Sunday, February 16, 2014

Comcast Cartel

People are looking at the Comcast Monopoly merger and shrugging. Can't say that I blame them since most Americans lives are so busy with working crazy hours or two jobs, they don't have time  to look at the Comcast-Time -Warner deal. I'm not sure they would understand it if they did, the devil is in the details and one of these details probably means that cable won't be any cheaper. You have to wonder what kind of "free market" system we have that endorses or encourages monopolies?
Over a year ago my cable bill was over $120 a month, that's when I cut off cable. I know people who pay way more than that. It's like a car payment it's so expensive. Here's what I wonder, will this "merger" make cable any less expensive for anyone? The only other option people have are the dish and DSL (even slower than our crappy cable internet connection), there is no such thing as competition when it comes to cable. It just makes me wonder how many other monopolies control peoples lives?
Then there's the whole Wall Street aspect, Wall Street will surge after weeks of losses with all the hype of this deal. We all know who's in charge and it's not Main Street and their impossible slow internet connection. (Lativia's is faster and cheaper)
 The Justice Department will have to approve the takeover of Time -Warner and Eric Holder recently vacationed with Comcast CEO Brian Roberts and President Obama golfs with him, well played, triple play.
You just have to wonder if we are still so caught up in 'Murica being so much more "special" that we won't even consider how other countries are managing their cable companies. How many people think their cable service will improve as a result of this merger? People trying to stream Netflix are having all kinds of problems. Will Comcast upgrade their infrasctructure so people will have faster internet service? Funny, but I don't think so, since shareholders profits matter more than competitive (whoops! no such thing) prices.
Then there's the TV programing, Oh dear Lord, the Reality Shows. I don't watch sports so whats left? That would be cancelling my cable. I walked away from TV and went right to internet since there is nothing for me to watch. We can't order our programing a la cart. We have to subsidize programing we don't watch. Then there's the commercials I don't miss and the nonsense news Like Fox and CNN, who the hell believes those people? Their aim is to keep you on the couch watching Real Housewives, so you're not in the street with torches and pitchforks. Maybe it's time to cut the cord.

3 comments:

  1. Absolutely nothing good will come of it...for the consumer, that is. Stock holders, oh hell yeah.

    I cut the cable money-sucking cord two years ago. Haven't missed one minute of it. I get locals over the air, and subscribe to NetFlix, Hulu and Amazon. Went from $130 month to $25. However, this deal is bad news for those of us who now basically use streaming services, coming on top of the death of Net Neutrality...which of course was pushed by the two big cable mafias...Comcast and Time/Warner. What it means is, the streaming companies are now at the mercy of these thugs who control what gets streamed and how powerful that stream is.

    WTF? Remember Ma Bell? Remember when you COULD NOT own your own phone? Could not call another town without long distance charges? Crap such as that. Monopolies are never, NEVER, NEVER for the good of the consumer.

    How could this NOT BE in violation of anti-trust laws?? JESUSFUCKINGCHRIST I am so sick of it all! Sorry.

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  2. Jaded, you aren't alone. The only thing that "MIGHT" be in our favor was the AT&T Antitrust lawsuit to block acquisition of T-Mobile back in 2011.
    http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2011/August/11-at-1118.html
    There's been such an absence of any justice in favor of any working soul vs. corporations. Yes this should be in violation of Anti-Trust laws. Do not apologize for venting here. We are on the same side, I feel your pain.

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  3. I cut out cable once it went over $100 a month. The only thing I really miss about it is Turner Classic Movies. I do the internet from the library, which was never a problem until I got a job with the hours 12 to 8:30. Thinking of just getting Internet through AT&T. Despite its sordid history, I'm told its much better than Time-Warner, my former provider.

    Time-Warner was simply horrid. I never rooted for Wile E. Coyote to catch and kill the Roadrunner until the damn bird started showing up on Time-Warner trucks.

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