INDIANAPOLIS, Dec. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Think your wait for the cable guy
was too long? Count yourself lucky you aren't David Shapiro, who waged a
five-year long battle that took him from town to state government offices
before he could get affordable cable television service at his New York home.
"I felt like I was the only one in the world left on dial-up," said
Shapiro, who by day works on supercomputers for IBM but until October depended
on spotty dial-up connections to reach the electronic world.
Shapiro's saga earned him an iPod Nano and the dubious honor of submitting
December's worst cable horror story to http://www.MyCableNightmare.com , a Web
site that offers frustrated consumers a forum to vent about bad cable TV
service. It offers the monthly contest as a consolation prize for those who
have suffered the most. The Web site's current theme, "Cable Dragon You Down?"
wonders if 2006 will be The Year of The Cable Rate Increase (Again.)
Consumers for Cable Choice (C4CC), a national alliance of individuals and
groups working for cable TV competition to control prices and to improve
program offerings and customer service, sponsors the cable nightmare Web site.
"David's story is a clear example of why we need competition in the cable
TV market right away," said Robert K. Johnson, C4CC president. "Incumbent
cable companies have no incentive to value consumers, and as a result, rates
are skyrocketing while customer service is plummeting. Competition will
reverse that course."
Shapiro, one of the newest members of C4CC, learned firsthand about the
need for regulatory reform in 2000 when he sought cable service at his home,
which is in the town of Esopus near the Highland town border. Shapiro has a
Highland address, but cable service was available only through Esopus. In
separate offers over five years, the company authorized to serve his
neighborhood offered to install cable at Shapiro's house for fees ranging from
more than $18,000 to nearly $26,500. The Highland-based cable company would
install for free, but it didn't have an Esopus franchise and as such, couldn't
legally make the connection.
Frustrated and unwilling to pay such a premium for installation, Shapiro
repeatedly appealed to town officials and the New York State Public Service
Commission (Case No. 427808). Finally, the Town of Esopus applied for a second
cable franchise and won the state approval it needed to offer competition.
In October 2005, Shapiro finally got cable service through the new
provider. His installation cost: zero dollars. He bought the company's triple
play of Internet/phone/television service, eliminating three land lines for
phone service, along with his monthly dial-up Internet Service Provider fee.
Total savings were over $100 month.
"I wouldn't have been as frustrated by my lack of high-speed access if the
entire area around me also couldn't get it," Shapiro said. "But around here,
almost everyone else already had high speed Internet service. At work I was
the only one stuck on dial-up service."
Johnson said the Web site compilation of cable nightmares is designed to
demonstrate to policy makers just how badly reform is needed. "If you think
Dave's experience is bad -- and it is -- look at our Top Ten Cable Nightmares
of 2005," Johnson said, referring to the Worst of the Worst list from 2005
available by contacting Cheryl Reed at cherylreed@synergy-mg.com .
About Consumers for Cable Choice, Inc.
Headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind. Consumers for Cable Choice, Inc. is a
national alliance of consumer advocacy groups, private citizens and others who
are committed to promoting maximum choice for consumers in cable, video and
broadband services. Consumers for Cable Choice uses a combination of education
and grassroots advocacy to impact change, which will result in a deregulated
and pro-consumer market that stimulates fair price, more choices and better
service options in the cable television industry. President Robert K. Johnson
has been advocating for policies that benefit residential and small business
consumers for more than 20 years. To learn more, visit
http://www.Consumers4Choice.org or http://www.MyCableNightmare.com .
SOURCE Consumers for Cable Choice, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.Consumers4Choice.org
http://www.MyCableNightmare.com
CONTACT:
Cheryl Reed, +1-317-446-5240,
cherylreed@synergy-mg.com , for Consumers for Cable Choice, Inc.
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