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Best Buy Acquires SpeakEasy

Posted by Zonk on from the who-owns-your-isp-today dept.

spazimodo writes "From the announcement e-mail from Speakeasy CEO Bruce Chatterley: 'I am pleased to announce that Speakeasy has been acquired by Best Buy, an innovative and growing Fortune 100 company and the top consumer electronics retailer in North America. This is a significant milestone for our company as our new relationship will help us realize our goals of becoming the No. 1 provider of voice and data solutions to small businesses. It is important to note that though Speakeasy will now be a wholly owned subsidiary of Best Buy, we will continue to operate as a standalone, independent operating division with headquarters in Seattle.' As a longtime Speakeasy customer, it's too bad to see their business moving in this direction. Back in the day when I called up their support with a problem, and mentioned I was using an OpenBSD box as a firewall/gateway the response was: 'cool!' — slightly different from the response Comcast or Verizon would give. I can't imagine they'll be able to maintain that independence, and there's no way I'm paying a premium for Internet service to Best Buy."

8 of 285 comments (clear)

  1. Thank Goodness! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    I had always lived in perpetual hope that Speakeasy would be offered in my area. To tell you the truth, it was rather draining, always being excited to check their coverage map. Now I can go back to deciding between the Cable Monopoly and the Phone Monopoly, like nature intended.

  2. Re:grammar preemtive strike by Bananatree3 · · Score: 2, Funny

    ...ahem...***preemptive***

  3. Re:OpenBSD as a firewall? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    I'd sooner run a Windows firewall, or even the Mossad-backdoored Checkpoint Firewall-1, before I'd run a piece of crap like OpenBSD as my firewall. Seriously, one time I called Theo DeRaadt (who is by all accounts a super-nice guy) at home for support, and he told me to FUCK OFF! Can you believe it?
    It could be worse - if you called Ballmer at home and asked for Vista help, he'd probably beat you with a chair.
  4. Re:grammar preemtive strike by Stanistani · · Score: 4, Funny

    *ahem*
    spelling not grammar

    --
    You can't talk about Wikipedia's flaws on Wikipedia
  5. wow by yodleboy · · Score: 2, Funny

    Speakeasy CEO Bruce Chatterley = lady Chatterley's lover?

    wonder what they will name this?
    "BestSpeak?"
    "BuyEasy?"
    "SpeakEasy Highspeed Broadband DSL Internet Service presented by Best Buy"

    I have visions of non stop best buy pop ups when you sign on. gahhhh.

  6. Re:grammar preemtive strike by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Anyway, "quandary" isn't even the correct word. He probably means "quagmire".

  7. Re:Alternatives? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    --
    I don't reply to Anonymous Cowards.
    You just did, jackass.
  8. Re:Remember the Cafe? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Gads it took them forever to open the cafe but once they did, it was great.
    Remember the former photographer who was a waiter who always wore a welders hat? And Ms. Apgar, in the day..boy was she a hot little number.