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DIRECTV Broadband Shuts Down

Phroggy writes "Effective today (Friday the 13th), DIRECTV Broadband is officially out of business. The company will remain partially operational for the next 60 to 90 days, and we will work to transition our roughly 160,000 customers to another provider. Details are still sketchy. So, anybody gonna be hiring in the Portland area in a couple months?" There's a press release about the shutdown.

12 of 444 comments (clear)

  1. this is no good by Merlin_80000 · · Score: 4, Informative

    DirecTV is the only residential provider in my area that provides static IP, hopefully i'll run across somewhere else. btw the support phone number has a message basically saying that they are shutting down within the next 30 days and to please not call them anymore.

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    Please keep in my that my ADHD keeps me a little scatter brained and I sometimes can't focus long enough to
    1. Re:this is no good by squiggleslash · · Score: 5, Informative
      Check out Earthlink. They seem to be everywhere where other broadband providers are, and they also do static IP (it's a small additional cost, but it's available.) They also have quite a good support policy - you're allowed to do your own networking, use non-Windows/Mac, etc, but if you do then they will not provide telephone support - you're assumed to know what you're doing.

      I will not say they're perfect, they're PPPoE, and the static IP I have seems to break every time I lose the connection (typically I can't get it back for 15 minutes), and then there's the Hubbardist connections, but there's nothing so bad about the service I'd not recommend them to others.

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      You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
  2. More Info by Phroggy · · Score: 5, Informative

    I dunno why they posted this under "Ask Slashdot", but here's some more info:

    DSLReports (forum)
    DirecTV DSL (info for customers)
    Press Release from Hughes (parent company of DirecTV)

    --
    $x='S24;r)>63/* h@<5+oZ)32"5cz';$me='phroggy'x$];
    $x=~y+ -xz+\0-Tx+;print$_^chop$me for split'',$x;
  3. Horses Mouth by Apathy+costs+bills · · Score: 5, Informative

    Well, here's their customer FAQ that explains a lot.

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    Kill Trolls Dead. Here's
  4. Re:Why Portland? by The+Electric+Messiah · · Score: 4, Informative

    Yeah, they have a tech support call center out here in Beaverton just down the street from Stream (where I work). Apparently they took everybody into a room, unplugged all the phones, and sent them all home.

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    "Bold as Love"
  5. Speakeasy! by sterno · · Score: 5, Informative

    I highly recommend speakeasy if you need another option. The provide good service and have the smoothest installation I've seen. I also got a free PS/2 out of them when I signed up :)

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    This sig has been temporarily disconnected or is no longer in service
  6. Portland Jobs. by MAXOMENOS · · Score: 5, Informative
    So, anybody gonna be hiring in the Portland area in a couple months?

    Stream, XO, Powell's, Wal-Mart, Plaid Pantry, Fred Meyer ....

    Oh, you want a high-paying IT job? Better start thinking about your own business, and I don't mean consulting. It's death valley for IT in Oregon right now.

  7. Re:It was the name that did it! by gregger · · Score: 5, Informative

    Yeah, DirectWay or DirecPC (their other broadband services) are probably the only options I have (until Ricochet comes in).

    I too thought "hmmm... DirecTVDSL, maybe it goes through the satellite... naaaah."

    DirecPC is interesting because it does the download from a satellite (about 300 to 400 kbps) but the upload from a dial-up connection. So you have to use their software that splits your traffic for you. You get fairly good response since most users download a lot, but upload little. The drawback is that you still need a separate phone line.

    DirecWay is actual TWO-way satellite broadband. It was supposed to get the same 300 - 400kbps download speed and a 128kbps upload speed.

    Sounds great until you think of the actual time taken for clicks to be processed. Since your signal has to go from your roof to a satellite, to earth, do stuff, then take the same course back, response lag can range up to the .5 to 1 sec range! (So I've heard from users, but can't personally verify.)

    This makes certain applications fail (including a Web application we make). Once you get a response it is very fast, but the lag... wow...

    TTFN

  8. Re:Linux support? by Phroggy · · Score: 4, Informative

    Not sure if DirecTV offered a Linux compatible satellite internet solution, but I think I would have noticed it if they did.

    As far as I know, you're correct, DirecWay and DirecPC are Windows-only (maybe Mac too, but I'm not even sure of that).

    As opposed to DirecTV Broadband, which has UNIX installation instructions in the manual.

    --
    $x='S24;r)>63/* h@<5+oZ)32"5cz';$me='phroggy'x$];
    $x=~y+ -xz+\0-Tx+;print$_^chop$me for split'',$x;
  9. Re:Recommended New ISP? by Phroggy · · Score: 5, Informative

    I'm on DirecTV DSL right now...so I have 60-90 days to switch to new ISP?

    If you stay with DirecTV DSL, we'll try to migrate you to a new ISP and make it as painless as possible (no guarantees about that, but we'll do our best). If you cancel, you have to wait for the LEC to release your line before you can sign up with another DSL provider, so you're looking at around a month of downtime if you choose to go that route. However, I have no idea what the new ISP will be, and they may not offer a static IP. Check the web site (don't call!); there may be more info on Tuesday.

    --
    $x='S24;r)>63/* h@<5+oZ)32"5cz';$me='phroggy'x$];
    $x=~y+ -xz+\0-Tx+;print$_^chop$me for split'',$x;
  10. Serves You Right! by Necron69 · · Score: 5, Informative
    All I can say is about time, and it serves you right.

    I got nothing but crap from DIRECTV Broadband in the wake of the Rhythms collapse last fall. Despite being guaranteed that my SDSL service would continue, it shut down mid-September. I tried for three months to get it repaired and got repeated promises that it would be fixed. Finally, I "cancelled" (how can you cancel non-existant service?) in frustration. Three months later, the bills starting rolling in. DIRECTV was trying to charge me for two months of service I never got, and they claimed that I cancelled my service!

    Needless to say, I was furiously pissed. I spent six months trading letters and faxes, got sent to collections, appealed, and was denied. I finally deemed the issue not worth my time and paid the stupid bill.

    So, F*ck You, DIRECTV. You got what you deserved. I've spent the last year at 26kbps dialup. Thank God that AT&T/Comcast will finally be completing their broadband upgrade in my city next month.

    - Necron69

  11. Goatse alert! by Robber+Baron · · Score: 4, Informative

    Warning! Don't click on his sig!

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    You're using her as bait, Master!