AT&T CEO: We Don't Promote $10 DSL Because No One Wants It

from the yeah,-right dept

Fri, Aug 3rd 2007 6:47am — Mike Masnick

Remember the story back in June about how AT&T had extremely quietly started offering $10 DSL as was required in its deal to buy BellSouth? The company was promoting many other, more expensive, DSL options, but the only way you could get the required $10 version was if you specifically knew to ask about it. Broadband Reports points to an interview from an Atlanta newspaper with AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson where he's asked about the $10 DSL. The interviewer points out that no story about AT&T resulted in a more irate response from AT&T customers as its story about the hidden offer for $10 DSL, suggesting that this was a huge issue for AT&T customers. Stephenson's response? First he denies that the company made it hard to find, and then he says that they're not promoting it because customers don't want it. This, despite the clear response from customers to the very newspaper who was conducting the interview. Then, he basically admits that the $10 DSL doesn't work very well, saying that they don't promote it because they don't want to give customers a product that sucks. Of course, he says that as if it's not his company that has quite a bit of control over whether or not the product sucks. Yes, that's right. AT&T actually thinks you'll believe that they're hiding their cheap broadband offering because, seriously, who wants cheap broadband when more expensive broadband is available? Of course, this isn't a new strategy from AT&T. Back when it was SBC and refused to offer naked DSL, the claim was that customers didn't want naked DSL either, despite the success many other companies were having with it, and numerous articles with people clamoring for it. It appears that AT&T has figured out that when there's really no competition, you get to decide what it is your customers really do or do not want.

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Filed Under: dsl, fcc
Companies: at&t

92 Comments

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Overcast, 3 Aug 2007 @ 6:55am

Sounds like standard AT&T business practice.

You know - years ago, I used to respect that company. Now... ehhhh, lol

I'm just so very glad they aren't in my area. And I'll certainly never get an iPhone as long as I *have* to get AT&T.

I'll stick with the Blackberry, I do think. Can't say I've been at all unpleased with it anyway.
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- Instructor (profile), 3 Aug 2007 @ 7:18am
  
  Re: Standard business practice
  AT&T has been unexposed to any meaningful competition for most of its existence. As a result, its marketing is quite retarded. It has long been said that if AT&T bought KFC, they would market it as "Hot dead barnyard fowl".
  --
  Texas Concealed Handgun License Training
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- jcole, 4 Feb 2008 @ 2:09pm
  
  Re:
  I just signed up for DSL with AT&T and it was pretty clear that they had $10 DSL...and the CEO was right...I didn't want that crappy service. I want DSL so I can download video and music....your not gonna get that for $10 a month. Everybody needs to look realisticaly at things and quit bitchin. If you dont want to use AT&T nowdays you dont have to with all of the options out there!
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OKVol, 3 Aug 2007 @ 6:57am

Gotta call BS on this one
http://www.att.com/gen/general?pid=6431

In the lower right of the web page, right there is an add:

DSL for only $10 per month.

Once again, another mega corp has executives that don't know what their company is doing.
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- Anonymous Coward, 5 Aug 2007 @ 1:12pm
  
  Re: Gotta call BS on this one
  " http://www.att.com/gen/general?pid=6431
  In the lower right of the web page, right there is an add:
  DSL for only $10 per month."
  I call BS. I just looked at that page and there was no such thing.
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Aug 2007 @ 7:03am

F AT&T
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- ken, 4 Aug 2007 @ 12:03am
  
  Re:
  AT&T has figured out that when there's really no competition, you get to decide what it is your customers really do or do not want.
  
  so true really no competition, but not for long is my
  web site
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Aug 2007 @ 7:17am

Fail AT&T is fail.
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- Anonymous Coward, 3 Aug 2007 @ 10:34am
  
  Re:
  I quit dealing with ATT shortly after they obtained my email from a domain name registration and started sending me spam. Apparently there's a company called `smartsource' or some such that looks for email addresses near postal addresses and sells these emails on. If I'd wanted them to have my email, I would have given them it when I signed up.
  
  Unfortunately, the local ILEC and my cellular carrier are both AT&T now, and I can't see the German post office as being much better than AT&T for wireless.
  
  >>3
  gb2/b/
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Casper, 3 Aug 2007 @ 7:19am

Yep
Just try their wireless service for a few months and you will see all the same stuff. That's why I'm leaving for a new cell carrier in the next month or so. Screw AT&T, screw Verizon, screw all their drama, I am going to someone like Helio, where at least they can blame their problems on someone else's network.
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- James Benz, 3 Aug 2007 @ 10:28am
  
  Re: Yep
  Casper, you sound like a drug addicited kid who has no idea what he is talking about. What are you like 21? Loser!
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  - Anonymous Coward, 4 Aug 2007 @ 7:21am
    
    Re: Re: Yep
    James, you sound like a grumpy old man, jealous and bitter at the youth of today because you missed out.
    
    Loser.
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Aug 2007 @ 7:20am

Ill tell you what I want, what I really really wan
i wand bad businesses to fail. so we dont like AT&T because they rip us off with shady business stratigies. then lets start a nation wide boycot of their services
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- Casper, 3 Aug 2007 @ 7:52am
  
  Re: Ill tell you what I want, what I really really
  i wand bad businesses to fail. so we dont like AT&T because they rip us off with shady business stratigies. then lets start a nation wide boycot of their services
  
  The problem is, it's not so simple. The big companies have monopolies over certain areas. For instance, Quest has large portions of the west coast where people have no other option. No matter how unhappy they are, they are the only broad band available, and they own the lines so there won't be more moving in any time soon.
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- jane, 13 Apr 2008 @ 9:12am
  
  Re: Ill tell you what I want, what I really really wan
  you should be a shame of yourselfe at&t,you all so take advantage of the old people.you give them things they don"t even know what it"s all about; then you want take it off.
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Doc Rings, 3 Aug 2007 @ 7:41am

I called my mediacom customer service and said "hey, AT&T is offering $10 DSL... and I'm tired of paying $49 for hispeed cable. What can you offer me to keep me from switching?" They lowered my price on the spot to $29 a month.

It's a good bargaining chip.
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- BuzzardT, 3 Aug 2007 @ 8:11am
  
  Re:
  I sent a copy of this to FCC Chairman Martin (www.fcc.gov) Might get AT&T attention if we start an e-mail campagin to the FCC.
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Bill W, 3 Aug 2007 @ 7:58am

$10.00 ATT DSL
I live in the city(Fresno) and have ATT phone service and I can't get any DSL at all. They have everything locked up so you cannot get service from any provider and at the same time won't provide service to their customers at any price. To xxx!!!cc with ATT. Why don't they investigate why these companies have a monoply on services but don't have to provide service unless you live in the right part of town. No; I don't want their $10.00 service...I just want DSL service from any provider...
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- SWH, 4 Aug 2007 @ 2:11pm
  
  Re: $10.00 ATT DSL
  I’m in the same boars as you. I find it ridiculous what we have to go through to get what everyone else has. For four years now I’ve gotten the same thing. Service should be available to you within the year, lines have to be run. Well I’m wondering why they aren’t being run. If they don’t have the man power then that problem should be addressed post haste. To me it sounds like a breach of promise. When they bought the company they promised this to all customers not just a select few.
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- Anonymous Coward, 5 Aug 2007 @ 1:23pm
  
  Re: $10.00 ATT DSL
  Why don't they investigate why these companies have a monoply on services but don't have to provide service unless you live in the right part of town.
  The citizens of Fresno need to investigate themselves and find out why they keep electing local representatives that give monopolies to certain companies instead of allowing open access. As long as you keep electing republicrats, this is what you'll get.
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Anon, 3 Aug 2007 @ 8:18am

@BuzzardT, the FCC chairman and Randall Stephenson are very very good pals, unfortunately.

It's also interesting that part of the FCC stipulations for the last merger was that AT&T has to offer naked DSL, however, if you call Sales, you will be told that AT&T does not offer that service.
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- disgruntled employee, 6 Aug 2007 @ 11:39pm
  
  Re:
  You was misinformed, we do offer naked dsl. it is called dry loop. It was part of the deal and they only have to offer it for 2 years. They are so much into pushing customer service that they ride the employees like a dog and really forget what customer service is about.
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Ben, 3 Aug 2007 @ 8:20am

After reading the whole article...
I don't see whats so bad about this. The same reason why Mercedes doesn't want to back a crappy car, AT&T doesn't want to draw attention to a crappy product. Its not that they are providing it poorly that makes it crappy, its just that its shoddy speeds that people would not enjoy, and there are better bang for buck options. But it is hard to find the 10 dollar option, no doubt about that. But be fair, its good business to follow the letter of the law and not draw attention to it if it isn';t a profitable offering.

I do not see this as being very shady or worthy of notifying the FCC. Seems like people are making a mountain out of a molehill.
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- ElCheapo, 3 Aug 2007 @ 8:41am
  
  Re: After reading the whole article...
  How about for those people who are still on dial up? (yes, they still exist) For them even this crappy $10 service is still going to be a major improvement.
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- edscotter, 3 Aug 2007 @ 11:06am
  
  Re: After reading the whole article...
  These guys are crooks my bill never comes in at the same price! I have a business plan...I have found charges that have nothing to do with the plan At&t promotes to the client. If I could change I would! My plan ended Feb 2007 and At&t says that it ends in Dec 07...you could call and get a different answer from each rep.
  AT&T SUCKS!
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- T. Sarkel, 28 Aug 2007 @ 1:04pm
  
  Re: After reading the whole article...
  Spoken by some moron not affected by AT&T.
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Geekfather, 3 Aug 2007 @ 8:31am

F*** AT&T.

And I'm not too cowardly to sign it.
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Meoip, 3 Aug 2007 @ 8:34am

ATt
I have ATT not by choice it's the only provider in my area. I live in a upper class (one of the top 5 wealthiest counties in the USA) area. I could get another provider but they only manage accounts in my area so I couldn't get special discounts or pricing so their Internet would cost $80 where I get ATT phone and net for 34. Yes it is poor quality. Yes they have refused to bundle my bill with my cingular phone, yes the quality of my phone dropped when they changed back to the ATT name, and yes customer service is the worst. But I'm pretty stuck...

My wife's family has Cingular / the new ATT so my wife and I have it so she can talk to them. I've decided to start a campaign to get the family to switch to something else.
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Aug 2007 @ 8:38am

Why would anyone spend money to advertise a product that they really weren't interesting in selling?
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Aug 2007 @ 8:53am

I have it
A few things:

The service is not hidden. Do the qualification, start the sign-up process and you will see this option (listed first actually) among all of the possible options.

The service is up consistently, and the speed is fine. I replaced Charter cable with this service and I have zero complaints.

I do the same crap I always did, upload files via ftp, download files, watch youtube, email, etc. The service is much more reliable than Charter cable ever was in the Knoxville TN area.
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- Anonymous Coward, 5 Aug 2007 @ 1:30pm
  
  Re: I have it
  The service is not hidden. Do the qualification, start the sign-up process and you will see this option (listed first actually) among all of the possible options.
  Do you have to do all that to see the other DSL offers? No. The offer is indeed hidden behind those other steps.
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wackychimp, 3 Aug 2007 @ 9:12am

$10 DSL
Ok so that's one vote for the service? Is it *really* crappy? We have AT&T because we had BellSouth, is the service good enough to make it worth me calling to switch from my $25/month service? Almost a $200/year savings...
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Rick, 3 Aug 2007 @ 9:24am

I recently moved and tried to get the $10 DSL. They said it was not available and tghe agent had no idea what it was and didn't think it really existed. I was probably reading about some false internet rumor.

Then she tried selling me 4 things I did not want finally ending the call after she offered me naked dsl FOR $44.95 A MONTH, with a contract! Their local phone service/basic DSL bundle is only $2 more?!

Charter Cable, on the other hand, offered me naked cable internet for $20/month,without a contract, at double the speed of DSL, with no annoying push to bundle anything.

Frack AT&T.
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david freer, 3 Aug 2007 @ 9:26am

good luck
i couldn't order it online ($10 dsl per month) because i was told on the phone that there is fiber optic lines in the neighborhood. okay fine so i am told i can't order it over the phone because it is an internet only promotion.

horrible.
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- Adam Fabian, 3 Aug 2007 @ 3:03pm
  
  Re: good luck
  I complained to the FCC about something like this. I couldn't order online because my account required 'special handling,' and, of course, over the phone they said it was an online only offer. Before too long, a nice woman from the executive office of customer affairs at AT&T gave me a call and keyed my order into the system.
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shun, 3 Aug 2007 @ 9:27am

Logical Conclusion
By this argument, AT&T should disappear because AT&T sucks, and nobody wants it. They should just call themselves Bell again, and their tag-line should be "We're a monopoly, deal with it."
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Aug 2007 @ 10:08am

I think they used to do something like this with cell phone service. You used to be able to get no-minutes plans for under 20 bucks/month. In fact, my first cell phone was like $15/mo with no minutes. It was perfect for my parents to keep in the RV for emergencies. The last time we had to get a cell phone they looked at me like I had two heads when I asked about plans like this.
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Michael, 3 Aug 2007 @ 10:13am

Their behavior makes sense to me. They're being forced to offer a product through government regulation. Were I them, I wouldn't be too excited about promoting the offering either. True, nobody "wants" expensive DSL, but the market will bear it, so that's what AT&T chooses to offer. I'm no fan of AT&T, but in this particular case, they just seem to be doing what I would consider normal in that situation.
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- Zachary, 3 Aug 2007 @ 12:07pm
  
  Re:
  "The market will bear it" = "collective greed"
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Trouble Maker, 3 Aug 2007 @ 10:19am

two cents worth
I will not respond to this because AT&T does not want it...nor my money.
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eskimo, 3 Aug 2007 @ 10:24am

i have it too
You bunch of yahoos!! Of course ATT says it's crap, because they want you to but the exact same thing for $14.95/mo. There are caveats to getting this service, you cannot have had ATT DSL before, must be a ATT customer, have to look for it in the sign ups on the web page, alothough it is first in line once you get there. I have this at home now, after having dialup for years. I got a free (after rebate) modem, and it's never been down, my wife and I love it. Sure we could spend $100/mo on some bundle, but for us, this is better than just fine, it's great.
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Get real, 3 Aug 2007 @ 10:44am

Stephenson is right
Not trying to defend AT&T here, but Richardson is right. No one in their right mind would want DSL that cost only $10. The only way they could offer so low a price is to use the cheapest, oldest equipment available and little to no customer service. Even with that ,your DSL would be down more than it was up. If AT&T could make money on this product, they would be promoting it. Believe me, they would. But they know that they can't; no one could. All this product can do is hurt the company's reputation further.
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- Jared, 3 Aug 2007 @ 11:03am
  
  Re: Stephenson is right
  Uh, actually it doesn't suck. It works quite well for us here. My modem is identical to the one my friends have with a more expensive package so the equipment is not old. My DSL hasn't been down at all since we got it installed a month ago. It works quite well. Obviously not as fast as the 5 meg cable i used to have before we moved, but fast enough for what I do. And since I AM In my right mind, you're obviously wrong, because i DO want $10 a month DSL. Get Real.
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  - Tom Arnel, 6 Aug 2007 @ 12:13pm
    
    Re: Re: Stephenson is right
    You are correct about this. I just got DSL Lite for $10 a month and my service is fine. Sure the downloads are slightly longer, but I get pretty much instant video downloads etc. I'm quite please. I also have a spanking new fast laptop and that could be one reason that it works so well. I ran DSL Lite on my 8 year old Celeron computer and it ran like crap.
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someguy, 3 Aug 2007 @ 10:57am

I asked about the $10 deal
and was told they didn't offer it. You had to get the $14.95/mo. or higher plans. Seemed a little shady to me. Of course, by the time I was gonna get a phone line and then get DSL, I'd be paying almost as much as I am for cable internet which is way, way faster.
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John Hellmann, 3 Aug 2007 @ 11:08am

$10 DSL
I signed my elderly parents up for it in late June. It was HALF the cost of their dialup, and it frees their telephone so I can help my father (via telephone support) when he is having a computer problem. I used it there myself for a short time after I installed it and although its 768/128, it works pretty well, CERTAINLY better than dialup! The only issue I'm having is getting the $75 rebate on the modem. And that may be finally solved via voice contact on a customer service number.
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Haywood, 3 Aug 2007 @ 11:33am

I'd give it a try
It couldn't suck much more than my $39 Verizon DSL unless it didn't work at all. If I was paying dial-up prices it wouldn't piss me off quite as much when; it rebooted frequently or dropped to sub dial-up speeds
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Jim Beam, 3 Aug 2007 @ 11:37am

AT&T/SBC Sucks
They were incompetent a$$holes when I HAD to get DSL because I had no other choices. Took over three months and continual screwups before I finally got service. Ended up finally getting cable and dropped SBC, only to get another bill after I'd supposedly paid in full. Told them where to shove it and never looked back. Have 30Mb FIOS now and work picks up the tab....life is good.
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Anon, 3 Aug 2007 @ 11:39am

These guys are crooks.
They send offers out with 1 1/2 page of fine print....screw them. I automatically throw their junk away anymore.

They advertise their $14.99 internet connection on TV showing your PC getting jet fighter wings and engines with you zooming of a rocket speed into the clouds...what a big crock of you know what.
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Aug 2007 @ 11:49am

Works for me
I have had great service from SBC/AT&T. In over 5 years my service has been down less than 5 times, and they have always fixed it right away. That opposed to Cox, which was down at least 30 times over 6 months. (Sometimes for days.) I pay $34.99 for 6 Mbps down/ 768Kbps up.
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a yellow page survivor, 3 Aug 2007 @ 11:53am

the fun never stops
Ever run an add in their yellow pages? Now you HAVE to buy an additional in their online dierctory and spend like $55.00 a month to have a print ad.

Someone, get the Vasaline!

Some clients are decideing to try Verison's new directory this year just to spite them. I think they haven't figured out they aren't the only game in town yet - but I'm thinking it will sink in when sales sink.

Hopefully, they will wise up, offer better products and services, and win their customers trust back.

We can hope anyway.
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Jonathan, 3 Aug 2007 @ 12:30pm

Please dont hate the Sales reps blame management.
The CEO's of AT&T are the crooks here. Not the poor reps on the phone, believe it or not I am part of CWA the union of AT&T and we are dealing with a crisis in our cell phone division of 70% Attrition and the same goes for the Wireline side. We deal with so much assinine crap like this from upper management I wouldn't be the least bit suprised that a sales rep could get a negative review by management if they sold what the customer wanted ($10 DSL) to what management thinks you want. Higher packages and up. With turnover like that it's no wonder people always get different answers.

-Jon
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John, 3 Aug 2007 @ 12:56pm

Cry me a river!
For many YEARS I have asked Southwestern Bell/SBC/AT&T for DSL service. It's not offered where I live despite the fact I live less than a mile from a CO and half of my neighborhood has DSL. The last time I talked to them (they were still SBC) I asked point blank if they intended to run DSL to my half of the neighborhood. She said they had no plans to expand in my area.

So I got rid of them. I get my dial tone, long distance, television, and Internet all from my cable company since they actually want my business. I get a good laugh out of all the letters I get from AT&T asking me back.
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Duane, 3 Aug 2007 @ 12:58pm

AT&T monopoly
Poor Judge Green. I know he is rolling in his grave.
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Pony Rein, 3 Aug 2007 @ 1:20pm

AT&T CEO: We Don't Promote $10 DSL Because No One
amazing that after the government broke up the bell telephone monopoly that AT&T has resurrected it in spades The agreement with the sec was that they provide the low cost DSL to people there claim that no one wants it and it is essentially garbage means they created a crappy DSL to give to those that insisted and by doing so showed they had no real intention of complying with the SEC and are well on their way to creating another monopoly

and you know the current government is not going to lift a finger to stop them KA-CHING!!
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Dan Reale, 3 Aug 2007 @ 1:54pm

I have it
And the connection drops on a semi regular basis. Their tech support is useless, since they begin by telling me to run the diagnostics they do when I call. Then, they tell me that either everything is fine on their end, or they have no clue what's going on.
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Aug 2007 @ 2:13pm

Missing
Are we missing the fact that why is it the governments role to tell a company what they have to offer the market. its not 1980 there is cable satelite and yes still dial up internet, if the market demands a $10 product from ATT they will have one. the company has its issues no doubt but if the goverment walked into your company and told you you HAD to offer something that you knew sucked for your business would you be out shouting it from the hilltops? Rip me a new one if you want but truth is truth and the free market isn't the root of all evil its overzealous government that we should be concerned about
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Clueby4, 3 Aug 2007 @ 2:33pm

Stop flapping about Free market!!
There is NO such thing as a free market. Usage of that word is like talking about how you can't wait for Santa to bring you presents. More times then not is just a parroted concept used to rationalize.

Right of Way use of public resources be it wired or unwired is should not be free. Obsequiously offered $10 a month DSL is hardly just compensation.
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snitramc, 3 Aug 2007 @ 3:43pm

and that's why
I buy all my telephony services from my ISP, and have nothing to do with AT&T. If they ever become the last company in the world to offer these services, I will go without!
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Q, 3 Aug 2007 @ 3:45pm

ahh thats more like it.
Ahhhh, yes yes yes. I was starting to feel overwhelmed by so many choices. Its so nice to have the comunications in this country run by one jagernaunt, the oil run by another, and the television run by a handful of corporations. It's so nice to not have to make any more decisions about what I want and what I want to pay for it. May be soon we could have a huge department store in every town that employs people for minimum wage, sells goods made in another country by slaves run by a communist goverment with agregious human rights violatons. And if this huge department store company could ruin the entire economy that would be just perfect!
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GE, 3 Aug 2007 @ 5:57pm

Idiots
Yeah, lets use Quest (their ex-CEO was just indicted) or WorldCom (who pretty much destroyed the telecom industry by inflating their numbers for years). WorldCom went back to using the name MCI to hide their shame.
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Slarty Bartfast, 3 Aug 2007 @ 6:40pm

It Works!
Using it now, works just fine. I haven't tried it for MMO gaming, but for basic internet cruising, it's perfectly sufficient. I do notice the downgrade in speed from my comcast cable, though. But I also notice the $40 less each month... Ching!
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Aug 2007 @ 9:11pm

Paragraphs!

Please! Paragraphs!
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Gone Fishing, 4 Aug 2007 @ 8:02am

I Hate Technology
I've been waiting nine years for BellSouth to deliver me DSL. They terminated fiber less than 1/4 mile from me two years ago, but refuse to run DSL out from it. It's a rural area, and there "aren't enough potential subscribers" they say. I'd be happy to pay $100 a month for it if they'd just deliver.

They'd be happy to give me a T-1 for $500 a month. Otherwise, I'm stuck with unreliable 128k ISDN, for $65 a month, and the only reason they provide that is because of court order. Part of the settlement when the state sued them over overcharges years ago was that they always have to deliver ISDN wherever and whenever it's requested in this state. ISDN was state-of-the-art for "broadband" back then, and they court did not consider the possibility of obsolescence.

Not just bashing BellSouth. The cable companies are all the same way. They stop just short coming from every direction and refuse to extend further because there aren't enough customers. Cell phones don't work here either, and there's no broadcast television in range. I can't get a good line on a satellite because of the mountains, and it's unsuitable for VPN anyway.

My only alternative is to subdivide my property and build McMansions on it to drive the population up. But the reason I came here was to get away from that environment.

I hate technology and it's purveyors. My mortgage is paid in 9 more months. I'll retire and trade in all my technology for fishing tackle.
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Valarius, 4 Aug 2007 @ 11:44am

Article has been linked to Fark.com.

Step 1: go to ATT.com and read the Residential DSL offers.

Step 2: ignore all the crap and scroll all the way down to the bottom right of the page. You'll see an advertisement that says:

"DSL at even a Lower Price!

Get high-speed Internet for less, plus a free modem after mail-in rebate, for qualifying customers.
See if you qualify"

Step 3: click on the link.

Step 4: buy the $10 DSL and fuck ATT.
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Fatal Claws, 4 Aug 2007 @ 3:08pm

AT&T DSL is Great!
I have AT&T DSL (not the $10 plan) and it's great! Never goes down and is super fast. I have no complaints.
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j criddle, 4 Aug 2007 @ 9:04pm

AT&T DSL
AT&T SUCKS!!!
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Randy McDandy, 5 Aug 2007 @ 1:42am

Stop AT&T
AT&T is one of the worst companies on earth. They were broken up once and now have re-purchased the broken parts and re-assembled into the monster they were before. Like the 'poly-metal-alloy' terminator. Everyone, tell your friends, tell your congressman, tell everybody you contact to stay away from this evil company. Let's all finally kill this monster.
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HEWAC, 5 Aug 2007 @ 8:33am

M2Z Networks want to bring a little competition in
I've been tracking the news on a company called M2Z Networks that plans to offer free wireless broadband Internet but has been waiting for over a year for the FCC to approve their proposal. www.m2znetworks(dot)com. The planned service will be nationwide. Clearly we this kind of competition in the marketplace.
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Monkfishy, 5 Aug 2007 @ 2:47pm

AT&T's Crystal Ball
...must be broken. It obviously failed to predict that what I really wanted was to switch to cable internet and VOIP, and pull the plug on the Bell. I don't need no stinking $10 wh---; I mean DSL.
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Kenneth E. Walter, 6 Aug 2007 @ 2:36pm

AT$T $10 DSL
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Rob Glass, 6 Aug 2007 @ 2:36pm

Inexpensive DSL
My least expensive DSL service from AT&T / Yahoo ( $15/mo - ~75Kb/sec ) surprised a chum who has developed an interactive video website. He wanted to test his website on a worst-case DSL service. Having found my service entirely adequate, he will switch from cable to DSL.

Thanks for pointing out that DSL Lite exists ... that option was not offered when I signed up.
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Kenneth E. Walter, 6 Aug 2007 @ 3:08pm

AT&T's $10 Legal Settlement
ByteWORKS has classes for needy children and adults and graduated 93 people in 2006. They were given a Pentium III and 17in. monitor, sound card, net card, and 56k phone modem. The city of St. Louis (MO)provided 1yr. of free Internet access from their Community Information Nettwork. This has been canceled and we were delighted to hear of AT&T's $10 deal. We could not comprehend how to advise our (needy) clientle how to get it. The offer was hidden in small print. Our technicians couldn't figure it out. Some have added Netzero and others went to AT&T's $20 plan.
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Mike, 6 Aug 2007 @ 5:25pm

AT&T's $10 dsl from an AT&T tech support rep.
I'm a 2nd level tech support red for AT&T. We haven't even been officially told about this from the company. AT&T is becoming the K-mart of broadband. The facilites suck, the service sucks, the product offerings suck, and the way they treat their employees sucks.
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Buck Naked, 6 Aug 2007 @ 7:35pm

Works for me
I replaced Juno dialup with the $10/month DSL. I like it. Even at 768K incoming, it's faster than Charter cable and much cheaper.
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otis@cwa.org, 7 Aug 2007 @ 11:16am

fuck at&t
what can big brother blue at&t do for you?...other than wiretsp and red your email? boycott all at&t product!
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anne r. key, 8 Aug 2007 @ 11:14pm

kill em with kindness
don"t boycott them - sign up for the $10 dsl, if you can. Not only will it prove the CEO wrong - people do want reasonable pricing, it could bankrupt them! If, in fact, this is a money losing burden to AT&T, then a mass switch to the plan should put them out of business faster then boycotting them will. it's up to us to demand accountability from our elected officials, from the smallest city government to the President of the US. Politicians are public servants, and we are the public they serve. We also need to hold ourselves accountable. If a proposed "solution" to a "problem" has backing from 90% of the population, four years later, you can't blame officials for going along - it's their job, supposedly, to do what we want - if public opinion has changed to 70% DISapproval. most talk big but when push comes to shove - or election day rolls around - they buy into the 15 second sound bites and go with name recognition over ideology. How else could CA end up with the Governator?
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Rob Mick, 17 Aug 2007 @ 7:31am

AT&T and Regulatory collusion on DSL
Of course AT&T has a $10 DSL, and of course its not satisfacotry. How fast does it work? For $10/mo it probably isn't much better than dial-up, but it is DSL. The regulators (FCC) required a $10/mo DSL, but without specifying performance. It got the FCC off the hook for allowing a merger that further dismantled the 1996 Telecom Act, and let an ILEC continue in the process of rebuilding its monopoly. I saw this crap happen when I was a Central Office manager for a CLEC, and its a cycle that will continue for as long as the government plays both sides of the street: they allow a compnay to develop a monopoly (with regulaiton), until the abuses of the monopoly cause sucha clamor among consumers that the polititians are compelled to intervene and break it down. It creates abit of a wild-west scenario in the marketplace, but I guess its better than a Command Economy like the USSR had.
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Terry Sarkel, 28 Aug 2007 @ 12:59pm

The new AT&T sucks BIG TIME!!!
I've been with Bellsouth for years and have had good, reliable service. The DSL service had its bugs in the beginning but sorted itself out within two months. Now AT&T comes along and my DSL runs for sh*t!! I don't know what they did but it locks up constantly now. And this didn't start until AT&T took over. I need to research Dish Network's DSL to find out if it has better service and fewer complaints.
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Terry Sarkel, 28 Aug 2007 @ 1:05pm

The new AT&T sucks BIG TIME!!!
I've been with Bellsouth for years and have had good, reliable service. The DSL service had its bugs in the beginning but sorted itself out within two months. Now AT&T comes along and my DSL runs for sh*t!! I don't know what they did but it locks up constantly now. And this didn't start until AT&T took over. I need to research Dish Network's DSL to find out if it has better service and fewer complaints.
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Jason Cornett, 7 Sep 2007 @ 6:47pm

The Big $10 Online Lie
Pursuant to this discussion, I just tried to check whether or not $10 access is available to me by using the qualifier on AT&T's website. No matter what phone number you enter, or which address you try, the website always gives you an error message instructing you to call due to a technical problem (error code 76). Now, to test this even further, I entered the address for the White House, and it gave me an error message. If you can't obtain it at the White House, I guess it's just not possible for big ol' AT&T to offer $10 DSL anywhere in the free world. Shame on their leadership, shame on their employees, and shame on the folks who allowed a merger that should never have happened.
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Jay Dubya, 30 Sep 2007 @ 4:51am

AT&T
...and the beat goes on!

AT&T bundle less then $100.00 per month.
Telephone + DSL + seldom working Satelite dish.

...and the beat goes on!
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J. Munday, 15 Oct 2007 @ 1:32pm

AT&T and it's many deceits
Lived in Miami previously and when AT&T took over my dial-u[
system wouldn't work (suddenly) on any of my 3 computers.
Message given was: "connection cannot be made). Win XP
said modem was O.K.

Moved to CT (where AT&T also just took over) and found
computers won't work. Was ACTUALLY told by an AT&T service
rep that my homeline is "just for telephone calls - and I
have to sign up for DSL if I want to get online (at $19.95
monthly + a "one time" $45. connection charge.

Found out that as part of the agreement to take over in CT
AT&T was told it MUST offer naked DSL for 2 years -- but
reps deny that and say the customer MUST have a homeline
or they can't sign up for DSL.

AT&T is representative of the Bush strategy of "all for
us (big business) and to hell with the middle class and
their finances.
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KATHY WITTER, 7 Nov 2007 @ 6:18am

NOT A HAPPY CUSTOMER
i HAD INTERNATIONAL ON MY PHONE NUMBER AND WHEN I RECD THE BILL. THE CALLS WHERE AS HIGH AS MY APT RENT. NO ONE FROM ATT EVEN CARED TO BELIEVE ME. SO I SWITCHED TO ANOTHER COMPANY. AND PUT A BLOCK IN INTERNATINAL CALLS. TO THIS DAY I WILL NOT USE THIS COMPANY. FOR THEY WILL NOT LISTEN TO THEIR CUSTOMERS.
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Marie Mercer, 11 Nov 2007 @ 3:58pm

AT&T DSL
The attitude from AT&T's CEO that the company knows what customers don't want (such as DSL for $10.00 a month) reminds me of the old Lily Tomlin sketch when, as Ernestine the operator, she used to say that "We're the phone company. We don't care, we don't have to!"
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Darrell Cummings, 14 Nov 2007 @ 8:20pm

DSL Lies
I have been trying to get DSL for years,before Bell South was Gobbled by AT&T, The deal when taking over Bell South , AT&T was supposed offer $10. DSL.
Was that just the ramblings low-class CEO's ?????
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Darrell Cummings, 14 Nov 2007 @ 8:28pm

DSL Lies
I have been trying to get DSL for years,before Bell South was Gobbled by AT&T, The deal when taking over Bell South , AT&T was supposed offer $10. DSL.
Was that just the ramblings low-class CEO's ?????
PS: My Extremely POOR Dial Up service premium has RAISED $5.00
But of course Corporations have destroyed our once great country. so why not AT&T Also?
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margie, 11 Jan 2008 @ 10:04am

since AT&T introduced their new & improved website
the service is crappier than before. I talked to their tech support and they finally offered to send me a new start-up disc. When I told them I have a MAC, they had to double check the answer but the answer I got was "we don't have start-up discs for Macs" (they did 5 years ago!) thanks a lot. Crappy service forever, I guess. hotmail and gmail are looking better all the time.
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mike, 10 Mar 2008 @ 12:53pm

AT&T RIPPED ME OFF
Back in November 2007 I ordered the $10 DSL on the Internet and got a confirmation that it was approved and to wait 10 days for the modem to arrive in the mail. It never arrived so I called them and they said they could take my order by phone and told me when my bill arrived it would say $24.95 and that I would have to call them and they would adjust the amount to $10.00. When I got the bill I did what they said and they told me that would take care of it. I just recently found out that they never corrected my bill and they been charging me $24.95 since November. I asked to talk to a supervisor and she refused to reimburse me for the months that I was overcharged. That is when I really started to get pissed off. She said that there was no records showing that I qualified for the #10.00 service. I explained everything to her exactly as it happened and she pretty much ignored everything I told her. I took down her name and phone number and told her I was going to file a complaint. Does anyone know who I can talk to so I can get this resolved? Any help wuold be great.
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Tom Walker, 14 Apr 2008 @ 6:21am

AT & T Weekend No DSL Service
Since AT & T took over Bell South my DSL service has started to disappear on weekends. Sometimes I can get to the internet through a 'special' web page and sometimes I can't get there at all. I'm switching to cable.
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C J woodsford, 30 Mar 2009 @ 4:17pm

wants DSL
I have been trying for more than ten years to get DSL from Bell South (now AT&T). I can't get an answer as to when I might be able to get it. Does anyone at AT&T have the guts to give me a answer that you will live up to, that I can take to the Utilies Commision when you don't live up to it.
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Chris R, 17 Apr 2009 @ 11:59pm

AT&T and their shady billing practices. never in my life would I do business with them.
Their promotions and deals are so shady, they don't specify the instructions on how to redeem such rebates they somehow conveniently *forget* to include the rebate form in the box, and by the time you call them to follow up with it, it is *expired.

*BE SURE* to take a screenshot and copy/paste the summary of charges and email it to yourself, because they do not keep the record themselves (which most likely is a lie), and what's shown on the billing summary on the screen when you sign up and the actual billing statement are quite different. and without the proof, you will be screwed. In my case, even with the proof, they blatantly said "no guarantees"

They promoted the new phone line activation fee of $40 waiver, and on the summary of charges, it was specified -$40.00, but on my first billing statement, the waiver has somehow disappeared and when I called them to follow up on it, they denied such promotion and claimed that there was no proof.

I am so glad I had copy/pasted the order summary specifying the amounts, and they said fax it over and then they'll see what they can do, but they said still no guarantees.

I used to respect AT&T like 10 years ago, but now they need to go out of business. I knew the CSR was just doing what was instructed to do by his manager, and when I called them on their shady billing practices, he didn't speak out, but I knew he was silently in agreement.

They're now just a shady company conducting shady business and just out to get innocent customers.

They need to cease to exist.
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