@Home bankruptcy! :(

Jim Smith · Post by **Jim Smith** » 19 Nov 2001 6:02 pm

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>November 19, 2001

Dear Charter@Home(r) Customer:

@Home, the network provider through which Charter Communications(r) delivers your high-speed Internet access to you and other Charter customers, has filed for bankruptcy. @Home recently advised us that it intends to ask the Bankruptcy Court for permission to terminate Charter's contract effective November 30, 2001. If the Court grants @Home's request, your @Home service would no longer be available. We are actively working
with @Home to prevent this from occurring. However, if @Home chooses to pursue this course, we are committed to minimizing the inconvenience that their action would cause you and other customers.

To that end, we may be able to provide Charter Pipeline(tm) high-speed Internet access service in the event @Home Disconnects its service. We expect to have a web site or a CD ROM available through which you may download the software necessary to begin service directly with Charter immediately following any decision by @Home to terminate service. This should avoid any disruption of Internet access service to you and should minimize your inconvenience.

We want to make it clear that we are not encouraging you to end your @Home relationship. As long as @Home continues to provide uninterrupted services to you, we believe you are being well served. However, we want to do whatever we can to keep you on-line. As we learn more about @Home's plans,
we will let you know.

We know that you will have questions, so please feel free to call us at 1-888-843-0707 or visit our website www.charter.com periodically after November 19, 2001 for the latest information.

Truly Yours,
CHARTER COMMUNICATIONS, INC.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>So, what can you tell me about "Charter Pipeline(tm) high-speed Internet access service"?

Chip Fossa · Post by **Chip Fossa** » 19 Nov 2001 7:08 pm

Jim,
I got the same spiel from AT&T Broadband and how they are going with Excite, and that Excite was filing a Chapter 11 bankruptcy
petition.
They just keep reminding everyone "that we are doing our dangest to keep you up and running and so you will not experience
interrupted online transmission", or something to that effect.

I can't help you here with 'Charlie Pipeline'
much less help myself with AT&T.

Theer out ta git us! Ya darn' tootin'.

ChipsAhoy

[This message was edited by CHIP FOSSA on 19 November 2001 at 07:10 PM.]

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 20 Nov 2001 4:21 am

Although they haven't discontinued it yet, I read an article that Sprint would like to get out of the home user broadband business.

And SW Bell just announced they have infused Covad with $$$ to keep them afloat (bought or buying Covad??)

AT&T has shot themselves in the foot so many times I'm amazed "Ma Bell" is still around at all. And, I saw an article that speculated that AT&T was talking to Bell South (and has talked to others) about a merger and AT&T would not be the dominate partner in the merger.

Steve Feldman · Post by **Steve Feldman** » 20 Nov 2001 4:46 am

Hmmm...I have Charter Pipeline and I haven't heard anything at all about any ot this....

Chip Fossa · Post by **Chip Fossa** » 20 Nov 2001 6:16 am

Steve,
Can I get Charter Pipeline out Monson,MA way,
and is it cheaper than AT&T? I'm paying
around $45/mnth with AT&T.

Thanks, ChipsAhoy

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 20 Nov 2001 7:06 am

Chip, you mentioned one time you are on Time Warner Cable. Just go with Time Warner Roadrunner for the internet. It's the same price as AT&T, and I haven't seen anything about TW folding their internet operation.

TW has had a couple of outages (but then most have them at times) but when it works it's fast. I downloaded an update from Microsoft yesterday and it downloaded at 242Kbps. The most I ever got when I was on DSL was 82kbps download.

Jim Smith · Post by **Jim Smith** » 20 Nov 2001 7:25 am

Steve, Charter Pipeline was mentioned in the letter as a possible alternative, what can you tell me about it.

Steve Feldman · Post by **Steve Feldman** » 20 Nov 2001 5:42 pm

Hey Jim -

I was skeptical about cable modem at first, but all things considered, it works pretty derned good for me! Also, I don't ususally dole out compliments of this type - especially when it comes to ISPs - but I have to say that Charter has an outstanding support program. They're staffed >18 hours a day, and I almost never have a wait to get through. I had a line problem one time, and they bent over backwards to get someone out here to go up the pole and check the line after normal business hours so that I didn't have to leave work early. I think they're pretty good.

But, are they an option? I don't get it. In the first part of your post, it says:

@Home, the network provider through which Charter Communications(r) delivers your high-speed Internet access to you and other Charter customers, has filed for bankruptcy.

So Charter is going away,right? Then it says:

To that end, we may be able to provide Charter Pipeline(tm) high-speed Internet access service in the event @Home Disconnects its service.

I still don't get it...however, I'm easily confused.....

Chip Fossa · Post by **Chip Fossa** » 20 Nov 2001 8:47 pm

Me Too

Jim Smith · Post by **Jim Smith** » 21 Nov 2001 12:27 am

I don't see what the confusion is. @Home is going bankrupt. Charter, who happens to be my provider of (meaning they provide) @Home, says they may be able to provide Charter Pipeline to replace @Home.

Put another way, Charter sells @Home service, but since @Home won't be around they may be able to sell their own Pipeline service instead.