The world's going broadband, but El Dorado County still stuck with dial up

The days of dial-up Internet access are nearly done as global demand for broadband booms according to research firm IDC, reports Reuters in this USA Today story.

Worldwide high-speed, or broadband, subscriptions will almost double in five years to nearly 400 million in 2010 from about 205 million in 2005, fueled by cheaper prices, increased customer choice and the growth of devices and applications built for the use of broadband, IDC said in a study made public Monday.

For many El Dorado County residents, however, the reports of the demise of dial up Internet access will provoke rueful laughter as they continue to struggle with sluggish dial up connections with no indications of relief for the foreseeable.

AT&T customer service lacking

There have been complaints about poor quality telecom service from AT&T such as long service outages and noisy or crossed lines and for too many in El Dorado County, no wire line broadband Internet service.

Apparently customer service in this day of voice mail jail and transfers to busy signals and outsourced customer service reps half a world away in India leaves something to be desired as well. Carol Anne Ogdin, a Placerville correspondent of this blog, shares this account of her recent experience:

Well, now that SBC has absorbed AT&T and assumed that venerable name, they're engaging in the same brand destruction they've been perpetrating on themselves through previous name changes. Each new name change brings progressively worse service.

Today, I tried to call AT&T to talk about my bill and my business DSL service. After slaving through their "voice mail jail" and listening to numerous self-promoting (and lengthy) announcements...then assuring me my call was really "important" to them, I was informed by the voice mail I'd be answered by the next available agent. Whereupon, I was connected directly to a permanent "busy" signal.

I tried again. same result. A third time...same result.

On the fourth try, I actually was informed I was now in the queue, and "an agent would be with me in a moment." Three minutes later, I reached a human who actually informed me she was incompetent to help me, but she'd take my telephone number and name and have someone call me back...in a day or two!

Fifteen minutes wasted, just so I can leave a callback number! Gee, most companies have automated equipment to take voice mail, why not AT&T? This is how AT&T (nee SBC, nee Southwestern Bell) wants to treat its customers: Mere irritants to their single-minded focus on making money to fatten executive wallets.

I wonder if I'll ever get a call back.

Oh, how I wish I had a choice for telephone service! I'd be happy to pay anyone else for customer service, accurate bills, reliable service...and true broadband, not some inadequate satellite-based substitute.

AT&T, Comcast expanding, upgrading in greater Sacramento area

The Sacramento Business Journal reports AT&T and Comcast are gearing up to spend billions on expanding and upgrading their networks in the greater Sacramento region -- which ostensibly includes El Dorado County where both companies have a presence.

AT&T said it will invest up to $1 billion to "push fiber closer to our customers' homes," according to company spokesman Gordon Diamond.

Meanwhile, Comcast, which had previously positioned itself as an entertainment company, is going into full telco mode. Comcast plans to launch digital phone service across central California from Chico to Fresno as early as first-quarter 2007, said spokeswoman Erica Smith.

Readers of this blog will recall that AT&T spokeswoman Vanessa Smith told the Sacramento Bee in late April that AT&T is committed to expanding broadband offerings in El Dorado County in 2006. As for Comcast, the company isn't saying whether it has any plans to expand its rather limited footprint in the county this year or next.

Another supervisor candidate calls for better Internet access in El Dorado County

Yet another of five candidates in the District 4 county supervisor race says he wants to expand Internet access in El Dorado County. Alarm company owner Todd Schwenk wants Internet "easily accessible to rural residents," according to today's Mountain Democrat. (The newspaper does not provide the article on line).

As with fellow candidate Wendell Smith who took out a full page ad in the paper on Friday calling for the county to "add DSL and cell service" to improve the county's business environment, I applaud the goal. But specifics are needed, not just appealing rhetoric. How do these candidates propose to accomplish their goals and how quickly? There's a longstanding surplusage of talk on this issue and a glaring deficit of action.

Many El Dorado County residents are outraged and desperate for broadband access ASAP after being stuck with dial up modem access that was state of the art technology when Bill Clinton was starting his first term as president but impractical for today's Internet. Read some of their comments accompanying their signatures on this on line petition calling on AT&T to upgrade its infrastructure to fiber optic or divest its holdings in the county and you'll get a sense of what I'm talking about.

My concern is politicians exploiting the genuine frustrations of these folks through sloganeering merely for short term political gain with no follow through. A concrete plan of action from these or any other supervisorial candidates -- if there's a runoff after Tuesday's election -- would go a long way to alleviate my concerns.

Seen any service improvements lately?

Readers of this blog should recall AT&T's promise several weeks ago in Bob Walters' Sacramento Bee column to expand broadband Internet access in El Dorado County this year. But is the big telco following through? What about the quality of your phone service? Has it gotten better?

If you've recently been offered wire line broadband service where there was none before or you've noticed better quality and reliabilty for voice service, click on "Post a comment" and tell others so we can determine if AT&T is matching its words with actions.

You don't need to provide your name and address, but a general location such as "2000 block of El Dorado Road" would be informative.

Telcos pocketed $200B in rate charges and taxpayer subsidies but failed to deliver promised broadband network, author claims

By 2006, 86 million households should have been rewired with a fiber optic wire, capable of 45 Mbps, in both directions. -- read the promises.

The public subsidies for infrastructure were pocketed. The phone companies collected over $200 billion in higher phone rates and tax perks, about $2000 per household

E-book, $200 Billion Broadband Scandal.

El Dorado supe candidate calls for broadband, wireless expansion: Where's the beef?

Wendell Smith, a candidate for the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors, ran a full page ad in today's Mountain Democrat newspaper that lays out his campaign platform. Under the "Strengthen business" plank, Smith calls for the county to "add DSL and cell service."

It's a laudable goal, but is it meaningful or just more election sloganeering from another do nothing politician trolling for votes on the eve of next week's election? I'm admittedly skeptical and lean toward the latter.

Why? I sent Smith email several months ago soon after he declared his candidacy and was profiled in the Mountain Democrat. Smith told the newspaper El Dorado County needs reliable high speed Internet services. I let him know about the on line petition drive urging AT&T to upgrade its aging copper wire based system to fiber optic -- which would support Smith's purported goal of expanding broadband Internet access in El Dorado County -- or to divest its holdings in the county and let someone else do the job.

I didn't even got the courtesy of a response. I wonder if Smith even cares about the concerns of the 160 El Dorado County residents who signed the petition to date?

Comcast going telco?

Most El Dorado County residents are likely aware that Comcast has a somewhat limited presence in the county and has traditionally offered TV programming, describing itself as an entertainment provider.

Now the big cable company could be morphing into a telco, going head to head with AT&T and Verizon. Comcast COO Steve Burke told the “D: All Things Digital” conference in Carlsbad California that within five years, Comcast will be primarily providing meat and potatoes wire line telecommunications services: digital voice and Internet access. Burke told the conference that Comcast expects to have 25 million Internet and voice accounts, significantly larger than its current base of 21.5 million video subscribers.

Click here for the report in Multichannel News.