 StaticMan
join:2006-06-21
23534
edit:
October 4th, @12:47PM
| Bye Charter Sounds like the dying screams of the present incarnation of charter cable...death must be prowling around. I smell a buyout. | |
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MysticGogeta
The Robot Devil
Premium
join:2005-03-14
League City, TX
clubs: | Re: Bye Charter Its about time I wish my city would do something like this im tired of the cable companys jerking us around. | |
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andunn
join:2001-09-06
Linn Creek, MO | Re: Bye Charter Oh Charter  | |
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dvd536
as Mr. Pink as they come
Premium
join:2001-04-27
Phoenix, AZ | Charter Why doesn't this surprise me?
Charter, the bottomfeeders of cable.
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You can never be too rich, too thin or have too much Bandwidth | |
| Folic
join:2004-10-03
Milwaukee, WI
| This might actually be good... for present charter subsribers, maybe this could be the begging of a lowering in pricing, it may not be for my area, but im glad to see it, this will show charter, they'll have to lower prices, and up speeds if they wanna stick around as fiber is starting to come into the market. I must admit, if any of you have seen my threads, i've bashed charter pretty hard, but i've come to realize, all in all they are a really good company (at least in my area) and all they need todo is lower there prices. There speed is pretty good as far as im concerned at least with the roll out of the 10mbs plan, just need to drop it down into an affordable price range.
So basicly what i wanna say, is i hope this makes charter realize they need to drop prices. they might not get outta debt as fast, but it'll make there customers A LOT happier. | |
| | 
Varlik
Without Honor You Will Never Be Free
Premium
join:2002-01-06
Anderson, SC
edit:
October 4th, @01:55PM
| Re: This might actually be good... Yeah for that area and guess which franchise will be up for sale, once it becomes unprofitable. | |
| | markopoleo
join:2003-04-02
Bonne Terre, MO
 ·Charter Pipeline
| Im not sure why you think it could be good, nothing saying Charter would pull out of the city completely in protest...Then you will be hearing people complain no HSI options in the area. They have did it before  To bad you won't get fiber from the city cause they can't afford to run the operation without Charter fiber lines.. | |
| karlmarx
join:2006-09-18
Nashua, NH
 ·Fairpoint Communic..
| The truth of the matter At the end of the article, the Charter goon sums it up nicely...
"Just think, we have to report in 12-week cycles to Wall Street. They don't have to operate that way," Pavlis said.
A nonprofit utility seeking to compete with for-profit companies violates the economic principle of "risk and payback," Pavlis said. "That's somewhat like socialism," he said.
Truly, the Charter goons DON'T GET IT. Socialism is GOOD FOR THE PEOPLE. The city doesn't have to appease shareholders, the city doesn't have to show a profit. The city has to provide a better service, cheaper than a for-profit company. And THAT of course, is a GOOD THING for the PEOPLE of Clarksville. | |
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tsu
join:2001-08-17
Wheeling, IL
| Re: The truth of the matter Y'ain't one of them thar commies, are ye? 
Anyhow, I find it somewhat hilarious that the Charter guy basically whines out that it's his company's job to screw over the people/consumers as best as possible. After all, how can you compete with something that isn't trying to sell the lowest quality product for the highest monetary value?
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"You do not secure the liberty of our country and value of our democracy by undermining them, that's the road to hell." - Lord Phillips of Sudbury. | |
| | music4praise
join:2006-02-22
Big Rapids, MI
 ·QuantumVoice
·VoicePulse
edit:
October 4th, @03:01PM
| I have dealt with city owned utilities. They are accountable to no one and they frequently act like it. This is not a good thing for the people. Government can and often does a good job of being a referee between privately owned players. It is also good at providing certain kinds of infrastructure. Having the same entity providing services that makes the regulations about the services is not a recipe for better and cheaper. | |
| | phaqu
join:2005-05-26
Marietta, GA
·Comcast
| quote:
"Just think, we have to report in 12-week cycles to Wall Street. They don't have to operate that way,"
Yeah, thats the very first thought that goes through my mind when I buy something, "I sure hope the investors are making a righteous profit off of me". | |
| | sancraig
join:2003-11-05
Saint Louis, MO
·Charter Pipeline
| Who are you kidding what local govt entity has ever provided better, cheaper or more efficient services. Gimme a break the govt's job is not to provide services, I know I know most have forgotten this but their purpose is to Protect their citizen and to regulate commerce. Anything else and they can keep it I can provide for myself and my family, If they didn't have their hands in my pockets every time I turn around. Next thing you'll be telling me broadband is a right. | |
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percboy
join:2000-12-07
Columbus, OH
| Re: The truth of the matter said by sancraig  :Who are you kidding what local govt entity has ever provided better, cheaper or more efficient services. Gimme a break the govt's job is not to provide services, I know I know most have forgotten this but their purpose is to Protect their citizen and to regulate commerce. Anything else and they can keep it I can provide for myself and my family, If they didn't have their hands in my pockets every time I turn around. Next thing you'll be telling me broadband is a right. That is exactly what the OP said in another post.
You can not name me one service the gov`t provides at a cheaper and more efficient rate than a private sector company.
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Anything worth doing is worth overdoing. | |
| padre44
join:2000-03-10
Powhatan, VA
·Comcast
 ·Verizon FIOS
| Charter poor A daughter lives in Clarksville. Every time I visit they had problems with their service by Charter. Finally went to DSL. Charter didn't seem to care about their service - competition from any source will be good for consumers. Once Comcast got competition from Verizon where I live, they started scrambling to improve service and pricing. However, I won't go back to them now because Verizon works great! | |
| | scsiguru
join:2000-11-18
Parkersburg, WV | Re: Charter poor I hope Charter gets washed away in the gutter!! | |
| | | dcs2281
join:2004-09-14
Santa Clarita, CA
| Re: Charter poor My dad lives in Clarkesville, no DSL available and the CableCo is the pits. He has been stuck on dial-up with frequent disconnects. It's about time some kind of speed is offered there, even if it's the City that does it. Maybe the TelCo and CableCo's will wake up and smell the coffee. | |
| | | | padre44
join:2000-03-10
Powhatan, VA | Re: Charter poor My daughter had DSL through Bell South in Clarksville. Slower than cable, but it is consistent and better than Charter. | |
| 
viofam
Premium
join:2001-07-17
Clarksville, TN | Charter Fighting Clarksville, TN Fiber ...town?... | |
| 
Vodka
join:2005-12-20
Sacramento, CA
| Two words: Ashland, Oregon. Ashland, Oregon has exactly what Clarksville, TN is planning. The muni-owned telecom is called AFN (Ashland Fiber Net). They are very good. I used to have it when I lived there.
End result in Ashland? Cable internet is sold at a VERY affordable price by Charter AND AFN, TV is also offered by AFN.
How funny that just 4 miles away from Ashland (in Talent, Oregon); prices are nearly double that of Ashland. As in, the so-called "regional norm".
Anyone here from Clarksville is free to PM me, or check out AFN (which I no longer have any ties to), or talk to any Northwest Charter tech that knows Ashland pricing.
Trust me when I tell you that a muni-owned fiber ring doing telecom CAN work VERY well, and CAN reach a LOT more than 25% of the community. I speak from EXPERIENCE on this matter. Charter is speaking from FEAR and a little bit of back-story. Who do you trust, Clarksville? | |
| | jervin123
join:2005-04-14
Philadelphia, PA | Re: Two words: Ashland, Oregon. Why not like UTOPIA the municapility owns the fiber and people can choose from which provider(s) they would like. | |
| | | battleop
join:2005-09-28
00000
| Re: Two words: Ashland, Oregon. Greed and politics usually keep that from happening.
Muni fiber should work like this.
ISPs buy access to the fiber network, similar to how ISPs buy PRIs from Telcos for Dialup. Customers buy access to the fiber network, similar to the way that they get a phone line. Then the customer calls up an ISP connected to the Fiber Network and they buy service just like you did dialup.
What sets the ISPs apart? Pricing, Service Offerings, Customer Service.
Remember when you had plenty of choices for dialup service? | |
| |
Vodka
join:2005-12-20
Sacramento, CA | You will notice that in Ashland it does. You can only go direct via AFN for business class services. Residential must use an outside, local ISP like InfoStructure, Ashland Home Net, etc. | |
| | | hottboiinnc
Kyle
join:2003-10-15
Toledo, OH | Re: Two words: Ashland, Oregon. it looks like Ashland is getting out of the ISP/CaTV business as they sold their CaTV network to one of the ISPs. Another private company on its way. | |
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Vodka
join:2005-12-20
Sacramento, CA | Something tells me the rates for both Charter and whatever-AFN-becomes will not go up very much either way.
Competition... ain't it grand? | |
| 
FIB3RTECH
@charter.com | I don't see why Charter is worried It is competition, they have said before that they love competition. Plus if Charter says the fiber network would only reach 25% of the community, then they still would have the majority of the customers. | |
| 
cline3621
Mr. Yuk is MEAN Mr. Yuk is GREEN
Premium
join:2006-06-14
Clarksville, TN
·CDE
| Charter Cable Company and Propaganda Charter must be pretty worried. I live in Clarksville, Tn. Charter was the first HSI available in town in 1999. When I had the system installed there tech told me Bits (b) and Bytes (B) were in fact the same thing. He got really pissed at me when I called "bullshit". Then had to take him to a webpage proving you need 8 of these (b) to make 1 of these (B). However when I got the service, I was forced to sign a contract. In the contract it stated "We (Charter) guarantee 60% of advertised speed. I was paying for 2Mbps however only receiving 400Kbps. There tech support almost knew me on a first name basis in Louisville, Ky, because I would call in, complain about the speed and get that month's "service" free.
Now I have Bellsouth. I finally have a 6Mbps/512Kbps service and it works. I will be voting yes for CDE (electric department) to start pulling fiber. I know this will take some time to get built and put into place, however you have to start somewhere. What is really funny is looking at all the billboards and advertisements about how CDE is going to have the local government raise taxes to the tune of 88 million dollars to pay for the system, knowing good and damn well that won't be the case. However for elections and politics people don't really pay too much attention and live in a world of 30 second sound bites. I am hoping that the fiber plan goes through, I would love to have the opportunity to have a 10Mbps/10Mbps pipe to my house, or possibly 20/20. I suppose if it does happen, we might be seeing charter go down the tubes or comcast in the Nashville area might buy them out, but not sure how those types of things might play out. | |
| | | markopoleo
join:2003-04-02
Bonne Terre, MO
·Charter Pipeline
| Re: charter's debt Stocks don't work on a yearly basis
You forgot to mention they payed off 1 billion in debt this year alone, and 5 billion of that debt they do have was acquired in only 2 years time by bad management. Oh and also you forgot to mention Charter stock has steady increased over the last year.
52-Week High (11-Sep-06)3: 1.64
52-Week Low (14-Mar-06)3: 0.88
But im sure that you know all this cause of the research you did before you cut and paste "today's" prices.. | |
| | |
Vodka
join:2005-12-20
Sacramento, CA
| Re: charter's debt Let's talk a bit about those figures, Marko.
»www.businessweek.com/magazine/co···6081.htm
According to May 29, 2006 in Business Week's article, "Charter: Cable's Sucker Stock" (rofl), they present a different amount of debt:
"From a financial perspective, Charter has turned into one of the ugliest U.S. companies still in solvency. Its $19.5 billion in debt dwarfs its market cap of $510 million. Its interest expense alone devours a third of its revenue; rival Comcast Corp. (CMCSA ), which has four times Charter's revenues and subscribers, pays about the same. Charter also has a knack for posting nasty quarterly losses, including, earlier this month, red ink of $459 million, or $1.45 a share, for the first quarter, vs. $353 million a year ago. Charter's quarterly losses per share now exceed its share price, which, at $1.20, has collapsed from a 2001 high of $25. It's perverse, the realization that each of my $1.20 shares generates a $1.45 loss. It's a wonder I don't owe Charter money." (ouch)
Forget the stock price and look at the debt. $19.5 billion over 13 years of operation. That's, literally, an average accumulation of $1.5 Billion of debt per year.
And THIS is a company you would prefer to manage your Internet connectivity over a small local city-owned telco?
At least the failure would not become cataclysmic! | |
|
PATMANN
@charter.com
| Goodbye Charter I too live in CLarksville TN, and have Charter as my HSI. This is pathetic, 45$ a month for 3Mbps doan and yet i get 350-400 KB/s. Call charter and question the miss advertisement and they tell me to find a certain website to download from. I been using the internet for 10 years now, and NEVER, EVER in my internet YEARS have i EVER got over 1MB/s.
I love the commercials about how i would give 88million dollars to the community for this and that. PLEASE!!!!! I know one thing, come vote time, i vote yes for fiber optics.
Charter is a joke. Call and complain about my cable internet being down, since they DO advertise about it being up 99% of the time, they say theyre working on it... AT 2 A.M. in the friggin morning????!!!!
Goodby Charter, i hope Comcast buys your building and makes it a storage facility!! | |
| |
pure 7
@71.87.x.x
| Re: Goodbye Charter While I find it attractive, Folks here don't understand that if this fails or works we in the great town of clarksville will pick up the tab IE higher taxes, I don't see small bussniess get a bail out offer, I am sure for it don't get me wrong but not for the exspense of higher taxes. We can't even fund are schools properly. They wanted a $2.09 tax increase for schools teachers wanted 2.02 of that that ment students got .07 WOW Get rid of trotter and piper yes we need a change pick anyone other then those clowns | |
|
cwdoc
@verizon.net | charter I already have Verizon fiber optic services up an running here in Florida. It is the fastest and best service on the market. their rates for TV, phone,and internet put all cable companies to shame. | |
|
charterhater
@bellsouth.net
| charter vs us! I live in clarksville and had used charter for tv and internet. I would say that the entire time I had them as a customer I was dissatisfied. At all times of the day I would be without tv or internet and this went on for almost 2 years. I would say to them that IF they could offer a more reliable service at a fair price, competition wouldn't be a factor. For years they held a monopoly here so the average person would have to settle with their terrible service. Now here comes Fiber optic and they cry wolf!!! Guess they should have paid more attention, " The customer comes first " instead of lining their pockets and providing an inadequate service. | |
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Charter Fighting Clarksville, TN Fiber
