Thursday, December 15, 2011

Copper Contributor
schofie
Posts: 8,017
Registered: 02-07-2008
Well, before this thread is closed I have a link for y'all.
It is a song I recall from when I was a very little wee one. I remember my sisters singing this with my aunts.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHhyyRByuJ0



More info on this song can be found here: http://www.singingnun.net/


And liberty and justice for all,
FOR THE BORN AND THE UNBORN.
Regular Contributor
SimplyOneAmerican
Posts: 345
Registered: 05-02-2011
It began with the Reagan administration in 1983 and really blossomed in 2003 under GW. While it appears that these were bi-partisan efforts, both Presidents signed bills into law that would have profound effects on the rules of "ownership" thus leading to the monopolies we experience in today's media markets and outlets. But, The Clinton Administration had its moments as well (with a Republican dominated Congress)... the 1996 Telecommunications Act was supposed to enhance media diversity, but sadly, the "black box" of policy produced the opposite results...

http://www.museum.tv/eotvsection.php?entrycode=deregulation "... Deregulatory proponents do not perceive station licensees as "public trustees" of the public airwaves required to provide a wide variety of services to many different listening groups. Instead, broadcasting has been increasingly seen as just another business operating in a commercial marketplace which did not need its management decisions questioned by government overseers..."

http://www.rense.com/general79/fcc.htm  "...Regulatory easing had a devastating effect on local diversity according to Free Press.net Research Director S. Derek Turner. In testimony before the Senate Commerce Committee on October 23 he said: "Congress must send a message to the FCC to stop its rush toward more consolidation. Ownership rules exist for a reason: to increase diversity and localism, which in turn produces more diverse speech, more choice for listeners, and more owners who are responsive to their local communities..."

For real insight, try getting a hold of these books: Robert Britt Horwitz: The Irony of Regulatory Reform: The Deregulation of American Telecommunications, New York: Oxford University Press, 1989.  Ben Bagdikian: The Media Monopoly plus his newest 2004 update titled The New Media Monopoly.

Ever wonder why Comcast has a grip on your wallet - ??? Simply because there's no other game in town!!!

miagear wrote:

So, roughly translated, it's Bush's fault, right?  :smileyvery-happy:

It just never gets old, does it?

SimplyOneAmerican wrote:
FCC rules were "loosened" under Republican leadership and auspices, allowing "monoplies" in media markets to develop. If it was a liberal conspiracy as you insinuate, why would Rupert Murdoch have such a lock on print and televised "newscasting?"

Competition is the sign of a healthy capitalist system - Monopolies are now the rule rather than the exception and look where Capitalism is headed...

We seemed to be a "captive audience" yet we look to "conservative leadership" and "conservative media outlets" to address and fix the problem that they created?

Good luck with that strategy!


underthewire wrote:

It"s a monopoly in our area at least,......................it contracts with communities and  they get a slice of the action.....................it makes sure that the high end channels are tied to a higher tier of costs.

And please tell me , who if anyone has watched all 200 plus channels in their life time?

HD is, and i am sure the new 3D, will be more expensive.   Unlike most products, as sales go up, costs to consumers to not go down.

It is envolved in a number of offshoots and seems to have a liberal agenda.

It won't be long before the economy will eliminate it's services from the general public.  Maybe they will sevived selling the basic package, butI I doubt it.

But whati is more interesting is that other providers offer the teaser rate as well, then their rates pretty much equate to Comcast's as well.   Just like phone servers, they seemed hooked togetther.

I look for our socialistic government to take over the air waves and total choice will be .................ONE.








"The future, according to some economists, will be exactly like the past only more expensive." John Sladek
Regular Contributor
slvrstar001
Posts: 422
Registered: 10-09-2007

miagear wrote:
As a paying Comcast customer that enjoyed the Community forums as part of the service that I pay for, I would like an explanation why this services is being discontinued.  

Also, as Comcast will no longer invest in this services and as such their operating costs will be reduced, when will the millions of subscribers that will no longer have access to this service receive a rate adjustment (reduction) to offset the diminished services provided by Comcast?

Sincerely,

Unhappy customer

I sent basically the same concerns/questions to the comcast "customer service" department head.  in response i got a standard form letter saying how comcast "strives to provide the best tv service".  the answer I recieved had absolutely nothing to do with the internet service or forums.
     Comcast has no valid customer service, and their decision re the message boards seems to be a simple money grab.   diminished services at ever higher prices with an uncaring attitude would sum it up.
     vios--not as fast , but not as expensive either

        it would seem that comcast itself and it s customer service reps are the best advertisement any competition could have
           Another Unhappy Customer
Quartz Contributor
NO-WAY-HWY
Posts: 3,487
Registered: 02-15-2011
I just received this,  another email address if anyone is interested.

Capture.PNG
Frequent Contributor
u-decide
Posts: 818
Registered: 02-17-2010
I've been down the ' Dish Network " road, never again ! and from what I've been told from some of my co-workers, ' Direct TV,' is no better. To each his own....My assessment of Dish, when the promo's run out, it's just as expensive as Comcast, when a cloud passes by, your TV goes blank, no customer service, and now that I'm on that fixed income, and the economy as shaky as it is, would be foolish, to get ' locked into,' a 2 year contract. At least, with Comcast, I can bail out, at any time, and not have to pay a exorbitant penalty.
Conquering Contributor
Gutsky
Posts: 1,251
Registered: 06-01-2008
I'm definitely changing my internet Homepage after the middle of December.

I don't think Comcast ever gave an explanation why it is closing the forums.


My Opinion:

I think perhaps it has to do the 2012 Election, and they don't want people discussing it.

Or, it is another example of the dumbing down of America which is reflected in the programming offered by the Cable Channels in Comcast's Cable Service.

Any Thinking, any Culture, any Question asking has to be destroyed and eradicated for the mass of popcorn eaters, teenagers and couch potatoes out there in the Wilderness.


Comcast.net is written by idiots for idiots, and the closing of the forums reflects the fact that this company does not want people to think too hard or discuss the issues of the day.




"Against the insidious wiles of foreign influence (I conjure you to believe me, fellow-citizens) the jealousy of a free people ought to be constantly awake . . ."
--George Washington's Farewell Address
Silver Star Contributor
OldeSpy
Posts: 13,383
Registered: 07-08-2007
The company charged with providing them to Comcast for our entertainment is getting the boot. It will be curious to see if Comcast cares enough about us to institute an alternative provider for the forums, if they'll take over them directly, or if they'll go the whole, "Qui'ils mangent de la brioche" (Let them eat cake) route.

We're teetering on the brink of widespread corporate blowback and this is just one area where Comcast can demonstrate whether they are on the side of their customers or just marking time as one of the insensitive good-ol-boy corporations in the "Better than thou art" club. History will show that this is a critical time for them... And for other companies. Those who fail to bend with the wind are quite liable to be broken.



"You cannot negotiate with people who say 'what's mine is mine, and what's yours is negotiable." -- President John Fitzgerald Kennedy.
.
Brass Contributor
Posts: 3,697
Registered: 02-19-2007
The 100,000 Comcast users are going to be driven like sheep to join the 500 million Facebook Users.
Read the news story of the Obama --- Mark Zuckerburg meeting:

Feb 17, 2011 WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama is heading to friendly territory to push his plan to spend billions more on education, meeting with Facebook's founder and other technology leaders in the San Francisco Bay area and touring Intel Corp.'s semiconductor manufacturing facility in Oregon.
Obama wants to spend more on education despite his call for a five-year freeze on other government spending. He says an educated work force will attract jobs and help the U.S. compete with the rest of the world. The budget proposal he unveiled this week seeks $13 billion more for education.
His visits today and Friday to politically friendly areas on the West Coast are partly designed to spotlight his focus on education and prod Republicans to support the higher spending.
Republicans are pursuing steep spending cuts instead.
With the trip, Obama is also trying to burnish his image as a leader who is listening to the ideas of innovators and who, while faced with a tough budget environment, isn't afraid to push for spending increases in areas such as education and clean energy that he thinks will create lasting, forward-looking jobs.
Obama was meeting business leaders in technology and innovation, including Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg, at a private home in the San Francisco Bay area today. The social networking site has more than 500 million users worldwide and has turned its 26-year-old founder into a youthful billionaire.
The White House said the meeting is another in the series of periodic discussions the president has been having with business leaders to explore ways they can collaborate to expand the economy and create jobs. The meeting is closed to media coverage.
"These are representatives of businesses . who know a lot about private sector job growth," said White House spokesman Jay Carney.
Obama is touring Intel Corp.'s semiconductor manufacturing facility in Hillsboro on Friday with CEO Paul Otellini. Intel has an education program that includes a curriculum, a competition and online resources to encourage studies in science, technology, engineering and math.
Otellini was among 20 corporate CEOs who met privately with Obama last December in Washington. He has criticized the administration, saying Obama's policies have caused too much uncertainty for businesses and have not led to job growth or increased consumer confidence.
Since that meeting, Obama has stressed the role of innovation as a key element of the job-creation agenda he is pursuing as he looks ahead to his re-election campaign next year.
At Intel, Obama will hear about the chip maker's efforts to spur innovation and prepare workers for jobs in high-tech industries. He'll also speak about the role of education in preparing workers for those jobs.
Obama has left Washington once a week since his Jan. 25 State of the Union to highlight his plan to expand the economy and create jobs by spending on education, innovation and infrastructure.
Education is this week's theme. Obama discussed his education plans at a Baltimore middle school on Monday. Before departing the White House on Thursday, he was discussing a rewrite of the primary federal education law, No Child Left Behind, with a bipartisan group of House and Senate members.
Obama wants to spend $77.4 billion on education next year, up from $64.1 billion in 2010. Congress hasn't yet passed a budget for 2011, so the government is operating at the spending levels for 2010.
Some of the increased spending would fund competitive grant programs to encourage improvements in early learning programs and by school districts. Money would also go toward improving teacher quality and preparing thousands of new math and science teachers for the classroom.
Obama last visited California and Oregon during a four-state swing in October, when he stumped for California Sen. Barbara Boxer and Oregon gubernatorial candidate John Kitzhaber. Both Democrats won. He handily won California and Oregon in the 2008 presidential election.
S A L T Z M A N I N S T I T U T E
O F W A R AN D P E A C E S T U D I E S
Veteran Contributor
bobsbd
Posts: 2,321
Registered: 09-25-2007

miagear wrote:
As a paying Comcast customer that enjoyed the Community forums as part of the service that I pay for, I would like an explanation why this services is being discontinued.  

Also, as Comcast will no longer invest in this services and as such their operating costs will be reduced, when will the millions of subscribers that will no longer have access to this service receive a rate adjustment (reduction) to offset the diminished services provided by Comcast?

Sincerely,

Unhappy customer


Coffee: if you’re not feeling the buzz than you’re doing it wrong
Conquering Contributor
NTYSU
Posts: 1,739
Registered: 12-15-2010

OldeSpy wrote:
The company charged with providing them to Comcast for our entertainment is getting the boot. It will be curious to see if Comcast cares enough about us to institute an alternative provider for the forums, if they'll take over them directly, or if they'll go the whole, "Qui'ils mangent de la brioche" (Let them eat cake) route.

We're teetering on the brink of widespread corporate blowback and this is just one area where Comcast can demonstrate whether they are on the side of their customers or just marking time as one of the insensitive good-ol-boy corporations in the "Better than thou art" club. History will show that this is a critical time for them... And for other companies. Those who fail to bend with the wind are quite liable to be broken.




And as another poster said;  Think of all the history that will be lost the day they shut down these forums. True, if you really think about it.  Just the last 5 years alone holds a history the likes of which has never been seen before and Comcast is the keeper of it.  All the thoughts, ideas and feelings everyone had on what happened and Comcast will have the ability to hit a delete key and wipe it all away. 


Open Mind ~ Open Discussion
Closed Mind ~ Closed Subject

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