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.

Comments

Doesn't look good for anyone

[SteweyGriffin]

I got to reading some other headlines about broadband companies. This got me to thinking -- is anyone doing well in this market right now?!

This is really upsetting because broadband is so important to so many people these days. Geeks, eBay'ers, etc. need to be connected, and ISPs, telcos, etc. don't seem to be able to provide fairly cheap, reliable service.

Hughes shutdown strands broadband users
CNET News.com - 8 minutes ago ... Satellites, digital subscriber lines and cable modems are the three
major ways Web providers deliver broadband to homes and offices. ...

Hughes to close terrestrial broadband operation
Bizjournals.com - 1 hour ago ... DirecTV Broadband, based in Cupertino, was acquired by Hughes in April ... it's working
toward transitioning existing customers to alternative service providers. ...
Hughes Shuttering a Fast ISP Unit - TheStreet.com

Broadband prices to rise in early 2003
ZDNet.co.uk, UK - 7 hours ago ... help ISPs stimulate the UK broadband market, which has already boomed over the last
12 months. "Recent advertising campaigns from BT and its service providers ...
BTw in new year ADSL promo - The Register

AOL's Iffy Broadband Deals
InternetNews.com - 12 Dec 2002
But the hefty carriage fees it faces from cable providers add up to iffy
prospects for making money off broadband, consumer advocates say. ...
The Layoffs That Stole Christmas - Washington Post
AOL's Iffy Broadband Deals - InternetNews.com
AOL's Parsons: "This Isn't Terminal" - BusinessWeek

Local cable TV, Internet choices debated
Hampton Union, NH - 7 hours ago ... necessary because he has heard residents complain about the lack of options from
AT&T Broadband and Comcast, the town's current Internet and cable providers. ...

BT fails to make the connection
CW360.com, UK - 14 hours ago ... why doesn't BT act as a branded reseller for third-party cable service providers? ... Instead
of waiting until the local level of demand for broadband justifies an ...

Re:Doesn't look good for anyone

[dissy]

I think your comment hits the problem on the head...

> Geeks, eBay'ers, etc. need to be connected, and
> ISPs, telcos, etc. don't seem to be able to provide
> fairly cheap, reliable service.

You cant have everything for nothing.
You want expensive services for cheap? No one can do it.

As long as T1's and T3's cost the price they do, _someone_ has to bear that. The customer complains it shouldnt be them it should be the ISP. But why is that exactly?

The only reason in the past for an ISP to do this is to get a T1 and share it with say a number of dialup ports.

Unless you want your DSL/Cable to be 64k or less each way, the numbers dont make finantual sence to the ISPs to not raise prices to charge accordingly.

You want a megabit down? That costs an ISP $1500/month. You people want that for $40/month and not have it shared with 40 or more other people, yet there is no other way to break even, let alone make money.

<rant>
I would love to have that too, but I would also love free art, obtainable medicines for those that need it, not charged to use the airwaves around me, to be able to travel into space, and to be able to modify my own DNA at my whim, and a large number of other things.
As of yet, none of this is happening even though it is all very possible and we are just as capable of doing right now.

<bigger rant>
As long as governments allow the raping of the people by providing one company with a monopoly, and outlawing all competition, all we can do is fight them to give us our USA back. But too many people dont care and are fine with it, so nothing will change except for the worse.
</rant></rant>

That is the problem that needs fixing.

Now on to phase two.. Ideas. Got any? I sure dont :(