Dish Network customers are probably salivating with joy right now over the prospect of watching Mad Men, The Walking Dead and Breaking Bad, as the company and AMC have finally reached a settlement. “Finally” is the key word here — it feels like these two have been fighting forever, even if the dispute really only got heated in July. [More]
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Dish Network Agrees To Bring Back AMC & Pay The Company $700 Million In Settlement
By 10.22.12 — Updated: 10.23.12
Congratulations, Cablevision Customers: You'll Finally Be Watching The NFL Network This Season
By 8.16.12
If you’re a Cablevision customer who’s been languishing in a desert devoid of the NFL Network and RedZone channels, your oasis is in sight: The National Football League has finally reached a deal with Cablevision to carry the two channels in time for the upcoming season, which begins on Sept. 5. Starting tomorrow, customers will have the channels in their cable rosters. Time for a touchdown dance, perhaps. [More]
FCC: Internet Service Providers Are Actually Delivering The Speeds They Promise
By 7.20.12
Internet service providers take your money and promise to send you speeding along an information superhighway, dangling the carrot of fast connection times to get your business. And according to an annual report card by the Federal Communications Commission, while Verizon and Cablevision are the leaders in providing advertised speeds, it seems most ISPs are getting better at being more consistent on delivering the goods as well. [More]
Maybe I Owe Cablevision Money, Maybe Not: They Don’t Know
By 6.7.12
David, a Cablevision customer, recently moved outside of their service area. They were evidently sad that he left, because they just can’t let him go. Or figure out whether he owes them money or not. First he had a zero balance, then it was weeks overdue, then he had a small balance from his last month of service, then he received a letter from a collection agency. He called in to verify whether he needed to pay this bill or not, and learned that Cablevision isn’t able to send him a document stating that his balance is paid in full. Because they just can’t. [More]
5 Cable Companies Agree To Share Hotspots, But Will People Use Them?
By 5.21.12
For years, a number of the larger cable-based Internet providers have placed WiFi hotspots around the country for their customers to use when not in the comfort of their own home, but you had to find a hotspot operated by your ISP. Today, five of those companies — Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks, Cablevision, and Cox Communications — have announced that their customers will all soon be able to all use the same hotspots. But will people use them — and will this actually make some of the problems worse? [More]
Cablevision Does The Right Thing After A Quick Public Shaming
By 2.8.12
One way a company can avoid be taken to task by Consumerist on the wide world of webbernets is to have their product do what it should in the first place, or if that fails, at least have customer service reps ready to be helpful. When that fails, you can always pull a makegood and gain back a few points with us. Just a few. [More]
Cablevision Sees Nothing Wrong With Month Of Super Slow Or Nonexistent Internet Service
By 2.3.12
Nicole is a web developer, and as such, relies on a steady and speedy connection to the Internet. That’s why she shelled out around $415 in installation and fees to Cablevision for access to their 100MB “Ultra” Internet service. But in this case, that 100MB promise has been like a flickering mirage of an oasis in a very dry desert. [More]
From FiOS, To Cablevision, To Hell, And Back Again
By 11.11.11
Oliver tried to two-time FiOS after he got burned on a bad install. But Cablevision didn’t treat him right either, reneging on its promise to pricematch his old bill. Now he’s back again trying to rekindle a relationship with FiOS but they’re still up to their old ways and not giving him the tender loving he deserves. [More]
How To Say No To Arbitration With Your Cable Company
By 10.12.11
Here’s something neat. Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Cablevision/Optimum actually let customers opt out of arbitration when they sign up. If you don’t want to give up your right to personally sue them in a court of law and be forced into a kangaroo court overseen by a judge whose fees are paid for by the company you’re suing, Cablevision will let you. The caveat is that you have to tell them within 30 days of signing your contract. Here’s the links and relevant contract language to opt-out: [More]
Cablevision Delivers New, Unfathomably Slow DVR To New Customer
By 9.23.11
Cloud storage is the way of the future, it seems. But right now, there are some bugs to work out and devices that don’t quite work as planned. Todd just had Cablevision installed last week, and he has a new kind of DVR, called DVR+, that has no hard drive and stores his recorded programs remotely. Pro: No large hard drive that will inevitably fail inside the set-top box. Con: This new type of DVR is slow and crappy. [More]
25 CEOs Who Made More Than Their Companies Paid In Income Taxes
By 8.31.11
The Institute for Policy Studies has just released its 18th annual review of U.S. executive compensation and found that 25 out of the country’s 100 highest-paid chief executives actually earned more in 2010 than their companies paid out in corporate income taxes. [More]
What Would You Want To See On A Cable Customers' Bill Of Rights?
By 8.18.11
Over at our former sibling site Gizmodo, they have cobbled together what they believe is a list of the basic rights any cable customer should have when it comes to service, billing and selection. We wanted to throw it out there to see if you agree. [More]
Viacom, Cablevision Settle iPad Streaming Suit
By 8.11.11
In what could be described as a streaming contest, Viacom and Cablevision have been legally sparring for weeks over how to divvy up the rights to control streaming video on iPad apps. Now the corporate giants have settled their differences out of court. In a joint statement, the companies announced that Cablevision will be allowed to stream Viacom channels, including MTV and Comedy Central, over iPads located inside cable-subscribing homes. [More]
FCC Broadband Study Shows Which Companies Actually Come Close To Meeting Advertised Download Speeds
By 8.2.11
Today, at — of all places — a Best Buy in Washington, DC, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski announced the results of the agency’s Measuring Broadband America study, which looked to put a more accurate number on what consumers should be expecting from their broadband providers. [More]
Comcast, Verizon, Others Hop On Board Anti-Piracy "Copyright Alert System"
By 7.7.11
We know, because you’ve told us, that a number of you prefer to get your movies and premium TV via less-than-legal internet sources. We’re not going to judge you for that, but you may soon begin seeing notices from the new Copyright Alert System to let you know that they are aware of your dirty downloads and would you kindly stop. [More]
Cable Boxes Slurp More Electricity Than Refrigerators
By 6.27.11 — Updated: 12.6.12
The biggest energy hog in your house is probably sitting right under your TV. That little ol’ set-top box could be using up more electricity in your house than your refrigerator or central air conditioning, according to a new study by the Natural Resources Defense Council. [More]
FCC To Reconsider Rules For Negotiations Between Broadcasters And Cable Companies
By 3.3.11
In recent years, the disputes between cable companies and broadcasters have gotten especially ugly as boardroom squabbles have spilled over onto the airwaves and online. And in the end, it’s always the subscribers who get hurt with blackouts and eventual price hikes. That’s why the FCC voted today to reinvestigate the rules and its role in these negotiations. [More]
NYC Parks To Get Free WiFi, At A Price
By 1.26.11
New Yorkers are slated to get free wifi in 32 public parks next year, but it will come with a pricetag. Park users will get three 10 minute sessions per month, and after that pay 99 cents a day. The money goes to Time Warner and Cablevision, who agreed to provide the wifi as part of the city agreeing to renew their cable-tv franchises for 10 years. Public advocates promptly slammed the deal as the privatization of a public good. [More]
