Cox Cable, 1, local Cox Subscribers, 0
Over the past month, UCAN has been engaged with local governments on where a cable customer can file a cable customer service complaint.
As of today, cable customers in various cities throughout San Diego County cannot file a cable customer service complaint because local government entities are refusing to take complaints and referring local residents to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC).
Only one problem, the CPUC does not handle customer service complaints and when you call, the CPUC will refer you to your local government entity (e.g. the City of La Mesa).
After contacting the FCC, to put someone on notice that local cable subscribers are currently not provided basic customer service protections afforded by the FCC, I was given two ways for cable customers to lodge a complaint.
In March of 2010, Cox Cable increased the cost of its limited basic tier package by 20%. A number of UCAN members have called and voiced their concern over the increase, especially elderly and disabled customers who are on a fixed income.
If you hit a wall when expecting your local government to represent your interests... I mean attempting to file a cable customer service complaint, you can file a complaint directly with the FCC until our local government entities wake up and smell the duty they owe to local cable customers.
You can file a cable customer service complaint with the FCC in two ways:
1. You can file an online complaint with the FCC.
2. You can file a complaint by phone at 1-888-225-5322.
Communications: Cable & Satellite TV -
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Cable TV Competition Has Always Been "Just Around The Corner"
Effective cable TV competition has been "just around the corner" since at least 1992. That is what Congress and the FCC have promised, but failed to deliver.
In San Diego, the situation is even more bleak, considering that as of May, 2010 Cox Communications and Time Warner Cable, our "incumbent" cable operators, still enjoy near-monopoly status, with an 87% share of the subscription television market.
Now is the time to call your Congressional representative and US Senators and tell them to "fast track" the mandate that Cox offer to sell broadcasts of San Diego Padres games to AT&T U-Verse, DirecTV and Dish Network so there can be a level playing field. Also tell tham that cable providers need to be required to offer programming on an "a la carte" basis so consumers can select and pay for only the channels they want to watch. Surverys have demonstrated that the vast majority of cable subscribers consistently watch fewer than 20 channels, but have to pay lots of money for hundreds more.
The FCC needs to hold hearings in San Diego to listen to the complaints of consumers about high cable rates, poor customer service, and to find out why effective cable TV competition has failed to materialize in our market a full 11 years after Congress recklessly deregulated most cable TV rates.
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