ISPs who suck, ISP Hall of Shame, Sprint, EarthLink, AOL, MSN
ISPs who suck, ISP Hall of Shame, Sprint, EarthLink, AOL, MSN
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Sprint (NYSE: FON) has some wireless broadband solution with square satellite dishes that look like goofy traffic signs. It's also hideously expensive and Sprint won't install in condo/apartment complexes right now. I doubt I have adequate line of sight anyhow. I believe this service is called Sprint Broadband Wireless.
Sprint has stopped accepting new customers for their fixed-wireless broadband service and has tabled plans to expand into new markets. Additionally, Sprint shutters its money-losing ION division amidst a series of cost-cutting moves (including laying off 6,000 employees). 129 FC points.
Sprint (NYSE: FON) closes at $19.48 per share after hitting a 52-week intraday low of $18.80.
Apparently EarthLink (NASDAQ: ELNK) is the only other major company other than PacHell to offer DSL in my area. Upload speed is limited to 128Kb, which is too pokey for hosting a web server. Also, it's a dynamically assigned IP address unless you pony up extra dollars for a static IP - about $65/month. Way too expensive. Blah.
Also, I think EarthLink is using Covad Communications as its DSL provider; Covad just dropped by bankruptcy court, so I'm sure EarthLink DSL users are a bit nervous (well, the ones on Covad lines, at least).
There's some talk about EarthLink's attractiveness as a takeover target, possibly by SBC Communications.
The media is reporting that EarthLink intends to push cable modem connectivity over the DSL it had been touting. Not good news for DSL and particularly Covad Communications.
53-year-old Reed Slatkin, an early investor in EarthLink plea bargained his way to a $254 million fraud charge agreement. Using a massive Ponzi scheme, he apparently solicited more than $593 million from 800+ investors including the Church of Scientology (ha ha), where he's a minister. Yeah, I think he's figured this religion thing out.
It will be a cold day in hell before I use either the world's largest ISP.
Gerald Levin, AOL Time Warner's CEO is retiring and handing the reins over to Richard Parsons come May 2002.
AOL is apparently shipping people unwanted merchandise and charging their credit cards without approval. Gee, isn't that illegal?
AOL chief Barry Schuler is given the boot.
AOL writes off $54.24 billion, the largest quarterly loss ever for a U.S. company.
Embattled COO and interim CEO Robert Pittman is out.
Shareholder lawsuit. Just another day in the life of AOL Time Warner.
The SEC is widening its investigation into AOL Time Warner's accounting practices, especially in its relationship with B2B software provider PurchasePro.
AOL is suing former executives for embezzlement. There's also talk of dropping AOL from the company name (Hello, MCI Worldcom!).
It will be a cold day in hell before I use the number two ISP.
A big brouhaha about Microsoft blocking browsers other than Internet Explorer at MSN.com has raised the spectre of anti-trust again. Displaying utter and complete arrogance, Microsoft claimed that browsers like Opera did not comply with international Web standards when it is clearly Internet Explorer that tends to ignore Web standards and protocols.
Ultimately user complaints made Microsoft turn their portal back on to users of other browsers, but this is clearly an example of Microsoft's overwhelming dominance which allows it to use non-competitive business practices to quash its opponents.
I love feedback! Here are some of the more interesting things that have landed in my inbox.
Someone trying to improve her life. Rock on!
Received: from 64.12.136.5 (EHLO imo-m02.mx.aol.com) (64.12.136.5)
by mta493.mail.yahoo.com with SMTP; 21 Nov 2002 13:09:55 -0800 (PST)
Received: from "Michelle" at aol.com
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for <tarahertz@yahoo.com>; Thu, 21 Nov 2002 16:09:18 -0500 (EST)
From: "Michelle" at aol.com
Message-ID: <1ac.c5a3e7b.2b0ea57e@aol.com>
Date: Thu, 21 Nov 2002 16:09:18 EST
Subject: Your Webpage :-)
To: tarahertz@yahoo.com
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Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
X-Mailer: AOL 5.0 for Windows sub 138
Hello Tara,
Just to let you know, I enjoyed surfing upon your page, it made me smile.
I'm currently an AOL customer until the beginning of Dec.2002, I've been a
member for the past seven years, I guess it's time for me to graduate to a
real ISP. LOL
I was aiming toward AT&T worldnet or Earthlink, undecided at this time.
The search continues. . .
"Michelle"
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| Last modified on
Sun Feb 22 20:17:54 GMT 2004
by tarahertz@yahoo.com |
Copyright © 1999-2004 Tara Hertz. All rights reserved. |
ISPs who suck, ISP Hall of Shame, Sprint, EarthLink, AOL, MSN