New homeowner selling house because he can’t get Comcast Internet FCC , and FTC oversight worthle

Another example of Comcast great service and worthless FCC and FTC oversight over the telecom industry.


Note: The title is a little misleading from the source as its not comcast specific, but rather the inability to get fast internet from any provider including century link who along with Comcast provided false information and worthless customer service.

The gist: both comcast and century link gave false information numerous times to the customer and provided worthless support and billing.

arstechnica.com...

Also interesting to note that it also covered the B$ www.broadbandmap.gov link that is suppose to demonstrate how much competition is in the telecom market for your area.

In my case, when I searched for my home the information was 100% total B$.
It said that comcast provides 100mb -1gb in my area which is a lie as of last week when I contacted them for fater service than 50mb including business class.

All of the rest supposed providers for my area are also lies: they do not provide service to my area as I have called before with the exception of century link. However, the century link available service in my area is also a lie because its not anywhere near 10-25MBmb its only 3mb .

Try the link for yourself: www.broadbandmap.gov...

You will likely see how the FTC and the FCC are worthless as an overseer of the telecom industry. The information provided is supposed to be justification for the comcast/TWC merger in providing proof of competition.

With good ol CCast I was getting consistent speeds >125mbs on the download and no break of service hardly ever. This was the average speed even when using far-off servers of other providers. Now I was forced to take another provider and I am seriously hampered.

He should be able to sue for false advertising.

Yea... Chart is definitely misleading. Plugging in my mothers address tells me Verizon offers 10-25 M/bit speeds when the only thing they offer is 3 M/bit.

Looking up my own homes address doesn't even show my provider (MetroCast) and my 75 M/bit fiber.

Definitely a smell of rotting ocean dwelling denizens...

originally posted by: Autorico
He should be able to sue for false advertising.

I remember taking home ed back in middle school early 90's and I recall them covering false advertising and the punishment for it.

However, I don't think that applies anymore or the loopholes are so big that it doesn't matter.

I can't recall to many items that I have purchased that meet the advertised claims as they make it look like. ofcourse they have disclaimers that pretty much gives them the freedom to indulge all they want.

a reply to: interupt42

Kinda makes the term "truth in advertising" an oxymoron nowadays.

That's the hazard of new developments. Sure, the cable company has conduits and cables outside the development. But they won't provide service until the homeowner market has "matured" after three years.

originally posted by: stormcell
That's the hazard of new developments. Sure, the cable company has conduits and cables outside the development. But they won't provide service until the homeowner market has "matured" after three years.

People are aware of that including the home owner in the OP. He actually contacted comcast twice and both time they said they serviced the area before making the purchase.

Not only till after the 7th technician came out that comcast was finally able to realise that they couldn't provide the service they said they could. Century link did the same thing to him and all the supposed providers listed on the gov broadband were also wrong.

a reply to: interupt42

This is more common than they want us to know. I live in an area where I have no cell phone service, and I tried them all. AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, and on and on and on. They check their little maps and they say Yes! We cover your area! When I bring their phone home, 1 bar for a hot second then nothing. My signal tracking app "Open Signal" keeps saying "You are in a dead zone."

Verizon tried to sell me a signal extender. I refused, so they sent it to me free. Guess what. It didn't work!

You can't boost a signal you don't have!

Hughes Satellite? Best that I could find. You pay through the nose and your signal is poor and iffy. Yet the government map says my area doesn't qualify.

I have been in this area for 15 years and it hasn't gotten one little bit better, and though I have only 22 neighbors spread out over the area, they have no better luck with obtaining a signal than I do.

It's all monopoly if you really think about it.

Here in SoCal, there are certain gigantic areas covered by Verzion and then there are areas covered by Charter or Time Warner.

If you live in an area that is covered by Verizon lines, then you cannot get any other service besides Verizon.

Then there are areas covered by Charter or Time Warner and they do not have Verizon there at all.

So what I'm saying is, the consumers really have no choice.

For example, my company, for the longest time, were stuck in an rural area where Verizon only offers a 1.5mbps DSL and no other options available. We suffered for years there, using cell phone hot spot devices to operate.

The problem is, when you call Charter or Time Warner, they will tell you they have no jurisdiction there, they cannot service you.

I'm just thinking to myself, this is totally monopoly. One #ing telecommunication company covering several cities, having 0 competition in those areas.

The telecommunication companies do not need to improve or better themselves, because they know that they have no competition in those areas and if you want service, YOU HAVE TO GET IT THROUGH THEM. Hence, monopoly.

a reply to: interupt42

Century Link just went around door to door hanging pamphlets on doors talking about their speeds which rival Comcast*. As if I needed to look at the *

Then Comcast went door to door hanging pamphlets on doors talking about their new fiber optic internet*. I almost died laughing when I read that.

a reply to: truthseeker84

The Telecom industry is one of the more common Oligopoly industries in the world.

In the US comcast, verizon and Att have joined forces to ensure they don't compete with each other and promote similar policies and services that are not customer friendly nor desirable but very profitable.

That is why the Telecom industries and those companies get some of the worst customer ratings year after year and yet continue to make record profits. They have a controlled market and the consumer has no option but to take it.

a reply to: framedragged

I tried century link with the DISH network bundle. It was a nightmare the downloads speeds was suppose to be 3mb but I barely got 1mb consistent.

The Dish network I called the most reliable weatherman, because 15 minutes before it rained I would lose all reception.

I called the DISH network to cancel the century link internet service and they offered to give it to me for free if I didn't cancel the tv package. I said no thanks and whats the point of keeping internet service that is unreliable and slow and a tv provider that doesn't work when it rains?

I know have no cable tv and stream everything via online but unfortunately comcast is my only option for internet about 3mb so I had but no choice to go back to them.

I can only hope google fiber goes nationwide. The thought of telling comcast to shove it brings me a smile.

a reply to: interupt42

As much as I hate letting google be my ISP, it's not like they don't have all my data anyway. And as such, I will arbitrarily dump comcast when they make this place a true Zion in the rockey mountains.

a reply to: framedragged

My feelings are the same in regards to google. Its a catch 22 but the thought of telling comcast to suck it makes me giddy.

a reply to: truthseeker84

Is there a practical work-a-round?

I live in a rural area that is a tiny unincorporated pocket. It is crazy, but all around us they are getting 3G and 4G signals, but it is like you cross an invisible line, and your call is dropped, and no signal can be found.

We laughingly call our dead spot the Twilight Zone. It isn't always just the cell or internet service. I swear, it is even the weather. It can be pouring rain to almost zero visibility, cross the invisible line, and the sun is shining and the dirt road is dry as a bone. You can actually get out the car and stand with rain pouring into one hand and nothing in the other. Of course it sometimes the other way around. We get the rain and they don't.

Weird? Right?

a reply to: NightSkyeB4Dawn

Well see, your problem here is you're in a "roughly-defined community" so there you go!

Couldn't help it, looked up the area and that was one of the results, lol.

Weird that the weather is like that. Usually people say "if you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes, it'll change". In your case, you could say "if you don't like the weather, just cross the street"!


It's too bad, if the homeowner had known ahead of time, he wouldn't have made the purchase. Unfortunately, many other people wouldn't be interested in purchasing his home because of the same reason he now wants to sell it.

a reply to: StoutBroux

I wonder if he will have to disclose this fact when trying to sell? It wasn't disclosed to him.

originally posted by: interupt42
Another example of Comcast great service and worthless FCC and FTC oversight over the telecom industry.


Note: The title is a little misleading from the source as its not comcast specific, but rather the inability to get fast internet from any provider including century link who along with Comcast provided false information and worthless customer service.

The gist: both comcast and century link gave false information numerous times to the customer and provided worthless support and billing.

arstechnica.com...

Also interesting to note that it also covered the B$ www.broadbandmap.gov link that is suppose to demonstrate how much competition is in the telecom market for your area.

In my case, when I searched for my home the information was 100% total B$.
It said that comcast provides 100mb -1gb in my area which is a lie as of last week when I contacted them for fater service than 50mb including business class.

All of the rest supposed providers for my area are also lies: they do not provide service to my area as I have called before with the exception of century link. However, the century link available service in my area is also a lie because its not anywhere near 10-25MBmb its only 3mb .

Try the link for yourself: www.broadbandmap.gov...

You will likely see how the FTC and the FCC are worthless as an overseer of the telecom industry. The information provided is supposed to be justification for the comcast/TWC merger in providing proof of competition.

Mine tells me ATT and Verizon is available in my area, yet I'm on Comcast as I type. Must be going by a different name on the Broadband site, because Comcast isn't listed, yet, here I am. Verizon wanted almost $80/month, Comcast wanted $60, which was more affordable for me.

originally posted by: interupt42

originally posted by: Autorico
He should be able to sue for false advertising.

I remember taking home ed back in middle school early 90's and I recall them covering false advertising and the punishment for it.

However, I don't think that applies anymore or the loopholes are so big that it doesn't matter.

I can't recall to many items that I have purchased that meet the advertised claims as they make it look like. ofcourse they have disclaimers that pretty much gives them the freedom to indulge all they want.

I remember those lessons in Business class in high school.