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Gawd dam! All the ISPs are so full of it. (Original Post) MrScorpio May 2017 OP
Scummy bastages The Polack MSgt May 2017 #1
Comcast ... GeorgeGist May 2017 #2
I was on the internet before Comcast even knew what it was... hunter May 2017 #3

The Polack MSgt

(13,159 posts)
1. Scummy bastages
Mon May 8, 2017, 10:38 AM
May 2017

In this era of truly malevolent assholes in power, cable and data companies still manage to stand out as complete assholes - That takes some true talent

hunter

(38,263 posts)
3. I was on the internet before Comcast even knew what it was...
Mon May 8, 2017, 01:17 PM
May 2017

... and Pacific Bell was only offering expensive ISDN and trunk services to businesses and the likes of popular radio talks show hosts with home studios and a big budget.

My first modestly priced "high speed" internet connection was a dedicated phone line to a local ISP. Many of these ISPs still exist in California, somewhat protected by our state's Public Utilities Commission. We also had a wireless neighborhood system for awhile until the guy who was running it, an Air Force guy, got called back up to serve in Afghanistan. Shortly after that the phone company, re-conglomerating as AT&T, started offering their own household internet service. But I never signed up with them.

On paper many of these smaller independent ISPs do not offer the same speed as Comcast or AT&T, but Comcast and AT&T are full of bullshit anyways with their "speeds up to..." lies and cross-packaging. I'll be damned if I ever have a communications "package" that sends a portion of my subscription fees to Fox News and other agencies of the devil.

I cut the television cable years ago. Comcast was incredibly obnoxious about that, keeping a "credit" of less than a dollar on my account and pestering me several times a week with special offers, even "free" for six months offers. In the end I threatened to winch their cable out of the ground at my service box. The representative who finally disconnected me was so fearful of harming his retention numbers that he marked me down as "moved."

And sure enough, a week later the COMCAST sales people were back at my front door offering "move in" specials.

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