Time Warner Cable v. CBS: Month 2 Begins

Posted on August 30, 2013August 30, 2013 by Dr. Jonathan L. Kramer

Their (corporate) parents must be so very proud of them!

Just about 4 minutes ago, at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time the saga of Time Warner Cable and CBS entered its second month. Time Warner Cable still says they are taking the high road to hold down cable prices, and CBS still says that they want to be paid a fair price for the highest rated network.

Congress and the FCC have made noises reminding each side of its duty to the public, which has fallen on deaf ears.

At this point, CBS seems determined to let this stupidity continue to the start of the football season. They appear to be betting that once Time Warner Cable subscribers don’t get football, the will get another provider.

Personally, I don’t have the football gene, so it’s no big deal to me, but I do miss the CBS news programs line 60 Minutes, Sunday Morning, the local CBS new channels in L.A. (2 and 9).

I’ve said it before; and I’ll say it even louder now: More Pox, please! So far the pox I’ve tossed hasn’t hit home.

Oh, by the way, I spent a bit over an hour today waiting in line at Time Warner Cable office in Santa Monica. Why? To snatch up one of the DTV antennas they’re handing out for free.

Later this weekend, I’ll post here about the antenna, with pictures. Hold your breath, just like I’m holding mine for a resolution of the TIme Warner Cable v. CBS battle.

Jonathan

PS: It was about 80 degrees waiting in line at the TWC office. If I were in the marketing department at Dish, I’d be setting up free lemonade stands right outside of every Time Warner Cable office in L.A. “If Time Warner gives you lemons, take Dish Lemonade…and this sign up form.”

Time Warner Cable’s Free Antenna Offer Only Lacks Antennas

Posted on August 23, 2013 by Dr. Jonathan L. Kramer

As you may have heard, Time Warner Cable today started offering free over-the-air antennas to its victims of the Great CBS Blackout.

Just pop by one of their offices lickety-split and you can pick one up of those shiny new antennas was the gist of the announcement and ads.

That got me thinking!

I’m a Time Warner Cable victim of the great CBS blackout, so said to myself, “Self, why don’t you get in your car and drive on down to the Time Warner Cable office in Santa Monica and pick-up one of those dandy new free antenna!” Then I said to myself, “Great idea, Self!” Then we both got in the car and headed to Time Warner Cable’s office just a few miles away.

After waiting in the line at Time Warner Cables office, I found out (initially by overhearing a lovely mature woman expressing her, ah, great discontent) that Time Warner’s Santa Monica office ran through the three boxes of antennas by midday today. Moreover, nobody had any idea when more antennas might arrive.

The customer service representative, safety ensconced behind a plexiglass security wall, suggested that we should come back on Monday and maybe they’d have more antennas…or maybe not.

Way to go, Time Warner Cable! Way to gooooooooooo………

By the way, welcome to ‘Week Three’ of the Great CBS Blackout. The third week started about 2 hours ago here in L.A.

I’m going home to back a cake to celebrate this milestone of corporate concern for its customers and viewers.

-Jonathan

Time Warner Cable Class Action Lawsuit Filed

Posted on August 20, 2013August 20, 2013 by Dr. Jonathan L. Kramer

Now comes James Armstrong, Michal Pourtemour, Vatsana Bilavarn, individually, and on behalf of all others similar situated to sue Time Warner Cable for dropping CBS. Well, not really for dropping CBS, but for breach of contract, deceptive business practices, unjust enrichment, and the like.

If you would like to read all 36 pages of the complaint, filed last week, you can do so by CLICKING HERE.

The suit was filed through the law firm of Weintraub and Selth, APC, a 4-attorney bankruptcy law firm in West Los Angeles.

-Jonathan

CBS and Time Warner Still Fighting in the Sandbox

Posted on August 12, 2013August 12, 2013 by Dr. Jonathan L. Kramer

Well, we’re about 1 1/2 weeks into the sandbox fight between the two bullies, Time Warner Cable and CBS. They continue their stupid fight, throwing sand on each other, but also throwing sand on everyone else chained to their sandbox.

CBdisengeniouS continues to black out its web content only to those unlucky enough to come in through a TWC IP address, regardless of whether the viewer subscribers to TW cable of some other video source.

TWC continues to disingenuously post billboard messages on selected CBS channels telling customers they are fighting to hold the cost of cable TV when we all know the history of cable TV rate increases consistently topping inflation, and then some. TWC’s next excessive rate increase will be a very interesting event.

No, Time Warner, Starz Family is not s substitute for CBS programming.

The FCC, who SHOULD be teaching both of the bullies a lesson upside their heads, has sternly asked them to quit fighting, suggesting that it might step in to break up the fight.

Class action lawsuits will flow into TWC as soon as the bullies stop their fight to relieve TWC of the money it continues to collect for services it continues not to provide.How destructive for all concerned.

How very stupid for the pugilists.

Time Warner and CBS’s Reality Show: “How We Beat Up Your Viewers”

Posted on August 6, 2013 by Dr. Jonathan L. Kramer

Time-Out Warner (Time Warner) and CBdisgeniouS (CBS) continue into Day 5 of their reality show,

“How We Beat Up Your Viewers.”

When this is over, which may not be until September when Football Season begins, the cable industry will be far worse off in credibility (yes, it has some credibility now), and CBS will shift from the Tiffany Network to CLN (the “Cheap Lampshade Network”).

This stalemate continues to disgust me.

How about you?

CBS is now CBdisingenuouS

Posted on August 4, 2013 by Dr. Jonathan L. Kramer

CBdisingenuouS is my new name for CBS. Okay, I’m really disappointed with CBS. As part of the battle with Time Warner Cable, CBdisingenuouS has elected to block web views of its programming by Time Warner internet subscribers. If you subscribe to a different internet provider, you can get the CBS programming on line.

Time Warner was right when it quoted TechCrunch, which first reported the CBdisingenuouS blockage.

How do I know this is true?

Well, at my home I use Time Warner for internet service. At my office I have two different internet providers, neither of which are TWC.

At home, CBdisingenuouS programming on line is blocked. At the office, CBdisingenuouS programming on line is available.

CBS, which had shed what now clearly appear to be crocodile tears over its fair share of our bloated TWC bills, has lowered itself to TWC’s level. So much for the Tiffany Network.

By the way, we’re now 5 hours into day 3 without CBdisingenuouS. Today, TWC was showing an old Eddie Murphy movie on the CBS channel here in L.A. Oddly, it was in a 3:4 format (no, note a 4:3 format…a 3:4 format).

Would someone please loosen the ropes that both of you have used on your subscribers/viewers? Thanks to both of you. Not.

“Scotty, I need more Pox!”

Jonathan

Time Warner Cable and CBS – Now 24 Hours into the War

Posted on August 3, 2013 by Dr. Jonathan L. Kramer

This post is off topic, but as a current Time Warner Cable subscriber in Santa Monica, California; a former Warner Cable manager; and long term cable industry member, I want to speak up. Soap box, here I come…

Time Warner Cable and CBS are engaged in a game of chicken, with the TWC subscribers in New York, Los Angeles, and Dallas being held hostage until one side exclaims, “Give!”

Time Warner says that CBS wants to raise the retransmission fees by 600%, which is disputed by CBS.

Time Warner suggests that because the CBS content is provided free over the air and online, that Time Warner should not pay ‘so much’ for it. This, of course, ignores the fact that Time Warner Cable, like virtually all cable companies, makes its subscribers pay for bundled services that far exceed the cost of those services. It also ignores the fact that the cable industry historically raises its rates for services and equipment far faster than inflation.

CBS’s role in this stupidity is not yet fully known. I challenge CBS to release its demands and current retransmission fees so that Time Warner Cable subscribers can see who is ripping them off: CBS or Time Warner (or both). According to TechCrunch, CBS has blocked major market customers from viewing CBS programming on line, including in the markets where Time Warner has taken CBS content off of their systems.

This blackout, now 24 hours in duration, is bad for both companies; bad for both industries; and especially bad for TWC subscribers who are being held as captives by both sides.

This would be a good issue for the FCC to take up.

Now stepping down from my soap box.

Jonathan

Time Warner Making a (Wireless) Ruckus

Posted on July 8, 2012 by Dr. Jonathan L. Kramer

twc.ruckus.7761-CM.barrington.wla — Ruckus Wireless ZoneFlex 7761-CM installed by Time Warner in Los Angeles, California.

In the midst of its deployment of WiFi (and likely more) in Southern California, Time Warner has started to install WiFi nodes manufactured by Ruckus Wireless, specifically the Ruckus ZoneFlex 7761-CM.

Previously, Time Warner has been widely deploying Belair Networks gear.

The Ruckus 7761-CM is an intriguing node, supporting “8 downstream and 4 upstream bonded channels with theoretical data rates of up to 340 Mbps (downstream) and 130 Mbps (upstream).” Okay, those are theoretical data rates, but even if they can only achieve half that, this is still a box to be contended with by competitors, and enjoyed by users.

The Ruckus gear, like Belair’s equipment, is plant-powered and strand mounted. This means that TW (or any cable operator using this configuration of equipment) can often deploy WiFi without going through the joint pole committee for permission, and likely permissibly…or not..bypassing the local cable franchising authority.

An interesting use for the 7761-CM is delivering broadband services from outdoors to extend managed wireless LANs (WLANs) locations and where Ethernet cabling is not feasible. In English, this means that these boxes can be used to provide point-to-point Ethernet (10, 20, 100 Mbs etc) which would have typically required fiber extension.

In states like California, which restrict how non-cable services are provided via cable plant, this box continues TWs apparent encroachment outside the bounds of its state-issued cable TV franchise and its CPCN restricting deployment of business services to cable users.

For an interesting map of TW’s current deployment, check out Time Warner’s WiFi/3G/4G map here.

WiFi (and 3G/4G) node deployment is something that should be carefully evaluated by governments, and by the DAS industry.

For governments, the questions center around about who regulates what services, permitting, and proper compensation for the use of the public rights-of-way from local users, hourly users, and users from other cable systems and operators granting access on a reciprocal basis. I’m working with several of my government clients crafting language in their new wireless ordinances to address these issues.

For the DAS industry, its single greatest threat is cable TV’s deployment of wireless nodes using the existing CATV plant for backhaul, and the overhead strand and pedestals for radio mounts. The cable TV industry beats DAS hands down every time for deployment economics and time-to-market. For more on this, see my article in the April 2102 edition of AGL Magazine.

Jonathan

PS: I snapped the photo for this article just 1/2 block south of my office here in Los Angeles. -jlk

Is Tower Building a Dirty Job?

Posted on February 5, 2012February 5, 2012 by Dr. Jonathan L. Kramer

Apparently, tower building is a Dirty Job, according to Mike Rowe of Discovery Channel’s “Dirty Jobs.” I happen to love the show, and I love towers, so what’s not to love about this?

The February 7th show has Mike joining the Great Plains Towers crew as they build a new stick. No doubt this will be an interesting segment.

Here’s a question for you: Why are the tower bolts inserted upwards through the holes, with the nuts and washers on the top? There is a VERY good reason for this, and you are taught the reason on the very first tower you assemble, or come to inspect.

Here’s another question from the clip, above: Why did Kevin Reski, the owner of Great Plains Towers attach one of his safety belt hooks to a tower segment that had not yet secured by any bolts? I really doubt there’s a very good reason for this.

Jonathan

PS: The tallest stick I’ve built was 251 feet AGL back in 1982. It was for Storer Cable in Mission Viejo, California. That was tall enough for me, thank you very much.

PPS: Mike is well known for Discovery Channel’s Dirty Jobs and the Deadest Catch, and for the hysterical YouTube clips of Mike on QVC in the early 90’s (don’t drink while watching these unless you want to mop the floor after). His personal web site is a fun pun: http://www.mikeroweworks.com.

DAS All Folks!

Posted on December 28, 2011December 28, 2011 by Dr. Jonathan L. Kramer

Published in today’s AGL DAS Bulletin: “Predictions 2012: DAS All Folks!” by yours truly.

If you’re in cable TV industry, the wireless industry, or the DAS industry, you may be surprised by my predictions about the intersection of cable TV and wireless services, and the potential impact on DAS. You may even agree!

http://www.agl-mag.com/newsletter/DB122811_Kramer.htm