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Too_Many_Tools Too_Many_Tools is offline
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Default OT - Got Earthlink for a ISP? You might want to read this.

On Sep 9, 2:04 pm, "Michael A. Terrell"
wrote:
Too_Many_Tools wrote:

On Aug 28, 10:05 pm, Too_Many_Tools wrote:
Well it is one of mine.


I have been having a number of problems of late with them...can't find
the email servers, pages not loading, dead time on the line and a live
chat session that rivals the best comedy you see on the television..it
was worthless.


Now I see this in the new....


I think I will be shopping around for a new ISP...any suggestions?


TMT


EarthLink to cut 900 jobs, close offices By GREG BLUESTEIN, Associated
Press Writer
Tue Aug 28


Internet service provider EarthLink Inc. said Tuesday that it would
cut 900 jobs - or about half its work force - and close four offices
in an effort to reduce operating costs. EarthLink shares climbed 7
percent on the news.


The moves come as the company continues struggling to generate
revenues as dial-up access customers turn to high-speed alternatives
from cable and phone companies.


More actions could be announced by the year's end but no more cuts are
expected, said Rolla P. Huff, the Atlanta-based company's president
and chief executive. As part of the plan, EarthLink also said it will
repurchase $200 million of its stock.


"While we see this as an important first step in unlocking the
underlying value that we believe is in our company, we are only eight
weeks into the process of repositioning EarthLink for the future," he
said. "These changes get our cost structure in line, but there is much
more to do."


Like many other Internet service providers with roots in dial-up
access, EarthLink has sought to diversify its revenue base.


EarthLink does resell some high-speed services, but phone companies in
particular have been able to offer cut-rate prices, particularly as
part of bundles with traditional long-distance and local calling
plans.


The company had counted on the right to sell customers access to
citywide wireless networks in exchange for helping cities build the
networks. But amid questions about customer demand and the
technology's performance, EarthLink announced in April that it was
reviewing new deployments while evaluating the performance of the
current rollouts in four cities.


Chicago officials said Tuesday that they will shelve a plan to blanket
the city's 228 square miles with wireless broadband Internet because
it is too costly and too few residents would use it. The city said its
negotiations with private-sector partners, including EarthLink, have
stalled because any citywide Wi-Fi system would require massive public
financing.


EarthLink's municipal Wi-Fi plans also face competition from an
emerging technology known as WiMax, which can blanket wider areas.


It also faced questions over disappointing results from its Helio
project, a wireless joint venture with SK Telecom of South Korea. The
company has already committed to invest $220 million in Helio and has
said it could spend another $50 million on the project, which was
blamed for quarterly losses.


In July, the company cut its fiscal year 2007 revenue estimate after
reporting hefty losses related to the Helio project.


The company said Tuesday it will close offices in Orlando, Fla.,
Knoxville, Tenn., Harrisburg, Pa., and San Francisco and
"substantially reduce its presence" in Atlanta and Pasadena, Calif.


EarthLink said it expects to save $25 million to $35 million through
the rest of the year because of the restructuring. The company
currently employs about 1,900 people.


Shares rose 48 cents to close at $7.34 in Tuesday trading.


The company also lowered its 2007 revenue outlook for the third time
this year. EarthLink said it now expects sales of $1.19 billion to
$1.21 billion - down from its previous forecast of $1.23 billion to
$1.24 billion. The company said it expects a full-year loss of $79
million to $109 million, excluding restructuring charges.


EarthLink also offered a warning for 2008, saying it expects
subscriber additions to slow.


The struggles were evident in the company's earnings. EarthLink posted
a $16.3 million loss last quarter.


Huff, who was appointed in June, is known by analysts for his
willingness to cut loose unprofitable projects. He told reporters
after he was named the company's leader that he would conduct a two-
month review of the company's businesses aimed at "getting a very
focused strategy."


EarthLink is hardly alone in its struggles.


Last August, Time Warner Inc.'s AOL decided to stop actively marketing
Internet access and start giving away AOL.com e-mail accounts,
software and other features once limited to paying customers. AOL is
trying to attract more advertising dollars on its free sites by doing
so.


Meanwhile, United Online Inc., the company behind NetZero and Juno,
has diversified by buying properties like United Airlines' MyPoints
loyalty program and Classmates.com. Parent company Classmates Media
Corp. recently filed for an initial public offering, though United
Online would remain the controlling stockholder.


___


On the Net:


http://www.earthlink.net


On the subject of getting hosed by your ISP, take a look at this....


TMT


Heavy Internet users unplugged by US cable company Sat Sep 8, 2:16 AM
ET


Several Internet users in the United States have been unplugged by
their service provider because they download too much, a press report
said here Friday.


Cable Internet and entertainment provider Comcast "has punished some
transgressors by cutting off their Internet service, arguing that
excessive downloaders hog Internet capacity and slow down the network
for other customers," the Washington Post reported.


Comcast spokesman Charlie Douglas told AFP the company was addressing
"the problem of abusive activity that adversely impacts on everybody
else's experience."


"I can't give you a number" for clients who have been disconnected,
said Douglas, while assuring that customers whose plugs were pulled
are "very rare."


According to the Washington Post, a customer would have to download
the equivalent of 1,000 songs or four feature films a day to trigger a
disconnection warning.


Comcast gives customers a month to fix problems or upgrade their
service before they are disconnected, the Washington Post said.


An unplugged client in Rockville, a suburb of Washington, has filed a
complaint with the county he lives in, saying his contract with his
service provider states that he is entitled to unlimited Internet
access, officials in Montgomery County said.


A recent report by the ABI market research company warned that the
growth in demand for "bandwidth-hungry services such as HDTV and
online gaming is leading to a critical lack of capacity" in US cable
operators' networks.


"Cable TV operators trying to satisfy the increasing bandwidth demands
of HDTV customers feel very much like the thrifty grocer who tried to
cram ten pounds of potatoes into a five-pound bag," ABI research
director Stan Schatt said last month.


"The increasing bandwidth demands on cable operators will soon reach
crisis stage, yet this is a  dirty little industry secret that no
one talks about."


What's your point? These idiots are like someone walking into an all
you can eat buffet with a sleeping bag, and six months worth of clothes,
then insisting they only have to pay once, till they leave.

There was an idiot on another newsgroup bragging about using an
unlimited bandwidth Usenet server account and broadband with multiple
computers to download music and movies 24/7, and that he had downloaded
over 10,000 movies. At his age, he could never watch all of them, let
alone see how many are even watchable.

Also, a lot of these heavy bandwidth users are spammers, or doing
illegal activities online.

Once again, you show everyone that you're 'Pro idiot' and
'Anti-business'.

--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -


Oh yes Michael...always a breath of sunshine.

Do you always personally insult people? If so then you must be a joy
to live with.

"According to the Washington Post, a customer would have to download
the equivalent of 1,000 songs or four feature films a day to trigger
a
disconnection warning. "

I don't consider downloading four films a day excessive bandwidth
usage but then again I am on a slow dialup so perhaps I am
misinformed...what do you consider "reasonable bandwidth usage"?

If you wished to purchase a half dozen metalworking videos via direct
download, that purchase would trigger a disconnection warning.

And when one considers that the industry considers on-demand video to
be their next bread and butter....well as the article says....it's a
"dirty little industry secret".

TMT