• @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    English
    2299 months ago

    Cable lobby group NCTA-The Internet & Television Association claimed that the commission’s “micromanagement of advertising in today’s hyper-competitive marketplace will force operators to either clutter their ads with confusing disclosures or leave pricing information out entirely.”

    Or, you know, you could just tell the truth.

    • Billiam
      link
      English
      1779 months ago

      hyper-competitive marketplace

      Ah yes, when I think of “hyper competitive” I think of the one and only one cable provider who services my neighborhood.

      • @NOT_RICK
        link
        English
        779 months ago

        Comcast calls me all the time trying to sell me on their Trojan horse streaming box or their cell service. I’m polite to the caller cause I know it’s just a gig for them but I always calmly tell them I only have Comcast as I have no other choice and I’d rather peel off my finger nails than give them any other business. It speaks to how bad things are that I’m dying for Verizon of all companies to come “save” me. Hyper-competitive, fucking lol.

        • @linearchaos
          link
          English
          169 months ago

          Verizon FIOS is like a unicorn. Service is stable, price hasn’t moved, support is available, clear and friendly. Install and repair dates are quick.

          one day the shoe will drop, been waiting for it for years, but in my little corridor they just keep kicking comcast’s ass.

          • @Evilcoleslaw
            link
            English
            59 months ago

            The shoe dropped on most of Verizon’s former territory. Basically anywhere they had DSL but didn’t want to lay fiber they sold off instead of even trying.

            • @linearchaos
              link
              English
              39 months ago

              Yeah, if you ended up with frontier or anyone else they sold to you’re going to have a bad time.

          • @NOT_RICK
            link
            English
            39 months ago

            I had them when I rented and I was also surprised by how few complaints I had

        • @Confused_Emus
          link
          English
          119 months ago

          I was so happy when I was able to tell Comcast/Xfinity to suck toads after moving to an area with Google Fiber. Google may be a shit company, but I gotta admit I really love symmetrical gigabit service for $70/month.

          • @elephantium
            link
            English
            119 months ago

            There’s a local company in my city that offers fiber to the home. I’m so happy not to be stuck with Comcast!

            • @[email protected]
              link
              fedilink
              English
              19 months ago

              Same! I’ve lived 3 different places in this city and this is the first one that had an independent fiber internet provider. It’s hilarious getting Comcast/Xfinity mailers advertising internet offers that are higher priced and slower than what I have.

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          English
          49 months ago

          I only have Comcast as I have no other choice and I’d rather peel off my finger nails than give them any other business

          Literally me and cox communication

          • @mojofrododojo
            link
            English
            49 months ago

            wave broadband can suck a dick

            PNW? how the fuck is it that comcast is the best we can get. goddamn google or someone else please fucking save me from comcast

      • @Ep1cFac3pa1m
        link
        English
        169 months ago

        I would hope this would also apply to the live TV streaming services like Hulu+live tv, Fubo, YouTube TV, etc. I looked into some of them, and the added fees took the monthly bill from like $83 a month to over $100 a month, but you don’t know that unless you read the disclaimers since they advertised it at $83 a month.

        • @AA5B
          link
          English
          29 months ago

          Seems like it certainly needs to. I haven’t noticed any such added fees for the services I subscribe to. If true, that’s a good indication someone is seeking a competitive advantage by misleading potential customers, and good reason to act

          • @Ep1cFac3pa1m
            link
            English
            189 months ago

            This isn’t the worst offender I’ve seen, but it’s still bullshit. They should never be able to advertise it at $84.99 when there are $30.99 in required fees

            • @AA5B
              link
              English
              49 months ago

              That would go immediately on my list of “never do business”

      • @atx_aquarian
        link
        English
        39 months ago

        And the thing about regulation like this is that it just resets the bar height for everyone. It’s not like this doesn’t apply to all competitors.

        Unless we mean non-cable competition, i.e. streaming. Maybe that’s not under the jurisdiction of FCC? If not, though, then I have to wonder why this has to be an FCC thing in the first place. This is about truth in advertising, in general.

    • Ogmios
      link
      fedilink
      English
      20
      edit-2
      9 months ago

      Whoa whoa whoa, have you been playing too many online games recently? Because your views are sounding a little bit extreme there…

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        English
        19 months ago

        As an autist who doesn’t always catch sarcasm, I have to ask: what alien robot downvoted you?

        • Ogmios
          link
          fedilink
          English
          19 months ago

          Beats me, but I seem to have attracted some pretty dedicated haters on this site recently, so I’m assuming one of them.

    • @A_Random_Idiot
      link
      English
      119 months ago

      What competition?

      Isnt there like…only two cities in the whole country where cable companies actually have to compete with each other? (and consequently the customers see the lowest prices in the country… weird how that works?)

      • BombOmOm
        link
        English
        -4
        edit-2
        9 months ago

        The proliferation of home cell internet and Starlink’s internet has had a nice downward pressure in many markets. Both are often surprisingly good, even for heavy internet users. They are something worth checking out in your area.

        Edit: Note, if you look into satellite internet, Starlink is pretty much the only one that doesn’t suck. This is due to the satellites being in low earth orbit (fairly close) rather than way, way off in geostationary orbit.

        • @A_Random_Idiot
          link
          English
          139 months ago

          Starlink is the disposable plastic of internet though. they are constantly losing satalites due to that low earth orbit, which are constantly being replaced.

          also being owned by a raging right wing fucktard that turns them off and on to suit his political whims does nothing to endear me to the service

            • @A_Random_Idiot
              link
              English
              49 months ago

              most people dont really care about the political ideology of the person who leads the company

              until he starts flipping switches in a immature and mentally underdeveloped tantrum. then they’ll suddenly start caring.

            • @tabular
              link
              English
              19 months ago

              most people dont really care about the political ideology of the person who leads the company

              Do people know the political views of most company heads? Difficult to say if people care if they don’t know. If those political views clearly harm you (e.g. anti-gay sentiment in 2010’s) then most of those affected would care?

              We can ignore politics but politics won’t ignore us, probably we aught to care what business do with the money we give them.

              • @A_Random_Idiot
                link
                English
                29 months ago

                Most people don’t know about the politics of company heads, cause they are at least smart enough to shut the fuck up about it in public.

                Unlike Musk, who tweets like an edgy teenager and is constantly putting the white hood on.

          • BombOmOm
            link
            English
            -1
            edit-2
            9 months ago

            The former is more of a technical one. LEO has (some) air drag, so anything there is temporary; and you need them in LEO to not have pings measured in seconds. But, as you stated, the CEO is…fucktarded. I’ll fully agree there!

            But, more importantly, that’s why I also mentioned cell networks. In the US, TMobile and Verizon home cell internet is competitive in quite a good percent of the country and worth looking into if you don’t like your current provider. TMobile’s is $50/mo, for example.

    • @BrianTheeBiscuiteer
      link
      English
      79 months ago

      leave pricing out entirely.

      So I have to actually do research instead of being baited in? That’s fine too.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        English
        69 months ago

        Nothing better than Verizon advertising $65 a month, which is already too much, then when you actually try to sign up it’s not just more; they straight up refuse to tell you what it will be (yes, I tried asking).

        I know that’s not cable but they both play the same games. No, it’s not impossible for you to just tell a customer what you’re going to charge them.

        • @graeghos_714
          link
          English
          39 months ago

          So it’s like going to the hospital. Arghh

          • @[email protected]
            link
            fedilink
            English
            2
            edit-2
            9 months ago

            The best part?

            I ended up actually signing up for visible (Verizon has the best service in my area). It’s Verizon, reselling their own service, for $45 with everything included. (That’s 50GB before they deprioritize you. There’s a $35 that’s less but still fine for most people.)

            It seems like it is actually possible to include those fees in their price.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      English
      19 months ago

      micromanagement of advertising in today’s hyper-competitive marketplace

      Well good news: any competitors have the same restrictions so I don’t see the relevance.