

battleop

join:2005-09-28

00000 1 recommendation battleop Member Oh Please... Stop thinking EPB is this great savior of Chattanooga. The management at EPB is as cooked as you can get. In the last month they got caught red handed for over charging the city and tax payers MILLIONS of dollars for street lights that were never replaced or touched.



They claim their "smart grid" prevents power outages, yet there were people in the dark yesterday after a storm. They claim that we will see a huge influx of "High Tech Jobs" which have yet to show up. Where are all of the Data Centers we were told this would bring? They claim that if we don't have a fiber network we will become as barren as Detroit.



I live and work here and I don't see all of these "Great" benefits they keep bragging about.

ke4pym

Premium Member

join:2004-07-24

Charlotte, NC 1 recommendation ke4pym Premium Member Re: Oh Please... said by battleop: Where are all of the Data Centers we were told this would bring? They came to the NC side of the mountain. In Lenoir, Forest City, Kings Mountain, and Maiden....



keithps

Premium Member

join:2002-06-26

Soddy Daisy, TN 10 recommendations keithps to battleop

Premium Member to battleop

It's funny, since you work for an ISP in the Chattanooga area, that you would be vehemently outspoken against them. Everyone I know, including myself, absolutely loves EPB.



I don't think EPB ever claimed the smart grid would stop outages, but rather would reduce their scope. It's insane to think it can reroute power from the pole to your house if a tree falls on the service line, and you're being ridiculous even suggesting it.



Fact remains that you have hated EPB fiber since it's inception because you work for a competing company. Maybe not a large one, but competing nevertheless. In fact, that technically makes you no better than any other industry shill, even if it's not for Comcast et al.



MikeWald

@188.138.9.x MikeWald Anon Re: Oh Please... said by keithps: It's funny, since you work for an ISP in the Chattanooga area, that you would be vehemently outspoken against them. Everyone I know, including myself, absolutely loves EPB. As a former resident of Chattanooga, I agree with you. Best of all, the peering is great, unlike Comcast who I had before. No choke on games or watching Netflix videos.



battleop

join:2005-09-28

00000 battleop Member Re: Oh Please... "Best of all, the peering is great"



What? They peer with Level3 and Quest and that's it. That's certainly not "great" peering.



thomasm21

@217.115.10.x thomasm21 Anon Re: Oh Please... said by battleop: "Best of all, the peering is great"



What? They peer with Level3 and Quest and that's it. That's certainly not "great" peering. We use Level 3 in the office and they don't have congestion issues to any of the sites we access. You also don't see them shaking people down like Comcast. Good on you EPB.



battleop

join:2005-09-28

00000 battleop to keithps

Member to keithps

My hatred for EPB extends long before they were in the Fiber/Telecom business. Their attitude has always been, "If you don't like it where are you going to go?"



They are much like Google. On the surface they appear to be doing all kinds of great things for you but in reality they are blowing through your tax dollars like a drunken sailor.



"t's funny, since you work for an ISP in the Chattanooga area, that you would be vehemently outspoken against them"



Where does it stop? They are trying to run local ISP's out of business. They are trying to run networking companies and computer repair shops out of business. They are trying to run phone system / hosted PBX vendors out of business. They are rumored to soon go after Alarm companies. Where does it stop?



Government should NEVER EVER have the goal of running taxpaying business out of business. That in it's self is the exact opposite of what they claim that they are doing which is bringing in business.



Let me ask you. If the City of Chattanooga were to jump into your line of work using your tax dollars and the advantages of being a government owned agency how happy would you be?



chip89

Premium Member

join:2012-07-05

Columbia Station, OH chip89 Premium Member Re: Oh Please... I would love The city where I live to start a fiber network gives more compititon to the cable ISPS.



keithps

Premium Member

join:2002-06-26

Soddy Daisy, TN keithps to battleop

Premium Member to battleop

I understand you're frustrated that you have to compete with them. The problem is that my options for ISP's are Comcast, 6mbps AT&T DSL or EPB. Basically, unless I want to check the weather and email, Comcast was my only choice.



While I seriously doubt the government is going to get into the cotton linter pulp business, keep in mind, I do something you don't. I compete with China, who's labor, regulatory and raw materials costs are a tiny fraction of mine. In addition to the fact that they are government supported. Yet I don't sit here and whine, I *take* market share from them by offering a better product, delivered on time and reliably. I EXPORT finished product TO China because my product is that much superior.



battleop

join:2005-09-28

00000 battleop Member Re: Oh Please... "I understand you're frustrated that you have to compete with them"



The frustration is not that we have to compete but that they spent many years using dishonest sales tactics to drive local competition out of business.



They went around telling some of the customers at a former company I worked for that ISP was going out of business and they needed to switch. At another ISP they told customers that only they had 100% fiber and we did not. They said that because our equipment hand of to the customer was copper then we were not 100% fiber, yet they too only hand off copper.

biochemistry

Premium Member

join:2003-05-09

92361 biochemistry Premium Member Re: Oh Please... I doubt they are any more or less dishonest than your average private company.



battleop

join:2005-09-28

00000 battleop Member Re: Oh Please... They are the Government and they are here to help us?

biochemistry

Premium Member

join:2003-05-09

92361 biochemistry Premium Member Re: Oh Please... All I meant was I have heard the same stories between people getting FiOS and cable vision and many other ISPs all claiming you can only get fiber from them.

elray

join:2000-12-16

Santa Monica, CA elray to biochemistry

Member to biochemistry

Private companies don't have the power to tax to paper over their losses and inefficiency, they don't get a free pass from the left-wing press, and they don't get the insider exemption from prosecution for wrongdoing.



Government enterprises are absolutely more dishonest than your average private company.



davidc502

join:2002-03-06

Mount Juliet, TN davidc502 Member Re: Oh Please...



It's okay, the government still loves you... lol as long at you continue to pay your taxes...... It's too bad you've had the "well poisoned" by the likes of Fox News, Rush, and Glenn Beck. lolIt's okay, the government still loves you...lol as long at you continue to pay your taxes......

openbox9

Premium Member

join:2004-01-26

71144 openbox9 Premium Member Re: Oh Please... said by davidc502: It's okay, the government still loves you... lol as long at you continue to pay your taxes...... So the Federal Gov doesn't love a majority of the citizens in the US? That's reassuring

biochemistry

Premium Member

join:2003-05-09

92361 biochemistry to elray

Premium Member to elray

Private telecom companies have been taking tax dollars for years to boost their profit without investing in the services they promised.

elray

join:2000-12-16

Santa Monica, CA elray Member Re: Oh Please... Those private telecom companies do not have the power to create or collect the tax. Those moneys were given over by the government after being extracted from us.



If you believe those firms acted fraudulently, make your case, and I'll back you up, to petition the government to pursue them to return the tax money - which in turn, should be refunded to the taxpayers.

biochemistry

Premium Member

join:2003-05-09

92361 biochemistry Premium Member Re: Oh Please... I think Karl has already made that case for me.



tshirt

Premium Member

join:2004-07-11

Snohomish, WA tshirt to biochemistry

Premium Member to biochemistry

said by biochemistry: I doubt they are any more or less dishonest than your average private company.

Most companies are groups of hardworking individuals, honestly and sincerely trying to make a living while selling, servicing, manufacturing or importing goods that people want.

It is wrong to lump them together with those relatively few that have a few bad apples trying to get more then they really earn.

and we need MORE private companies to be successful, to hire and train even more people. being private and for profit doesn't make them evil.

we can't all work for the gov't. I hope you'll reconsider that statementMost companies are groups of hardworking individuals, honestly and sincerely trying to make a living while selling, servicing, manufacturing or importing goods that people want.It is wrong to lump them together with those relatively few that have a few bad apples trying to get more then they really earn.and we need MORE private companies to be successful, to hire and train even more people. being private and for profit doesn't make them evil.we can't all work for the gov't.

sonicmerlin

join:2009-05-24

Cleveland, OH sonicmerlin Member Re: Oh Please... said by tshirt: said by biochemistry: I doubt they are any more or less dishonest than your average private company.

Most companies are groups of hardworking individuals, honestly and sincerely trying to make a living while selling, servicing, manufacturing or importing goods that people want. I hope you'll reconsider that statementMost companies are groups of hardworking individuals, honestly and sincerely trying to make a living while selling, servicing, manufacturing or importing goods that people want. Large companies are run by executives who share none of those traits. They and their demanding shareholders shape the personality and behavior of the kinds of organizations that influence government and politics.

openbox9

Premium Member

join:2004-01-26

71144 openbox9 Premium Member Re: Oh Please... said by sonicmerlin: Large companies are run by executives who share none of those traits. I think making all-inclusive comments like that will invalidate your argument every single time. There are plenty of executives that work hard, are honest and sincere, and are busy building better services and businesses.

sonicmerlin

join:2009-05-24

Cleveland, OH 1 recommendation sonicmerlin Member Re: Oh Please... People like Verizon's former CEO Ivan Seidenberg, a former employee who worked his way up to the position of CEO, are exceedingly rare these days in rage multinational corporations.



Mainly they're members of the club, nominated by board members from a tiny pool of candidates.

openbox9

Premium Member

join:2004-01-26

71144 openbox9 Premium Member Re: Oh Please... Working one's way up from the trenches isn't a prerequisite for being honest and hard working to grow a business.



chip89

Premium Member

join:2012-07-05

Columbia Station, OH chip89 to openbox9

Premium Member to openbox9

Rare but there is people like TSI mark.

sonicmerlin

join:2009-05-24

Cleveland, OH sonicmerlin to battleop

Member to battleop

Oh please. I can't imagine what kind of dishonest tactics private competitors have used. If you had any proof of your accusations you could easily have sued them.



battleop

join:2005-09-28

00000 battleop Member Re: Oh Please... When it's david vs Goliath it's hard to keep operating and pay for lawyers. Sometimes it's just better to cut your losses and find another market outside of their reach.

sonicmerlin

join:2009-05-24

Cleveland, OH sonicmerlin to battleop

Member to battleop

You have no business profiting off of an infrastructure heavy market with little to no competition.



battleop

join:2005-09-28

00000 battleop Member Re: Oh Please... Point taken Comrade.



WHT

join:2010-03-26

Rosston, TX 5 recommendations WHT to battleop

Member to battleop

said by battleop: they got caught red handed for over charging the city and tax payers MILLIONS of dollars for street lights that were never replaced or touched.



"Red handed" implies a willful and knowledgeable undesirable action. In reality it was an oversight.



Furthermore that "MILLIONS of dollars" as reported in a news outlet was never substantiated. Conveniently you didn't mention the amount EPB was under-charging the city."Red handed" implies a willful and knowledgeable undesirable action. In reality it was an oversight.Furthermore that "MILLIONS of dollars" as reported in a news outlet was never substantiated.



MaverickTI

@65.125.135.x 6 recommendations MaverickTI to battleop

Anon to battleop

Dude, so what???



The taxpayers are exercising THEIR RIGHTS to finance whatever sinkhole they voted for. If they fall victim to slick marketing and over-promised fantasies which will never materialize, again SO WHAT?



How dare a private corporation take away the rights of the public?



Community-drive broadband MAY NOT be the savior of a community or it MAY but that's for the community to decide. Not a private for-profit company that buys the votes needed from the government to stop the public from at least considering what they want to do with THEIR resources.

Skippy25

join:2000-09-13

Hazelwood, MO Skippy25 to battleop

Member to battleop

Oh, you mean they didnt just pop up overnight?



battleop

join:2005-09-28

00000 1 recommendation battleop Member Re: Oh Please... 10 years isn't over night..



davidc502

join:2002-03-06

Mount Juliet, TN davidc502 to battleop

Member to battleop

I fail to see how anything that was written has anything to do with the price of beans in China!



We are talking about EPB as a ISP, and from what I understand they do a darn good job.



SHABAZZ

join:2008-07-13

Seattle, WA SHABAZZ to battleop

Member to battleop

You must work for Comcast!



davidc502

join:2002-03-06

Mount Juliet, TN davidc502 to battleop

Member to battleop

Profit....



I have absolutely no issues with Corporations making profits. My issue is when they make billions of dollars in profit, and don't re-invest or innovate.

jjeffeory

jjeffeory

join:2002-12-04

Bullhead City, AZ jjeffeory to battleop

Member to battleop

For some reason I thought you lived in Biloxi, MS

tpkatl

join:2009-11-16

Dacula, GA tpkatl Member When you have low expectations ... sometimes you are surprised. I had very low expectations of Wheeler, with his background in the cable industry. But .. this is the second time in a month that he has done something that I agree with.



Stopping these monopolistic and predatory state laws is a good thing.



tshirt

Premium Member

join:2004-07-11

Snohomish, WA tshirt Premium Member has hinted that the FCC may take steps to pre-empt laws written .... ... so you assume he is out to "rescue" places with restrictive laws, rather then intending to seize control for the FCC?

Not saying all the laws are good, but a blanket voiding of local law seems likely to open up all sorts of legal challenges/problems and SOME of the controls were inacted to protect taxpayers from over-eager, over-spending local politicians and other hucksters.

Probitas

join:2014-06-05

Canada 1 edit 1 recommendation Probitas Member Show me the money! I'll believe it when I see it. The guy must realize the public is on to his BS and knows who he really works for, so is now releasing consumer friendly soundbites to counteract his image as an industry yes man.



Soundbites have no substance, words are cheap as hell. Let the man show it with actions.



You only have to look at who gets invited to these soundbites to know who he's really working for. Is the public ever present at these functions, or industry hacks?

binded2

join:2009-08-11

Providence, RI binded2 Member does this also Does this also revoke there franchise agreements with the cities allowing other providers to overbuild.

openbox9

Premium Member

join:2004-01-26

71144 openbox9 Premium Member Tisk, tisk, tisk.... said by Karl Bode: laws written and passed by broadband incumbent ISPs Who passes legislation?



mackey

Premium Member

join:2007-08-20 1 recommendation mackey Premium Member Re: Tisk, tisk, tisk.... The people hired by the big ISPs.