[Moderator]

Can anyone explain how it is Time Warner has a complete monopoly on cable service in one of the world's largest cities? The interesting thing is, RCN also operates here, I could get it a block over but not on my street.

It seems that the two companies have divided up the territory to ensure that they both have zero competition. Isn't that known as collusion? It makes for terrible service at extraordinary prices. I went to the Time Warner office to pickup a box a while back and it operates exactly like the DMV...hmmm..wonder why that is?

Can anyone shed some light on this, where is the supposedly pro capitalist, pro competetion congress and white house on this. How is it that I either use Time Warner or I don't watch cable tv. I'm entirely blown away by this.

[iREZ]

cable companies are teh suck

[rickey939]

Their are multiple cable choices throughout Chicago and surrounding suburbs...that is, except for the one I live in, where Comcast has a monopoly. Therefore, I also pay the highest cable rates in all of Chicago.

w00t.

[E's Lil Theorem]

In every city I've lived the cable companies divided the territory among themselves. The only way to get another company was to move or to wait for your company to be bought out by one of their competitors.

Lame!

[mduell]

Natural monopoly case (partially due to technology years ago), so the government granted and regulated the monopolies.

[Ganesha]

Cable companies started out as a government sponsored monopoly.

If your suburb is older then 1996, then the only 'real' competition the cable company will have is from the phone company (and any other company with existing wire). Not all phone/cable companies choose to compete with each other. The hope of the Telecommunications Act was that the big phone and cable companies would compete with each other, but they didn't.

[paul w]

Yeah in NYC it's basically Verizon for phone/dsl and Time Warner for Cable TV and internet (Roadrunner). At least Time Warner sucks somewhat less than Verizon from a quality of service angle.

[blackstar]

Originally Posted by rickey939

Their are multiple cable choices throughout Chicago and surrounding suburbs...that is, except for the one I live in, where Comcast has a monopoly. Therefore, I also pay the highest cable rates in all of Chicago.

w00t.

did you ever try to get a promotional deal?
I currently have digital cable silver (=cable+hbo) and High speed internet, for
49.99 the first 6 months, 75 the next 3, and then 99 for 3 more months, after that ends, ill try to get back on the same plan, if you call them and they say no just threaten with dish or direct tv...

[Salty]

In Manitoba we used to have Videon and Shaw and they were split right down the river. That said I think videon might have gotten bought by Shaw or something. Now the two companies are Manitoba Telecom who has an TV over IP thing going on, and so Shaw started offering VOIP. So you can either do phone, net and cable over cable, or phone net and cable over phone.

[Dale Sorel]

Get a dish

[kaze0]

Yeah, cables awful. I call up and tell cablevision im gonna quit every 6 months. Blah.