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WHY WOULD ANYONE WANT FIOS?!?!??!??!?!!!!!
- Thread starter ssetta
- Start date
As far as I know we don't have FIOS in Connecticut, but others have told me their internet is one of the fastest and most robust around. It wasn't until recently that I heard they have a bundled TV package as well. I haven't heard much about that as most people I know got it strictly for internet access.
KML-224 said:
Not if AT&T has anything to do with it. I can't even try their "U-verse" nonsense as according to them there's a phantom remote terminal that either never got built or is incapable for any more connections and I am too far away from their central office.
I always say AT&T - always terrible & troublesome
I have to say that because of the whole issue with the locals, that I think FiOS is more like satellite than it is like cable. See, if you have cable, the selection of local channels varies throughout the DMA. For instance, if you live in the Boston area and have Comcast, if you live closer to New Hampshire, you get NH channels. But if you live closer to RI, you get Providence channels. But with FiOS, the entire Boston DMA is on one lineup. My aunt just switched to FiOS, and she lives in Norfolk, which is very close to the RI border, which is why I don't think it's fair that they don't give you Providence channels. So, I'm sticking with Comcast.
KML-224 said:
I know this doesn't answer your question, but from what I remember Fios has been available in Greenwich for a while. I'm not sure if this is the start of a future roll-out in Connecticut, or if it's because parts of Greenwich have Verizon for local telephone service instead of AT&T. Maybe someone else knows?
I've only heard awesome things about Fios (especially when compared to U-Verse), so I'd love for it to be offered across the state. Maybe one day.
Comcast spoiled me rotten, frankly. But then again, I fired Verizon after I had to call our Public Advocate because they parked my checks in a desk drawer for opting out of their EFT conversions. The worst customer service I have seen in a long time, and inaccessibility on top of that. After they miraculously found the two checks amounting to three payments for a single bill, while the Public Advocate and I had a three way conversation with them I took my two prepaid months of service as a result of sending the additional check. Then I bailed.
With Comcast I have my phone, tv and internet for one low price for a year, and I know exactly where it will go at the end of that year. I had to call customer service a few times for adjustments early on, and they were gems about it.
With Comcast I have my phone, tv and internet for one low price for a year, and I know exactly where it will go at the end of that year. I had to call customer service a few times for adjustments early on, and they were gems about it.
oldschooltv said:
FiOS is in Greenwich because that is actually Verizon territory, not SNET/AT&T. It has something to do with how Greenwich actually belonged to NY in the 1800s and some such, search your CT history. However...
You will NEVER see FiOS in CT, as this is not a Verizon LATA (Local Area Telephone Exchange), it belongs to SNET/AT&T. However, uVerse is about the same in its offerings. Just have to wait for your neighborhood to be wired, kind of like DSL in the old days.
ssetta said:
Fios offers WLVT 39 (PBS 39) Allentown and NJN (PBS) throughout the Philadelphia market. Comcast only carries WLVT in SE PA and not on all systems, and doesn't offer NJN to all the systems west of Delaware River. Fios carries the digital subchannels of WLVT too, though doesn't carry WLVT-HD. WHYY-HD is carried however.
Fios is also recently started carrying WTVE 51 throughout the Philadelphia market, where Comcast limits that station's reach.
Also read that WWSB 40 (ABC cable 7) from Sarasota is on Fios in Tampa, so Fios customers in Tampa-Sarasota get both WFTS 28 and WWSB 40 for ABC. On the flip side, Dish and DirecTV refuse to carry WWSB 40 (ABC) because it doesn't have must-carry being a duplicate network affiliate (and licensed to a town in the same state).
Regarding Comcast, I know that KFTY 50 in Santa Rosa, CA made a deal with Comcast. Comcast now carries KFTY on all Bay Area DMA systems, but on digital only (ch.199). Meaning KFTY lost its Ch.10 status in the North Bay/ Santa Rosa, its home county, and one needs a digital box/cable card there.
I don't know of any other stations that have done that, but I'm guessing a station can deal with Comcast if it wants full market carriage with less troubles (give up analog space, and assume a digital only space). I'm thinking WBPH 60(FamilyNet/CBN) in Allentown should do that, and Comcast can even help them get on Fios, Dish and DirecTV, with goal to strain Comcast competitor's limited capacity spotbeams and lineups. i.e. if we are required to carry this, let Dish and DirecTV be forced to carry it too.
However, Fios isn't carrying Philadelphia TV in Ocean County. This despite WPVI and stations, often reporting news for that county. The latest Action News promo commercial has clips of Action news, with one "Live in Toms River"
ssetta said:
That's unfortunate for those areas, but Fios does do significantly viewed in these areas:
Mercer County, NJ - Philadelphia and New York
Central Delaware - Philadelphia and Salisbury
Anne Arundel and Howard County - Baltimore and Wash DC
*however, only New York in Ocean County, NJ.
I think that in Central DE, the Salisbury, MD stations of course pushed for carriage on Fios there. The much smaller DelMarVa stations want to keep Kent County viewership even though Kent County is in Philadelphia market. Delaware is an odd little unserved state when it comes to tv but thats another story.
Regarding, New York and Philadelphia, it's fine and fun for those in Mercer County that get New York stations (out of market), but Ocean County gets screwed not being able to get Philadelphia (out of market) because on cable both counties get both, and Philadelphia TV does cover South Jersey/Trenton and Ocean County when news breaks, even if people in Ocean County aren't commuting into Philadelphia but are following commuting patterns into Monmouth County and North Jersey instead.
And Anne Arundel and Howard, I don't know - whether maybe the DC stations ensured they were carried, or Fios saw that demand would want it.
I wonder how it works though. I thought these stations were likely members of the NAB, National Association of Broadcasters, and maybe get information of where to apply for must-carry (Verizon, Dish and DirecTV's local presence, contact information, etc.) and when new service providers arise, but there seems to be no concise pattern.
The question regarding WPVI and the Philadelphia TV stations is if they claim they reach 3 million viewers (and tally in Ocean County viewership) when they set their advertising rates to advertisers. If they do, they should be pushing for Fios coverage.
I think the same would be true for stations like Providence stations that are on Comcast but not on Fios in certain counties.
rch66 said:
The marketplace rules, as it should - for those viewers who feel access to Philadelphia stations is important, cable is available as a choice; for those who don't care what the "local" stations are, Fios is available as another choice, providing some competitive pressure to keep prices down. If Verizon's research found that enough market share was being lost to cable in Ocean County because of the lack of Philadelphia stations, I suspect they'd find a way to carry them.
I don't believe that's a service NAB provides. That's what you pay a retainer to a good DC communications attorney for. Otherwise, it's up to the individual stations to keep track of those must-carry requirements and deadlines, and when they miss a deadline (as has happened over the years to some of the small NYC-market stations and the satellite companies), there's not much recourse.
Scott Fybush said:
True the market will decide, but Fios is still a relatively new service.
As I exampled, they carry WWSB 40 Sarasota in Tampa, which is not a local station, with any measurable audience, in Tampa prior to carriage .
My experience with cable, sat and Fios is they don't provide information about "locals" at that level, customer service representative to customer level. So, if a customer complains why they don't have W___, it's like speaking Greek to the customer representative, and "research" won't be useful. And, often channels with low demand are added for other reasons (contractually tied to other channels, corporate pressures, or channel was free, etc.)
Re-filing for must-carry, which you exampled, is something else, but yes TV stations have to keep on top of. It's clearly stated in the SHVERA (Satellite Home Viewer Act) that each must-carry cycle is 3 years, after the first must-carry cycle. It was noted that DirecTV dropped WSKY 4, a station in Virginia, because WSKY didn't re-file in timely manner. I don't think the cable must-carry cycles are that short as the rules for cable and sat are different. Fios follows the cable rules and they are allowed to carry significantly viewed stations.
The term "Significantly viewed" was coined for a reason: it's significantly viewed!
Looking at it more closely, here's what it seems like:
There are a few towns in Bristol County, MA (in the Providence/New Bedford DMA) that have FiOS. It would appear that in Bristol County, FiOS does have both Boston and Providence. And in the state of Rhode Island, they actually do offer the two Boston PBS stations. However, part of Norfolk county and southern Worcester county are somewhat close to Rhode Island, but both are officially in the Boston DMA. Therefore, FiOS only offers the Boston stations. However, in many of those communities, Comcast offers the Rhode Island PBS station, and the NBC affiliate WJAR. Before AT&T bought out MediaOne years ago, I'm pretty sure they had ALL of the Providence stations.
So, I guess if enough people from those areas called into FiOS and complained about the fact that they didn't get the Providence stations, they would do something about it.
There are a few towns in Bristol County, MA (in the Providence/New Bedford DMA) that have FiOS. It would appear that in Bristol County, FiOS does have both Boston and Providence. And in the state of Rhode Island, they actually do offer the two Boston PBS stations. However, part of Norfolk county and southern Worcester county are somewhat close to Rhode Island, but both are officially in the Boston DMA. Therefore, FiOS only offers the Boston stations. However, in many of those communities, Comcast offers the Rhode Island PBS station, and the NBC affiliate WJAR. Before AT&T bought out MediaOne years ago, I'm pretty sure they had ALL of the Providence stations.
So, I guess if enough people from those areas called into FiOS and complained about the fact that they didn't get the Providence stations, they would do something about it.
ssetta said:
The proximity of Bristol County to Boston and the fact that it's in the same state makes for a more persuasive argument that those stations are "significantly viewed" and are worth Verizon's trouble to carry in Bristol County.
More interesting would be the situation in Barnstable (Cape Cod), Dukes (Martha's Vineyard) and Nantucket Counties. Historically, the majority of OTA viewing had been of Providence stations (especially in the Upper Cape and Vineyard); however, these counties are in the Boston DMA and there is a cultural connection there based on many residents being Boston transplants. Comcast offers both markets' signals in these areas. What does FIOS do?
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