    Spoiler: show
    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Consumer advocates and U.S. lawmakers are worried that Comcast Corp's proposed $45 billion takeover of Time Warner Cable Inc will create a company with too much power to decide what Americans can watch on television and do online, and they expect intense regulatory scrutiny of the deal.

    Their concerns are intertwined with a recent court decision to overturn U.S. open Internet rules, which enforced the principle that Internet service providers should treat all Web traffic equally and should not give preferential treatment to their own movies, websites and content. Comcast, a major provider of Internet services, is committed to network neutrality until 2018.

    Separately, some media companies are concerned that Comcast would attempt to pay them less for their television shows, movies and other content, and have scheduled discussions with their attorneys with an eye toward lobbying regulators in Washington, said an antitrust attorney who spoke privately to protect business relationships.

    Comcast's proposed takeover of Time Warner Cable would combine the country's top two cable providers into a colossus that could reshape the U.S. pay television and broadband Internet industry. The deal would put Comcast in 19 of the nation's 20 largest TV markets.

    The deal will be reviewed by the Federal Communications Commission and either the Department of Justice or the Federal Trade Commission, the two agencies that share antitrust oversight in the United States.

    Eight antitrust experts interviewed by Reuters were split on whether the merger would be approved. While Comcast has agreed to divest 3 million Time Warner Cable subscribers to keep their combined share of the U.S. pay television market at under 30 percent, it is unclear if that is enough to satisfy antitrust regulators, the experts said.

    A Comcast-Time Warner combination could be especially troubling in light of the court ruling that struck down FCC rules aimed at preventing broadband service providers from favoring one website over another, said Bert Foer, head of the American Antitrust Institute.

    "I hope it (the deal) is going to be fought tooth and nail," said Foer. "You're creating this giant and you're doing it in the absence of a network neutrality rule. That's dangerous to democracy."

    Foer said that agreements between Comcast and federal agencies that were put in place at the time of the Comcast and NBC Universal merger in 2011 to assure network neutrality would end in 2018 and were nothing more than a "short-term bandage."

    NOTHING BUT NET

    The advocacy group Consumer Watchdog bluntly called on the FCC and Department of Justice to block the creation of "an unjustifiable monopoly" that could raise prices to customers and would have "no incentive to improve broadband service."

    Antitrust authorities often challenge mergers or extract concessions when head-to-head competition would be diluted, although there are few areas of the United States where two cable companies compete directly.

    Reed Hundt, FCC chairman during the Clinton administration, said the current spotlight on the issue of open internet principles meant the commission would carefully examine the size and power of the new combined company.

    "The FCC will look at that broadband market share and they will say, 'Chairman Wheeler promised an open internet, what does this deal mean for that?'" he said. "The FCC will take a hard look at what is the durable, long-lasting, truly open internet commitment," Hundt said.

    Robert McDowell, a former FCC commissioner who voted to approve Comcast's acquisition of NBC Universal, said the company could be asked to extend its net neutrality commitment, and if they do so, chances of approval are good.

    "Comcast understood going into this that they'll have to agree to at least all of the same merger conditions that were put into the NBC merger deal plus some other things too. They will probably see an extension of the term of those conditions," McDowell said.

    HEARINGS AHOY

    Amy Klobuchar, chairwoman of the Senate Judiciary Committee's antitrust panel, promised a hearing "to carefully scrutinize the details of this merger and its potential consequences." No date has been set so far.

    The Republican-run House Judiciary Committee is also expected to hold a hearing "to ensure that the interests of American consumers and overall competition in the marketplace is protected."

    Senator Al Franken was a critic of Comcast's previous deal with NBC Universal. On Thursday he wrote to both FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler and top U.S. antitrust officials with "serious reservations" about Comcast's latest move.

    "A handful of cable providers dominate the market, leaving consumers with little choice but to pay high bills for often unsatisfactory service. I am concerned that Comcast's proposed acquisition of Time Warner would only make things worse," wrote Franken, a Minnesota Democrat.

    The Justice Department has stopped a couple of notable deals recently, particularly a proposed merger of AT&T with T-Mobile USA. Other deals it sued to stop - like the Anheuser-Busch InBev deal to buy Grupo Modelo and US Airways merger with American Airlines - were allowed to go ahead after the companies pledged big asset sales.

    The companies maintain that customers will benefit from the merger as services and technology improves.

    "This transaction is pro-consumer, pro-competitive and approvable," said Comcast executive vice president David Cohen. However, "we're certainly not promising that customer bills are going to go down or even increase less rapidly," he added.

    NEGOTIATING BEHEMOTH

    Wall Street analysts said the deal would give Comcast a stronger hand in negotiations with content providers such as Walt Disney Co, CBS Corp and Fox. Media companies collectively receive billions of dollars a year from pay TV operators for their programming.

    "Content providers would face a negotiating behemoth with close to 30 million subscribers that, oh by the way, is vertically integrated with a direct competitor (NBC Universal)," Moffett Nathanson analyst Craig Moffett said in a note to clients. "Expect them to complain vehemently."

    A Disney spokesman did not respond to requests for comment, and Fox had no comment. CBS' chief executive Les Moonves said in a CNBC interview that "if you have the right content, you're always going to have the (pricing) power."

    The deal has generated "considerable opposition" among programmers who fear they will be offered less money for their content, said the antitrust attorney.

    "This is a very problematic deal. ... And I don't know if it can be corrected," he said.

  4. #4

    "This transaction is pro-consumer, pro-competitive and approvable," said Comcast executive vice president David Cohen. However, "we're certainly not promising that customer bills are going to go down or even increase less rapidly," he added.
    What a bunch of bullshit. It speaks volumes as well that these companies can basically say "Well this should be allowed because we don't even compete with each other really anyways LOLOLOLOL merica!"

    The FCC needs to start doing their job and these companies need to be slapped around and broken up.

  5. #5

    What the FCC needs to do is relabel cable companies the same as phone companies in order to regulate them without this bullshit.

  6. #6
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    Last night my wife called Comcast to see about renegotiating our (constantly rising) package price. She found out that she pretty much couldn't get it to go any cheaper (than $94/mo), but they were offering a 2 year contract with a fixed rate of $99/mo (voice, TV, Internet) with free installation. The phone guy offers to rent us a modem for $8/mo, but we have one so she tells him to screw off with that. She said thanks and exited the conversation without committing to anything.

    This morning she forwards me an e-mail headed with this lady :

    saying that they're going to come install our newly requested xfinity cable package next week and only charge us $354.33 (for installation and the first month, including modem rental). Also, all the bill is in English but is otherwise incomprehensible:


    Not to state the obvious or anything, but >$200 installation fee isn't free, $111.77 isn't $99, the month is 2/14 and not 2/13, we don't want a modem rental, we aren't currently renting a cable box or universal remote from them, and the numbers don't add up to the total they listed in any way that I can do them.

    I mean, even if she had said yes to the offer last night, which she didn't, they still wouldn't have gotten the order right.



    Prepare yourselves, Time-Warner Cable customers. This is what you have to look forward to. At least you're probably not used to better.

  7. #7
    I'll change yer fuckin rate you derivative piece of shit
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    I pay 50/mo for 15mb down on TWC, but their cable is so fucking pricey, mainly because a dvr is like $22/mo and an hd receiver is 11/mo. I've been with Dish for like 4 years, pay 55/mo to get 1 dvr, 1 receiver, and like 120 channels. No AMC or FX, but I just torrent those shows anyway, and all I need is ESPN and comedy central to stay happy.

    Only other option is ATT Uverse internet, but 6mb/down is $46/mo, and thats the fastest option. They don't even offer Uverse TV at my house.

  8. #8
    You wouldn't know that though because you've demonstrably never picked up a book nor educated yourself on the matter. Let me guess, overweight housewife?
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    We don't even use the cable we have through TWC. We have basic because it's cheaper with our internet as a package rather than just internet.

    But just to get an idea how reFUCKINGtarded the whole thing is:

    1. The basic cable doesn't do HD

    2. Our antenna we bought from Walmart for $30 does.

    3. The TWC channels have less English channels than our antenna.

    Basically, if the package didn't exist, it is better to use the antenna than basic cable, and as is, we don't use the basic cable and just stick to the antenna.

  9. #9
    You just got served THE CALLISTO SPECIAL
    SASSAGE KING OF DA WORLD
    cheap hawks gay

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    Quote Originally Posted by Byrthnoth View Post
    the month is 2/14 and not 2/13
    err, not defending the rest of it, but 2/13 would be the date you allegedly initiated the service(yesterday), through 3/16(a Sunday, end of week), so I'm pretty sure those dates are the actual first billing cycle.

  10. #10
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    These prices are breaking my heart guys.

    Idiot guy in control of bills in my house hasn't paid the internet bill (yet complains about the comcast takeover on facebook) while on vacation meaning I've no internet at the moment at home.

    I've been tethering my t-mobile internet plan and have been very impressed with the results. Managed to have Netflix and ff11 and some other stuff going at the same time with not many issues.

    Might be an option for some?

  11. #11

    Google internetz please come to Raleigh

  12. #12
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    I pay $63/mo with Cox (was $55 when I started) for 26 down and 8 up. I like it, although it has a cap of 250g that they don't enforce. I'm probably going to end up moving into a Comcast area after I leave Gainesville which is unfortunate. Sarasota is Comcast or Verizon so ugh

  13. #13
    I'll change yer fuckin rate you derivative piece of shit
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cliron View Post
    These prices are breaking my heart guys.

    Idiot guy in control of bills in my house hasn't paid the internet bill (yet complains about the comcast takeover on facebook) while on vacation meaning I've no internet at the moment at home.

    I've been tethering my t-mobile internet plan and have been very impressed with the results. Managed to have Netflix and ff11 and some other stuff going at the same time with not many issues.

    Might be an option for some?
    Wasn't your ff11 lag through the roof? Tethering ping is awful I thought.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by archibaldcrane View Post
    Wasn't your ff11 lag through the roof? Tethering ping is awful I thought.
    I will say it wasn't as good as stable internet, but I wasnt sure if it was because I had netflix and other stuff on at the same time.

    I did DC once or twice, whereas I never DC on the house internet.

  15. #15

    $150 a month with basic cable package + internet.

    It's $130 if I sign a year contract.

    I have no options, either. I mean, fiber and satellite aren't a thing. It's cable or nothing.

  16. #16
    Atheist Douchebag.
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    TWC is bad enough. Comcast is going to make it even worse. Happy I swapped to FiOS for now.

  17. #17

    Paying about $59 with comcast for 50 down and 10 up along with basic cable and HBO package. Signed up for a deal they were running and once it's over will probably cancel/resign up for another deal or swap to verizon and go with their start up deal. I learned with TWC that you could call them up at the end of each of their 6 month package deals, when they were about to hike up your price and threaten to cancel and they would extend it further, I did that for about 2yrs straight.

  18. #18
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    Yeah, I do that every 6 months. It's a minor inconvenience to keep my bill down.

  19. #19
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    how much is google fiber optics internet costing anyway?

  20. #20
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    $70/mo for just 1gbps
    $120/mo for Internet + TV

    or, you can pay the $300 installation (which is waived with a plan) as a lump, or $25/mo for one single year, and get 5mbps, for at least seven years.

    Or do you mean like, rollout cost? In which case idk

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