Following up on the exciting exploits of my move-in, Comcast and I had a "I'm not fired; I quit!" moment yesterday, as I canceled the deal just about the same time they informed me they couldn't hook my house up after all. It wasn't a total loss, though: They did keep me out of a competitors hands for a full week while I waited for an installation that was later revealed to be impossible (so not a total loss for them. For me ... yeah, it kind of was).
Meanwhile, my intuition about AT&T was correct too, as they say they can't connect us to the internet until August 25th. They have to mail us the modem (the guy coming to install the line can't touch it, for it is holy), and apparently they have to route it through Kazakhstan for quality assurance purpose. Good Lord, why is the internet controlled by morons? So for the time being, I'm still on the weak, intermittent but at least somewhat steady (so long as I stay in the living room -- it doesn't pick up at all in my bedroom), patriots signal.
Comcast can be a nightmare. We've had regular, recurring problems with signal strength and connectivity for the past year. Though my partner always takes care of it, the pattern is particularly annoying: (1) Call. (2) Send [person from some low-level field call] who comes and says "Ah, yeah. Problem. But you need the Multi-Dwelling-Unit team" (3) MDU person comes. (4) MUD person says something inconsistent with previous MDU person. (ex. "You need an amplifier!" "Why did someone put your modem on an amp?") (5) They create a fix, even if only temporary.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is that this process takes about a week. My partner works from home and needs the internet to connect to his work. At no point can you skip #2.
Isn't it possible to get internet some other way? How about via satellite? (I don't even know if that's technologically possible). How many companies in the area provide internet service (DSL or cable)?
ReplyDeleteI live in "a Comcast Building" and so my only alternative is to have AT&T run DSL to my apartment. RCA is the only other true cable provider I'm aware of.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.wildblue.com/ came up as a provider of internet via satellite.
Chicago may get a wireless broadband service called WiMAX later this year. http://bit.ly/4ayxOI