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Excite Could Go Dark On Friday
robvasquez writes: "According to this CNET article, excite @home could be pulling the plug on cable modem subscribers. What's your providers back up plan? Could milions of trolls and Nimda spreaders be taken off line?"
As you may be aware, Excite@Home, our service provider, recently
filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. In order to continue providing
you the quality and reliable high-speed cable Internet service
that you expect, AT&T has submitted a proposal to purchase the
Excite@Home network. If AT&T is able to purchase and manage the
Excite@Home network, there will be no immediate change to your
current service. If the network purchase is approved, we will
notify you via your AT&T@Home email account as soon as possible.
As a precautionary measure, AT&T Broadband also has been building
its own network and service in the event that AT&T is unable to
purchase the Excite@Home network. If the proposal to purchase the
Excite@Home network is not approved, your service may be temporarily
interrupted and it will be necessary to move your service to a new
AT&T Broadband network.
In any event, AT&T Broadband is deeply committed to providing you
the best cable Internet service possible and communicating any
upcoming changes. Be sure to frequently check the "Announcements
and Updates" section of our Web site for the latest information
about your service:
http://help.broadband.att.com/
In the meantime, please check your AT&T Broadband email account(s)
on a daily basis. Doing this will automatically save your email
to your hard drive as well as ensure timely receipt of important
future communications from AT&T Broadband. Also, if you use our
Personal WebSpace feature, we recommend you backup your personal
web page(s) by copying it to a diskette, CD, or to your computer
hard drive.
If migrating your service to the AT&T Broadband network and service
becomes necessary, we will call to notify you of the migration timing.
A message will be left on your voicemail or recorder if no one is
available at the time of the call. As a precaution, we are
providing you the following instructions, which will enable you
to connect your computer to the new AT&T Broadband network. Again,
you will only need to follow these steps in the event you receive a
call from AT&T Broadband instructing you to do so.
1. Restart your computer to begin the process.
2. Open your Internet browser. You should be automatically
sent to an AT&T Broadband welcome page. This page includes
instructions on how to download software used to change
your computer settings for the new network. If the welcome
page does not automatically appear when you open your browser,
please go to
http://newuser.attbi.com/
(This website will only be available if the service migration
is necessary).
3. Follow the instructions on the Web site to run the Automated
Configuration Utility (or you can choose to change your
computer settings manually).
4. The software will automatically change your Outlook Express
email client, your Internet Explorer settings, and configure
your computer for the new AT&T Broadband network.
Information on how to manually change your settings for
other email clients and Internet browsers such as Netscape
Communicator and Netscape Navigator can be found at
http://help.broadband.att.com/
5. You can now surf the Internet and use email on the new
AT&T Broadband Internet network and service.
If migrating your service to the new network is necessary, certain
aspects of your service would change. Your current homepage would
feature new content and your current email address domain name
would change. Please note that your username would remain the same.
For example, jsmith@home.com would change to jsmith@attbi.com.
If service changes are necessary, a detailed description of all
changes will be provided at
http://help.broadband.att.com/
in the Announcements and Updates section.
Whether the Excite@Home network is purchased or your service is
migrated to the new AT&T Broadband network, your Subscriber
Agreement, which outlines the general Terms and Conditions of your
service will change. You will be able to view the amended and
restated Subscriber Agreement that will apply to the AT&T Broadband
Internet service at
http://help.broadband.att.com/
Your continued use of the service will constitute your acceptance
of the amended and restated AT&T Broadband Internet Subscriber
Agreement.
If you need assistance, visit us online at
http://help.broadband.att.com/
to chat with a customer care specialist. Please remember, AT&T
Broadband will call you if any action is required on your part.
While we realize these potential changes may cause some inconvenience,
please be assured that we are doing everything possible to avoid
any service disruptions. However, in the event the service is
disrupted during a migration, you will receive a credit for those
days of interrupted service.
We are working hard to provide you with the best high-speed cable
Internet service possible. We appreciate your patience and your
business.
Sincerely,
Susan K. Marshall
Senior Vice President
Advanced Broadband Services
Please do not click "Reply" to respond to this message. AT&T Broadband feels it is imperative that we communicate pertinent information such as this to our customers. In addition, you may receive promotional messages highlighting special offers. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe from receiving promotional messages from AT&T Broadband, click here.
I bet bandwidth skyrockets on friday...
Or perhaps response times will skyrocket as bandwidth plummets. Who knows. Bandwidth, response times... these words. They're all so confusing.