33 ms·

Spectrum internet is getting kicked out of New York

148 points by LopRabbit 8y ago

snowpanda 8y ago
Time Warner Cable has been awful since Spectrum got a hold of it. I didn't have a problem for many years, now I can't even get a customer service rep on the line. I keep getting robocalls about my "upcoming bill". Rates have gone up. Amount of plans have decreased... The list goes on.
- heywire 8y ago
  Here in Ohio I've had the opposite experience, with the exception of the cost going up. I was one of the ones who would make my annual call to Time Warner to "threaten to cancel" in exchange for another year of discounted service (usually $40 or $45/mo for 30mbit). Spectrum doesn't play that game, so I'm paying $65/mo, but I'm also receiving 100mbit service (where I normally see ~120mbit). I haven't had a single outage since the switch over, but that could also be attributed to the replacement of the old cable modem for a shiny new DOCSIS 3.0 model to support the higher speeds. As far as robocalls, I had them before, and I still have them now. At least once a month they call me and try to sell me on some other service of theirs. Luckily they use the same phone number on caller ID, so I can avoid the calls.
- bogomipz 8y ago
  >"Time Warner Cable has been awful since Spectrum got a hold of it" I think there are many who would argue they were awful long before the Spectrum rebranding. I had the misfortune of using their service some years ago. Not that I had any choice as there is no other choice in most areas there.
- holtalanm 8y ago
  Opposite experience in Lincoln, NE. Probably not because of the merger, though. We have a local company that rolled out fiber in town that is eating their lunch in subscribers, and it is beautiful to see. Spectrum raised their base speed to 100 Mbps recently, and our local company raised their base to 300Mbps like "checkmate". Loving ALLO: https://www.allocommunications.com/ https://www.allocommunications.com/
- wj 8y ago
  I get multiple calls and two-second blank voice mails a day (and have for months) from a number that a Google search says is Spectrum. I'm not a customer but they sure are persistent in trying to make me one as I get two or three offers in the mail a week as well.
tnuc 8y ago
I live in New York and the only provider is spectrum. Yesterday I (and all my neighbors) got a letter from Optimum, offering better prices and higher bandwidth. After calling Optimum I got told that Optimum doesn't service my area. Is this a new type of turf war?
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- walrus01 8y ago
  Speaking as an ISP: I would guess more of a fuckup in a database merge for a direct mail campaign. They know what zip codes are their turf and where they have right-of-way, and don't want to waste money on USPS bulk mail targeting people they can't serve. As an example Seattle is a patchwork quilt of either Wave or Comcast cablemodem service areas, it would be pretty rare to see a Comcast solicitation in areas where the cable plant is entirely owned by Wave. Or vice versa.
  - Analemma_ 8y ago
    I don't think it's perfect even in Seattle. My building is served exclusively by Wave and Comcast won't do hookups, but I still get their junk mail.
  - lylecubed 8y ago
    You've posted about ISP related things in the past. How viable do you think it would be to start a WISP in rural New York State? I'm mostly interested in last mile rural stuff (I don't like cities), but from the looks of the rest of this thread it would probably be more profitable to start a WISP in NYC itself.
    - walrus01 8y ago
      It really depends specifically where, how much competition exists and what type of last mile tech that competition uses. How big the market is in population and small to medium businesses. There are a large number of ISPs that use licensed PTP gear on rooftops in NYC already, in combination with their fiber networks. If you have a specific area in mind for a rural part of the state, send me an email address and I'll contact you to see what might be possible.
JumpCrisscross 8y ago
Spectrum is funny. They kept raising my rates, randomly, every 6 months. And every 6 months I’d threaten to cancel. Finally, I got irritated and penned letters to my state AG and state Senator. Spectrum went into overdrive. Credited a year of service, wanted me to get on a conference call with their GC, a voicemail wishing me happy birthday (super weird). Should have sensed their vulnerability.
- m_ke 8y ago
  I only get weekly calls from them begging me to add cable to my internet package. Conveniently they do it during work hours and use a different number each time.
  - Rebelgecko 8y ago
    They've started calling me using a number in my phone's area code (instead of an 800 number or one of the area codes common where I live). I've heard of scammers using this technique so I was surprised to see a major company doing it
    - antsar 8y ago
      That's funny. Probably 90% of my spam calls are spoofing local numbers, so I've entirely stopped answering local numbers I don't recognize. I can't recall the last time I got a spam call from an 800 number, so there's actually a slim chance I would answer that. Wonder how their strategy is working out...
      - ethbro 8y ago
        I'm honestly surprised people still answer random numbers to their personal cell phone. Business, sure. But catching false positives is what voicemail is for.
  - wingspar 8y ago
    Spectrum here in FL started calling me after we went to just internet with their streaming tv package. Their calls have the obligatory “this call may be recorded for training...” Guy says “Hello”, I say “I do not consent to be recorded”. Guy says goodbye and haven’t been called back since.
maxxxxx 8y ago
I used to have Time Warner with a 3mb plan for $15. After the Spectrum takeover I can keep my plan but the next level is $70. There is nothing cheaper. I would like to get something a little faster but I have no need for 100mb at $70 which is the only option I have. Its really annoying that there is zero competition. Spectrum knows exactly that a lot of people will get a connection that's way too fast for them and more expensive but they have no choice. And every month I get several cheerful letters about "deals" that aren't deals. I really hate Spectrum.
- JumpCrisscross 8y ago
  > 100mb at $70 I pay $90 for 400/20 in Manhattan. $70 for 100 Mbps is insane.
  - maxxxxx 8y ago
    Is there a cheaper option for you? They can offer 10000/10009 but I don't need it. I want something cheaper.
    - JumpCrisscross 8y ago
      > Is there a cheaper option for you? The cheapest I am offered is $14.99 for 3/1 (as well as something called 30/4 Spectrum Assist). I suggest you check out your rate card [1]. These are the services and rates you were legally offered, and is required to be disclosed to you under New York law. [1] https://www.spectrum.com/browse/content/ratecard.html https://www.spectrum.com/browse/content/ratecard.html
      - maxxxxx 8y ago
        In LA they offer only the $70 option.
        CodeWriter23 8y ago
        It sucks but your alternative is AT&T with their 250GB bandwidth cap.
bogomipz 8y ago
Verizon also failed to deliver albeit at the city level in, in NYC. The city sued by there has been no such attempt to revoke their charter as far as I have heard: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/13/nyregion/ny-sues-verizon-fios.html https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/13/nyregion/ny-sues-verizon-...
- huebnerob 8y ago
  This is only happening to charter because it was a clause written into their recent large merger with TWC. I don't think the state would have such broad latitude to revoke any other ISPs license to operate. Verizon was at least smarter about being technically correct, they apparently ran fiber "past every household in the city". The joke probably being, good fucking luck getting your building hooked up to it. If they'd even do it, it'd probably cost you thousands
  - bogomipz 8y ago
    Sure I wasn't implying the state could do it buy NYC could pull Verizon's FIOS franchise agreement with the city in a similar fashion: https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/doitt/downloads/pdf/verizon_nyc_franchise_agreement_approved_by_fcrc.pdf https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/doitt/downloads/pdf/verizon_nyc_...
  - rayiner 8y ago
    It blows my mind that people act like Verizon is running fiber past households then refusing to service them for funsies. Passing a household costs more than building the final bit of fiber to the house. It makes no sense for Verizon to pass a bunch of households then not try to recoup that money by hooking up service. The reason for the delay is because New York (particularly New York landlords) are a total nightmare to deal with.
sjdbwixb 8y ago
I had TWC/Spectrum and it was cheaper and faster then the Comcast I get now after moving. What does the state plan on doing for all the millions of people who only had TWC/Spectrum? Maybe they should invite more competitors in rather than kicking them out.
- reaperducer 8y ago
  Maybe they should invite more competitors in rather than kicking them out. Gotta kick one out to make room for the other. New York isn't about to let every ISP in the nation run independent lines over all of the poles in the state. The good thing is that when the replacement company steps up (or wins the bid), it will know that the state is serious about keeping obligations. OTOH, this might be when we find out just how much collusion there is between the big companies, if none decide to fill the gap, thus putting pressure on the AG from the voters.
  - mmt 8y ago
    > New York isn't about to let every ISP in the nation run independent lines over all of the poles in the state. Why not? I would expect the barrier to entry there to be the expense of doing so, not regulatory refusal. It makes sense for a regulator to require "universal" coverage and prohibit cherry-picking only the profitable areas, which brings the cost barrier back into focus. However, encouraging a monopology would seem to encourage a similar result. Has the state actually expressed or implied such a policy?
    - deleted 8y ago
      [deleted]
    - reaperducer 8y ago
      Why not? I would expect the barrier to entry there to be the expense of doing so, not regulatory refusal. A quick GIS of telephone poles in India or Thailand will provide you an answer.
      - 8y ago
chrismartin 8y ago
Direct link to the (scathing!) press release: http://www3.dps.ny.gov/pscweb/WebFileRoom.nsf/ArticlesByCategory/1F6E451203ADF727852582D7005F8520/%24File/pr18060.pdf?OpenElement http://www3.dps.ny.gov/pscweb/WebFileRoom.nsf/ArticlesByCate... As a consumer, this transition will be annoying to deal with, but as a resident, I'm proud of my state for pushing expansion of rural broadband where federal efforts have failed. Not sure how the transition will work though, as Spectrum/TWC own the cable infrastructure. Spectrum has sent a veritable tree's worth of junk mail to my house in the past year, goading me to sign up for their television and landline phone bundle. Spectrum, please die quickly.
- danharaj 8y ago
  Spectrum will have to spin off their NYC operations.
- bradleyjg 8y ago
  > I'm proud of my state for pushing expansion of rural broadband where federal efforts have failed. Not me. I live in a small apartment that I pay tens of thousands of dollars a year for. In Franklin County people can get a lot more space for a lot less money. Why should I subsidize their broadband rather than them subsidizing my living space? Life is all about tradeoffs. Wanting to get all the benefits of your choices and have other people pay to ameliorate the downsides is understandable but unreasonable. If we are going to subsidize broadband at all, we should do it statewide and means test it.
  - lovich 8y ago
    Communication is integral to society. Haveing a different class of communication technology that is not accessible by a large portion of the population pushes the haves and have nots apart
    - icebraining 8y ago
      Communication is integral to society. And housing isn't‽
bogomipz 8y ago
I am curious what happens to their assets in the state after their charter is revoked? This would leave large swaths of that state without TV and Internet no?
- UncleEntity 8y ago
  > ...but the state is asking it to come up with a transition plan. Apparently they need to come up with some orderly plan and not just give them a nice "f-you, its been fun." Not too sure how motivated they'll be for it to be orderly as they have zero incentive for it to be though...
  - bogomipz 8y ago
    Well if they just abandoned it they would be leaving a lot of money on the table. They own all that cable plant, the head ends, etc. I don't think they can afford to do that.
    - jessaustin 8y ago
      They'll rip out anything of value, but how valuable is installed coax? Wouldn't it be cheaper just to leave that in place?
      - bogomipz 8y ago
        Its FTTN - fiber to the node and then coax from the node to the home. Fiber and coax running to nearly every home or neighborhood in a state is quite valuable.
        jessaustin 8y ago
        It's valuable to someone with the right to use it where it's already installed. It doesn't seem like something that can be removed and reused, however. Perhaps there will be some sort of down-to-the-wire negotiation between Spectrum and whoever the next anointed turns out to be? "If you don't pay us the first installment on Friday, we'll start tearing out fiber on Monday!" This scenario illustrates the insanity of municipalities selling franchises that include ownership of the networks. They didn't have to do that. Since we'll never need more than fiber, they shouldn't do that ever again.
totoglazer 8y ago
Fuck Spectrum. They are just awful. The jack your rates, don't follow through, and are so awful to deal with I just am kind of resigned to it. I think Fios may be here soon. They can't be worse, can they?
- shoguning 8y ago
  As bad as it is, how can decreasing the number of competitors increase the quality of options for consumers? Are they preventing other companies from operating?
  - eyeinthepyramid 8y ago
    Since cable companies are already a monopoly, they aren't really decreasing the number of competitors. They are just replacing the one incredibly bad ISP with a somewhat less bad one.
    - lylecubed 8y ago
      > They are just replacing the one incredibly bad ISP with a somewhat less bad one. ... we hope. That certainly wasn't the case the last time (when Spectrum bought TWC). As far as I can tell, NYS doesn't have any idea who's going to replace Spectrum.
- JshWright 8y ago
  You're "fortunate" to live in a Verizon area where Fios is even a "may be". Our local phone company is Windstream, and they can offer you a a whole 15Mbps (as long as you don't live too far from the office...).
- mikeash 8y ago
  I’ve had Fios for about five years and I’ve been pretty happy with it. Reliability is good, support isn’t completely useless, and be price is not bad at all. I’m currently paying $80/month for “gigabit” which is actually 940/940 or something like that. They also offer 100/100 for $40. Perhaps the best part is that they just give you an Ethernet connection. You can bring your own router and there’s no need for any sort of modem.
ryantheguy 8y ago
I seem to have the opposite experience of people in this thread. I'm down in southern California using Spectrum and they have by far the best rates. 100 Mbps for $40/mo. I suppose there is a lot more competition for internet out here than average though.
- bytematic 8y ago
  They just upped mine to 200Mbps at 40$/mo for free in the northern midwest. I went on their website and it was the advertised rate so I emailed there support and they restarted my modem. Make sure to check every once in a while!
- mrpippy 8y ago
  Is that just a promotional rate though? I live in Orange County and the list price for 100 Mbps is $65 (and my area has actual competition from FiOS). The promo rates are good, but they'll expire after a year and unlike TWC, Spectrum won't just renew at promo rates forever. You either have to cancel and re-sign up, or just pay list price.
j0e1 8y ago
My spectrum bill rocketed after the 1st year and after numerous unpleasant long calls with their representatives, I haven't been given any viable option. They keep forcing me to take their cable connection which would 'lower' my rates for the internet connection but I would end up paying them more than for just an internet connection. The saddest revelation through all this is that I couldn't find any other provider in my area (DTLA) which can promise me 100Mbps. I'm stuck with them and I'm not a happy customer! I so wish there were other competing ISPs in this area..
- lylecubed 8y ago
  At least you're getting 100Mbps. I'm one of the original TWC customers who refuse to switch over to their new "no contract" plans because I don't want them to jump my rates like they did yours. Their retaliation? I get 10Mbps down, 1Mbps up. No speed upgrade for me. Nothing else in my area gets even close to 100Mbps either. I hope NYS can work something out or I'm going to have to move.
  - j0e1 8y ago
    > I hope NYS can work something out or I'm going to have to move. I share your sentiments.. In my mind decent internet access is more of a right than an accessory today. Those without it are disproportionately disadvantaged in numerous ways. I can imagine doing something drastic, in protest, if I'm pushed.
    - rayiner 8y ago
      If you're unhappy with your Internet, move. Whether you have good internet or not is mostly a function of your locality. I can get gigabit through either Verizon (fiber) or Comcast (fiber or cable). The service is second in reliability only to the public water/sewer (it went down once because a tree fell on the fiber). It's not because Verizon is nicer than Spectrum. It's because my county makes it cheap, easy, and relatively hassle free to build and maintain the infrastructure. The love affair places like NY and CA have with regulation is self-defeating. There is a reason why fricking Kansas City has fiber and LA doesn't (and NYC got it a decade after backwaters in MD and VA).
JohnTHaller 8y ago
Like many folks living in NYC, Spectrum is my only choice for broadband. The only other option is Verizon DSL with "up to" 7Mbps. If this transition causes issues for my internet, I'm screwed.
- JshWright 8y ago
  At least you have that... there are many places outside the city (it's a big state) where 7Mbps would be very welcome.
btown 8y ago
I feel like the political implications of this aren't being discussed. So the 60 day period after which Spectrum would cease operations seems to end September 25, a week before online voter registration ends for the November elections... and even independent of that, it's at a critical moment for campaigning. For many without a fiber connection in the NYC area, Optimum is now the only game in town, and it has no reason not to price gouge (there's no regulation forcing them to offer now-unnecessary promotional pricing to people). So many low-income people in old housing may need to go without internet and cable during the time immediately preceding the elections. Yes, most phones have data plans nowadays, but quick question: how many people do you know who would be able to print the PDF voter registration form easily from their computer, but would have no idea how to do so from their phone, and can't figure out how to set up a hotspot? Imagine if New York were a swing state - it's normally not. On the one hand, you're making it suddenly more difficult to register to vote last-minute; that's not necessarily voter suppression, but it certainly smells like it. On the other hand, you're suddenly raising the effective price of (for example) Fox News/MSNBC, their online presences, access to Facebook on desktop computers (where ads are more prevalent), and streaming access to both Alex Jones and Bill Maher. You're cutting people off from information that reinforces their world view, and (gasp) they may need to watch basic cable, the most "mainstream" of mainstream media, while eating breakfast. That's ridiculously impactful. Perhaps some of these concerns are overblown. Perhaps Optimum will, um, optimize for long-term goodwill and provide a reasonable upgrade path. But at the very least, we should be discussing these implications.
- astronautjones 8y ago
  > to both Alex Jones and Bill Maher. what a ridiculously false equivalency
  - btown 8y ago
    Fair. I wanted to phrase my comment in a way that would be colorfully illustrated but not single out a specific political viewpoint. However, it is monumentally difficult to find a media personality on the left as dedicated to discrediting scientific consensus as Alex Jones. I chose the most outspoken left-leaning voice I could think of at the time. Any lack of equivalency, though, should not reflect on the merit of the underlying issue: that a decision to cut off a vital service provider is not without political consequences.
js2 8y ago
NC rolled over for TWC against its own cities. Nice to see NY not get bought off. I'm fortunate that AT&T fiber has been available in my neighborhood for about a year now ($70/mo for gigabit service). Before that I was stuck with TWC's ever increasing prices and worsening service. Now that it's Spectrum it's still more expensive for slower, less reliable service.
kolanos 8y ago
I would kill for 100mbps for $80/mo. I'm paying twice that for 10mbps in rural Nevada with a WISP.
bmmayer1 8y ago
How is removing yet another competitor from the market a good thing for consumers?
mikenyc 8y ago
I'm in Brooklyn. This thread prompted me to check the Spectrum rates. I was on Time Warner Cable pre-merger, and with Spectrum just called and got a 100MB upgrade that costs me $300 less per year than I was paying. Call was easy/fast with good service. No upgrade fees, etc. And they offered me a technician appointment with a one-hour window within 24 hours. Just one experience, but clearly for this NYC consumer, I seem to be benefitting from the merger. From Spectrum's Brooklyn rate card (link below): Spectrum Internet 200/10 = $64.99 Spectrum Internet Ultra 400/20 = $89.99 Spectrum Internet Gig = $124.99 Looks like TWC had topped out at 300MB, and they charged about $110/mo Spectrum Brooklyn rate card: https://www.spectrum.com/browse/content/ratecard.html https://www.spectrum.com/browse/content/ratecard.html Time Warner Cable Brooklyn rate card pre-merger: https://www.spectrum.com/content/dam/spectrum/residential/en/pdfs/ratecards/NYC/NY_Brooklyn_7001-RC.pdf https://www.spectrum.com/content/dam/spectrum/residential/en...

148 points by LopRabbit 8y ago

Time Warner Cable has been awful since Spectrum got a hold of it. I didn't have a problem for many years, now I can't even get a customer service rep on the line. I keep getting robocalls about my "upcoming bill". Rates have gone up. Amount of plans have decreased... The list goes on.

heywire 8y ago
Here in Ohio I've had the opposite experience, with the exception of the cost going up. I was one of the ones who would make my annual call to Time Warner to "threaten to cancel" in exchange for another year of discounted service (usually $40 or $45/mo for 30mbit). Spectrum doesn't play that game, so I'm paying $65/mo, but I'm also receiving 100mbit service (where I normally see ~120mbit). I haven't had a single outage since the switch over, but that could also be attributed to the replacement of the old cable modem for a shiny new DOCSIS 3.0 model to support the higher speeds. As far as robocalls, I had them before, and I still have them now. At least once a month they call me and try to sell me on some other service of theirs. Luckily they use the same phone number on caller ID, so I can avoid the calls.
bogomipz 8y ago
>"Time Warner Cable has been awful since Spectrum got a hold of it" I think there are many who would argue they were awful long before the Spectrum rebranding. I had the misfortune of using their service some years ago. Not that I had any choice as there is no other choice in most areas there.
holtalanm 8y ago
Opposite experience in Lincoln, NE. Probably not because of the merger, though. We have a local company that rolled out fiber in town that is eating their lunch in subscribers, and it is beautiful to see. Spectrum raised their base speed to 100 Mbps recently, and our local company raised their base to 300Mbps like "checkmate". Loving ALLO: https://www.allocommunications.com/ https://www.allocommunications.com/
wj 8y ago
I get multiple calls and two-second blank voice mails a day (and have for months) from a number that a Google search says is Spectrum. I'm not a customer but they sure are persistent in trying to make me one as I get two or three offers in the mail a week as well.

tnuc 8y ago

I live in New York and the only provider is spectrum. Yesterday I (and all my neighbors) got a letter from Optimum, offering better prices and higher bandwidth. After calling Optimum I got told that Optimum doesn't service my area. Is this a new type of turf war?

deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
walrus01 8y ago
Speaking as an ISP: I would guess more of a fuckup in a database merge for a direct mail campaign. They know what zip codes are their turf and where they have right-of-way, and don't want to waste money on USPS bulk mail targeting people they can't serve. As an example Seattle is a patchwork quilt of either Wave or Comcast cablemodem service areas, it would be pretty rare to see a Comcast solicitation in areas where the cable plant is entirely owned by Wave. Or vice versa.
- Analemma_ 8y ago
  I don't think it's perfect even in Seattle. My building is served exclusively by Wave and Comcast won't do hookups, but I still get their junk mail.
- lylecubed 8y ago
  You've posted about ISP related things in the past. How viable do you think it would be to start a WISP in rural New York State? I'm mostly interested in last mile rural stuff (I don't like cities), but from the looks of the rest of this thread it would probably be more profitable to start a WISP in NYC itself.
  - walrus01 8y ago
    It really depends specifically where, how much competition exists and what type of last mile tech that competition uses. How big the market is in population and small to medium businesses. There are a large number of ISPs that use licensed PTP gear on rooftops in NYC already, in combination with their fiber networks. If you have a specific area in mind for a rural part of the state, send me an email address and I'll contact you to see what might be possible.

JumpCrisscross 8y ago

Spectrum is funny. They kept raising my rates, randomly, every 6 months. And every 6 months I’d threaten to cancel. Finally, I got irritated and penned letters to my state AG and state Senator. Spectrum went into overdrive. Credited a year of service, wanted me to get on a conference call with their GC, a voicemail wishing me happy birthday (super weird). Should have sensed their vulnerability.

m_ke 8y ago
I only get weekly calls from them begging me to add cable to my internet package. Conveniently they do it during work hours and use a different number each time.
- Rebelgecko 8y ago
  They've started calling me using a number in my phone's area code (instead of an 800 number or one of the area codes common where I live). I've heard of scammers using this technique so I was surprised to see a major company doing it
  - antsar 8y ago
    That's funny. Probably 90% of my spam calls are spoofing local numbers, so I've entirely stopped answering local numbers I don't recognize. I can't recall the last time I got a spam call from an 800 number, so there's actually a slim chance I would answer that. Wonder how their strategy is working out...
    - ethbro 8y ago
      I'm honestly surprised people still answer random numbers to their personal cell phone. Business, sure. But catching false positives is what voicemail is for.
- wingspar 8y ago
  Spectrum here in FL started calling me after we went to just internet with their streaming tv package. Their calls have the obligatory “this call may be recorded for training...” Guy says “Hello”, I say “I do not consent to be recorded”. Guy says goodbye and haven’t been called back since.

maxxxxx 8y ago

I used to have Time Warner with a 3mb plan for $15. After the Spectrum takeover I can keep my plan but the next level is $70. There is nothing cheaper. I would like to get something a little faster but I have no need for 100mb at $70 which is the only option I have. Its really annoying that there is zero competition. Spectrum knows exactly that a lot of people will get a connection that's way too fast for them and more expensive but they have no choice. And every month I get several cheerful letters about "deals" that aren't deals. I really hate Spectrum.

JumpCrisscross 8y ago
> 100mb at $70 I pay $90 for 400/20 in Manhattan. $70 for 100 Mbps is insane.
- maxxxxx 8y ago
  Is there a cheaper option for you? They can offer 10000/10009 but I don't need it. I want something cheaper.
  - JumpCrisscross 8y ago
    > Is there a cheaper option for you? The cheapest I am offered is $14.99 for 3/1 (as well as something called 30/4 Spectrum Assist). I suggest you check out your rate card [1]. These are the services and rates you were legally offered, and is required to be disclosed to you under New York law. [1] https://www.spectrum.com/browse/content/ratecard.html https://www.spectrum.com/browse/content/ratecard.html
    - maxxxxx 8y ago
      In LA they offer only the $70 option.
      - CodeWriter23 8y ago
        It sucks but your alternative is AT&T with their 250GB bandwidth cap.

bogomipz 8y ago

Verizon also failed to deliver albeit at the city level in, in NYC. The city sued by there has been no such attempt to revoke their charter as far as I have heard: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/13/nyregion/ny-sues-verizon-fios.html https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/13/nyregion/ny-sues-verizon-...

huebnerob 8y ago
This is only happening to charter because it was a clause written into their recent large merger with TWC. I don't think the state would have such broad latitude to revoke any other ISPs license to operate. Verizon was at least smarter about being technically correct, they apparently ran fiber "past every household in the city". The joke probably being, good fucking luck getting your building hooked up to it. If they'd even do it, it'd probably cost you thousands
- bogomipz 8y ago
  Sure I wasn't implying the state could do it buy NYC could pull Verizon's FIOS franchise agreement with the city in a similar fashion: https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/doitt/downloads/pdf/verizon_nyc_franchise_agreement_approved_by_fcrc.pdf https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/doitt/downloads/pdf/verizon_nyc_...
- rayiner 8y ago
  It blows my mind that people act like Verizon is running fiber past households then refusing to service them for funsies. Passing a household costs more than building the final bit of fiber to the house. It makes no sense for Verizon to pass a bunch of households then not try to recoup that money by hooking up service. The reason for the delay is because New York (particularly New York landlords) are a total nightmare to deal with.

sjdbwixb 8y ago

I had TWC/Spectrum and it was cheaper and faster then the Comcast I get now after moving. What does the state plan on doing for all the millions of people who only had TWC/Spectrum? Maybe they should invite more competitors in rather than kicking them out.

reaperducer 8y ago
Maybe they should invite more competitors in rather than kicking them out. Gotta kick one out to make room for the other. New York isn't about to let every ISP in the nation run independent lines over all of the poles in the state. The good thing is that when the replacement company steps up (or wins the bid), it will know that the state is serious about keeping obligations. OTOH, this might be when we find out just how much collusion there is between the big companies, if none decide to fill the gap, thus putting pressure on the AG from the voters.
- mmt 8y ago
  > New York isn't about to let every ISP in the nation run independent lines over all of the poles in the state. Why not? I would expect the barrier to entry there to be the expense of doing so, not regulatory refusal. It makes sense for a regulator to require "universal" coverage and prohibit cherry-picking only the profitable areas, which brings the cost barrier back into focus. However, encouraging a monopology would seem to encourage a similar result. Has the state actually expressed or implied such a policy?
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
  - reaperducer 8y ago
    Why not? I would expect the barrier to entry there to be the expense of doing so, not regulatory refusal. A quick GIS of telephone poles in India or Thailand will provide you an answer.
    - 8y ago

chrismartin 8y ago

Direct link to the (scathing!) press release: http://www3.dps.ny.gov/pscweb/WebFileRoom.nsf/ArticlesByCategory/1F6E451203ADF727852582D7005F8520/%24File/pr18060.pdf?OpenElement http://www3.dps.ny.gov/pscweb/WebFileRoom.nsf/ArticlesByCate... As a consumer, this transition will be annoying to deal with, but as a resident, I'm proud of my state for pushing expansion of rural broadband where federal efforts have failed. Not sure how the transition will work though, as Spectrum/TWC own the cable infrastructure. Spectrum has sent a veritable tree's worth of junk mail to my house in the past year, goading me to sign up for their television and landline phone bundle. Spectrum, please die quickly.

danharaj 8y ago
Spectrum will have to spin off their NYC operations.
bradleyjg 8y ago
> I'm proud of my state for pushing expansion of rural broadband where federal efforts have failed. Not me. I live in a small apartment that I pay tens of thousands of dollars a year for. In Franklin County people can get a lot more space for a lot less money. Why should I subsidize their broadband rather than them subsidizing my living space? Life is all about tradeoffs. Wanting to get all the benefits of your choices and have other people pay to ameliorate the downsides is understandable but unreasonable. If we are going to subsidize broadband at all, we should do it statewide and means test it.
- lovich 8y ago
  Communication is integral to society. Haveing a different class of communication technology that is not accessible by a large portion of the population pushes the haves and have nots apart
  - icebraining 8y ago
    Communication is integral to society. And housing isn't‽

bogomipz 8y ago

I am curious what happens to their assets in the state after their charter is revoked? This would leave large swaths of that state without TV and Internet no?

UncleEntity 8y ago
> ...but the state is asking it to come up with a transition plan. Apparently they need to come up with some orderly plan and not just give them a nice "f-you, its been fun." Not too sure how motivated they'll be for it to be orderly as they have zero incentive for it to be though...
- bogomipz 8y ago
  Well if they just abandoned it they would be leaving a lot of money on the table. They own all that cable plant, the head ends, etc. I don't think they can afford to do that.
  - jessaustin 8y ago
    They'll rip out anything of value, but how valuable is installed coax? Wouldn't it be cheaper just to leave that in place?
    - bogomipz 8y ago
      Its FTTN - fiber to the node and then coax from the node to the home. Fiber and coax running to nearly every home or neighborhood in a state is quite valuable.
      - jessaustin 8y ago
        It's valuable to someone with the right to use it where it's already installed. It doesn't seem like something that can be removed and reused, however. Perhaps there will be some sort of down-to-the-wire negotiation between Spectrum and whoever the next anointed turns out to be? "If you don't pay us the first installment on Friday, we'll start tearing out fiber on Monday!" This scenario illustrates the insanity of municipalities selling franchises that include ownership of the networks. They didn't have to do that. Since we'll never need more than fiber, they shouldn't do that ever again.

totoglazer 8y ago

Fuck Spectrum. They are just awful. The jack your rates, don't follow through, and are so awful to deal with I just am kind of resigned to it. I think Fios may be here soon. They can't be worse, can they?

shoguning 8y ago
As bad as it is, how can decreasing the number of competitors increase the quality of options for consumers? Are they preventing other companies from operating?
- eyeinthepyramid 8y ago
  Since cable companies are already a monopoly, they aren't really decreasing the number of competitors. They are just replacing the one incredibly bad ISP with a somewhat less bad one.
  - lylecubed 8y ago
    > They are just replacing the one incredibly bad ISP with a somewhat less bad one. ... we hope. That certainly wasn't the case the last time (when Spectrum bought TWC). As far as I can tell, NYS doesn't have any idea who's going to replace Spectrum.
JshWright 8y ago
You're "fortunate" to live in a Verizon area where Fios is even a "may be". Our local phone company is Windstream, and they can offer you a a whole 15Mbps (as long as you don't live too far from the office...).
mikeash 8y ago
I’ve had Fios for about five years and I’ve been pretty happy with it. Reliability is good, support isn’t completely useless, and be price is not bad at all. I’m currently paying $80/month for “gigabit” which is actually 940/940 or something like that. They also offer 100/100 for $40. Perhaps the best part is that they just give you an Ethernet connection. You can bring your own router and there’s no need for any sort of modem.

ryantheguy 8y ago

I seem to have the opposite experience of people in this thread. I'm down in southern California using Spectrum and they have by far the best rates. 100 Mbps for $40/mo. I suppose there is a lot more competition for internet out here than average though.

bytematic 8y ago
They just upped mine to 200Mbps at 40$/mo for free in the northern midwest. I went on their website and it was the advertised rate so I emailed there support and they restarted my modem. Make sure to check every once in a while!
mrpippy 8y ago
Is that just a promotional rate though? I live in Orange County and the list price for 100 Mbps is $65 (and my area has actual competition from FiOS). The promo rates are good, but they'll expire after a year and unlike TWC, Spectrum won't just renew at promo rates forever. You either have to cancel and re-sign up, or just pay list price.

j0e1 8y ago

My spectrum bill rocketed after the 1st year and after numerous unpleasant long calls with their representatives, I haven't been given any viable option. They keep forcing me to take their cable connection which would 'lower' my rates for the internet connection but I would end up paying them more than for just an internet connection. The saddest revelation through all this is that I couldn't find any other provider in my area (DTLA) which can promise me 100Mbps. I'm stuck with them and I'm not a happy customer! I so wish there were other competing ISPs in this area..

lylecubed 8y ago
At least you're getting 100Mbps. I'm one of the original TWC customers who refuse to switch over to their new "no contract" plans because I don't want them to jump my rates like they did yours. Their retaliation? I get 10Mbps down, 1Mbps up. No speed upgrade for me. Nothing else in my area gets even close to 100Mbps either. I hope NYS can work something out or I'm going to have to move.
- j0e1 8y ago
  > I hope NYS can work something out or I'm going to have to move. I share your sentiments.. In my mind decent internet access is more of a right than an accessory today. Those without it are disproportionately disadvantaged in numerous ways. I can imagine doing something drastic, in protest, if I'm pushed.
  - rayiner 8y ago
    If you're unhappy with your Internet, move. Whether you have good internet or not is mostly a function of your locality. I can get gigabit through either Verizon (fiber) or Comcast (fiber or cable). The service is second in reliability only to the public water/sewer (it went down once because a tree fell on the fiber). It's not because Verizon is nicer than Spectrum. It's because my county makes it cheap, easy, and relatively hassle free to build and maintain the infrastructure. The love affair places like NY and CA have with regulation is self-defeating. There is a reason why fricking Kansas City has fiber and LA doesn't (and NYC got it a decade after backwaters in MD and VA).

JohnTHaller 8y ago

Like many folks living in NYC, Spectrum is my only choice for broadband. The only other option is Verizon DSL with "up to" 7Mbps. If this transition causes issues for my internet, I'm screwed.

JshWright 8y ago
At least you have that... there are many places outside the city (it's a big state) where 7Mbps would be very welcome.

btown 8y ago

I feel like the political implications of this aren't being discussed. So the 60 day period after which Spectrum would cease operations seems to end September 25, a week before online voter registration ends for the November elections... and even independent of that, it's at a critical moment for campaigning. For many without a fiber connection in the NYC area, Optimum is now the only game in town, and it has no reason not to price gouge (there's no regulation forcing them to offer now-unnecessary promotional pricing to people). So many low-income people in old housing may need to go without internet and cable during the time immediately preceding the elections. Yes, most phones have data plans nowadays, but quick question: how many people do you know who would be able to print the PDF voter registration form easily from their computer, but would have no idea how to do so from their phone, and can't figure out how to set up a hotspot? Imagine if New York were a swing state - it's normally not. On the one hand, you're making it suddenly more difficult to register to vote last-minute; that's not necessarily voter suppression, but it certainly smells like it. On the other hand, you're suddenly raising the effective price of (for example) Fox News/MSNBC, their online presences, access to Facebook on desktop computers (where ads are more prevalent), and streaming access to both Alex Jones and Bill Maher. You're cutting people off from information that reinforces their world view, and (gasp) they may need to watch basic cable, the most "mainstream" of mainstream media, while eating breakfast. That's ridiculously impactful. Perhaps some of these concerns are overblown. Perhaps Optimum will, um, optimize for long-term goodwill and provide a reasonable upgrade path. But at the very least, we should be discussing these implications.

astronautjones 8y ago
> to both Alex Jones and Bill Maher. what a ridiculously false equivalency
- btown 8y ago
  Fair. I wanted to phrase my comment in a way that would be colorfully illustrated but not single out a specific political viewpoint. However, it is monumentally difficult to find a media personality on the left as dedicated to discrediting scientific consensus as Alex Jones. I chose the most outspoken left-leaning voice I could think of at the time. Any lack of equivalency, though, should not reflect on the merit of the underlying issue: that a decision to cut off a vital service provider is not without political consequences.

js2 8y ago

NC rolled over for TWC against its own cities. Nice to see NY not get bought off. I'm fortunate that AT&T fiber has been available in my neighborhood for about a year now ($70/mo for gigabit service). Before that I was stuck with TWC's ever increasing prices and worsening service. Now that it's Spectrum it's still more expensive for slower, less reliable service.

kolanos 8y ago

I would kill for 100mbps for $80/mo. I'm paying twice that for 10mbps in rural Nevada with a WISP.

bmmayer1 8y ago

How is removing yet another competitor from the market a good thing for consumers?

mikenyc 8y ago

I'm in Brooklyn. This thread prompted me to check the Spectrum rates. I was on Time Warner Cable pre-merger, and with Spectrum just called and got a 100MB upgrade that costs me $300 less per year than I was paying. Call was easy/fast with good service. No upgrade fees, etc. And they offered me a technician appointment with a one-hour window within 24 hours. Just one experience, but clearly for this NYC consumer, I seem to be benefitting from the merger. From Spectrum's Brooklyn rate card (link below): Spectrum Internet 200/10 = $64.99 Spectrum Internet Ultra 400/20 = $89.99 Spectrum Internet Gig = $124.99 Looks like TWC had topped out at 300MB, and they charged about $110/mo Spectrum Brooklyn rate card: https://www.spectrum.com/browse/content/ratecard.html https://www.spectrum.com/browse/content/ratecard.html Time Warner Cable Brooklyn rate card pre-merger: https://www.spectrum.com/content/dam/spectrum/residential/en/pdfs/ratecards/NYC/NY_Brooklyn_7001-RC.pdf https://www.spectrum.com/content/dam/spectrum/residential/en...