UCAN

UCAN has received some complaints that telemarketers have been trying to get Cox customers to upgrade from basic cable to digital cable as part of the transition. THIS IS NOT REQUIRED.

If you have basic cable connected to your TV you will not need a converter box and you do not need to upgrade to digital cable. Digital cable and High-Definition are different services, and you do not need either service for your television to work after the transition.

Britney Spears has declined to appear on the Dr. Phil show, but recently UCAN's Executive Director, Michael Shames, was drafted to help Dr. Phil explain to his viewers why it is not necessary to use violence when dealing with large utilities. 

The program airs on Thursday, January 31, and you can read the preview for "vigilante justice" here.

Dr. Phil's patient will be a 75-year old granny named Mona Shaw. Shaw received national notoriety and an almost cult-following after she visited a Comcast office on August 13, and smashed up the company's equipment with a hammer.

Hopefully, Michael will have the opportunity to show Mrs. Shaw how to properly complain to a large, uncaring utility with bad customer service.  His organization, UCAN, specializes in resolving difficult utility complaints on behalf of its 33,000 members.

Mona Shaw did to her cable and phone company what many of us only fantasize about ... More

If only Mona Shaw had known about the UCAN Fraud Squad ...

Broadband Internet is apparently a class-based utility, a privilege of the wealthy and educated. There has been a lot of talk about the Pew Internet and American Life Project's release of its latest study on home broadband adoption. Some groups have used the opportunity to focus on immediate trends in racial, ethnic, age, and rural vs. urban adoption of broadband internet service. However, there are two larger, more important "big picture" issues that should not be ignored, and are essential to assessing the current broadband Internet situation in the United States.

1) The Internet is still a class based utility and service, readily available in the best quality to the wealthy and highly educated, and only marginally available to those who are poorer and less educated.

2) American broadband Internet service continues to lag behind the world in connection speeds, overall penetration of the population, and price.

The clearest divide in adoption of broadband among groups in the United States is along economic and educational lines. For instance, 76% of Americans with an annual income above $75,000 have broadband Internet connections, compared to only 30% of those with an income of $30,000 or less. As to education, 70% of Americans with a college degree have broadband Internet connections compared to 21% of those without a high school degree.

This highlights the fact that while there is legitimate concern about "net neutrality" (ensuring websites and services being treated fairly and equally by the network providers who connect websites and Internet services and their users) in terms of those who are already seated at the Internet table, there are still large gaps in the of the population not even connected to the Internet. While the Internet may not be a physical necessity like water, it is either quickly becoming, or already has become, like electricity, a social, cultural, and (perhaps most importantly) an economic necessity to be a full part of modern society in a developed country.

This is especially true for young people. Unfortunately, this gap in access for the economically and educationally underserved is eerily reminiscent of our two tiered, apartheid educational system.

Even taken as a whole, it is no secret that America is lagging behind broadband connection speeds and penetration rates worldwide. For instance the PEW study shows 71% of Americans have internet connections of any type, and only 47% have broadband connections. Another study from May of 2007, by ITIF, shows broadband penetration in the U.S. at similar levels, or .51 subscribers per household. The leading nations are South Korea with a rate .90, Iceland with a rate of .83, and the Netherlands with a rate of .73 per household. So the leading nations have broadband penetration rates higher than even the United States total Internet penetration rate.

The average broadband connection speed in the United States is 4.4(mbps) (DSL and Cable in the US are significantly slower than this), versus 61.0 in Japan, 45.6 in Korea, 21.7 in Finland, and 18.2 in Sweden.

And if you think users are paying premiums in these countries for higher speed broadband connections, think again. Cost per 1 mbps in the U.S. is $3.33. Cost in the countries listed above is as follows; Japan- $0.27, Korea- $0.45c, Finland- $2.77, and Sweden- $0.63.  Read More

AT&T has recently rolled out a bundled cable TV and high-speed Internet package in San Diego. Still in its infancy, AT&T U-verse is available in only 21 cities with a grand total of 30,000 subscribers. Nonetheless, it represents direct competition for Cox Communications and Time Warner Cable in San Diego. And when there is competition, consumers gain instant leverage. Below are some tips for using your AT&T U-verse leverage to get a better TV/Internet package, as well as a comparison of services.

• You've got nothing to lose: Unlike cell phones, for the vast majority of cable TV/Internet packages, there is no termination fee (you could have a termination fee if you get DSL through your phone company). Usually, cable companies do not have to worry about consumers cancelling and going to a competitor, because there are no competitors. So, theoretically, if there were multiple providers, one could switch from company to company taking advantage of free trials without ever paying a penny (...that day may already be here for a lucky few).

• Let them know you are in demand: Happy with your service? Not happy with your current package? It doesn't really matter. Either way, you'll have an opportunity to get the same (or better) service for less. Granted, the San Diego AT&T U-verse rollout is not extensive at this point. However, AT&T has been very secretive about what specific areas are covered, and there is a good chance that Cox and Time Warner are in the dark with everyone else. So give your cable provider a call and tell them you're considering taking your service to AT&T U-verse and that you checked online and it said you were eligible (no matter what Cox or Time Warner tells you). Also let them know that AT&T is offering the first two months free on its 240 and 300 channel packages. They may say there is nothing they can do for you, but be persistent and see if you can't at least walk away with a couple of promo offers.

• Follow the freebies: If you are lucky enough to be in an AT&T U-verse service area, you may not have to pay for TV or Internet service for some time. Just like with cell phones, the good deals are offered for sign-ups and upgrades. Cox, Time Warner, and AT&T all offer sweet deals on either TV or Internet packages, or both. As mentioned above, you should not incur any termination fees for jumping from company to company to catch the next best deal.

High-Speed Internet Provider Comparison

* Cox is currently (as of 8/3/07) offering this for $9.95/month with the purchase of a digital phone plan

Digital and High Definition Television Provider Comparison

* Cinemax, HBO, Showtime, and Starz
^ All AT&T plans have a $50 installation fee. Current promotions
include: HD free for 12 months (normally $10/month), HBO and Cinemax
free for 2 months, and free service for the first two months of U-300
and U-400 plans.
^^ Activation fee of $55
# Time Warner Cable does not provide any cost information regarding installation or activation fees on its website.

Why should you care about the transition to digital from analog television? Well, it likely will end up costing you money if you want to keep your current TV. The cost will come in the form of new converter boxes for each tv. This blog post explains this federally mandated technological change, and assistance programs that will be available to stem the costs.